how fast to be competitive?

[mx0range]

as title. how fast does a typical buggy need to be for competitive racing? id guess at club level.

got a new ESC on the way that will take 13t+ motors but i dont know what to look for in terms of rpm / torque exactly

edit: should this be in general race chat? if so mod move thread? ta

[jimmy]

As I think someone said before, a 19t spec motor is a good start - I've raced one at Nationals, Regionals and club days against modified motors. The only place it loses out is down a straight but if it's geared well it shouldn't be too bad.. I always found it was quicker in the corners as its so much more drivable than something like a 10 turn.

I just got a 14x2 off ashley for my 2WD - when I started racing I used a 14x2 also - it's probably fairly similar to a 19 spec motor to drive.

I wouldn't worry about rpm / torque too much, or at all. a decent 19 or mild modified (14-15-16-17) should be good. I like the peak/orion V2 style motors myself but other swear by the checkpoint series. I'd get either of those over any other style to be honest.

[Tom3012]

as jimmy said, a 19 is a good starting point... once you can drive one of these round the track with minimal crashes, then move on to something a bit hotter, like a 14 or maybe a 12 :)

Tom

[mx0range]

im used to driving around a small track with my old nitro rally car.. that does around 35 mph. im not sure how different an electric buggy is.. but it cant be THAT much, can it?

so what speeds (roughly) do these buggies with 19t motors do flatout down the straights?

[jimmy]

If you're used to driving fast it's no help on a race track - but if like you say you're used to driving on a track then you need to used your judgement on what you can handle. Off road varies a lot, but generally you have a lot more to deal with than flat out speed and it depends on the track size etc.

If you want to have some fun then get a quick motor - if you want to do well then get a calmer motor and 'upgrade' as and when you feel you need to.

[mx0range]

well id like a motor that would match my nitro speed wise as a starting point.. unfortunately i dont know what is comparable since when i had electric cars i never upgraded them

[Tom3012]

a couple of questions then...

-how fast roughly is your nitro?
-what batteries do you have?
-whats your budget?

[jimmy]

if you want to achieve a similar speed - I guess a 10 turn should just about do it. I recorded speeds at Bury Metro one time with my awesome hotwheels radar gun - and the fastest car I recorded was Andy Shillito's S4 with a 4.5 brushless system on the main straight - 32mph I think it was.

[mx0range]

like i said, my nitro is / was (just sold it) around 35 mph ish. not yet bought batteries (been eying up some Gold Peak 3700mAh)

budget.. hmm.. just for a motor? i dont know.. would (up to) £40 get me decent quick motor?

thanks

[Tom3012]

try posting for a motor in the wanted section.. someone will have one... most people are upgrading to brushless...

either an orion v2 motor (i have had many of these, very good motors!) or the checkpoint as jimmy said....

with the speedo you have orederd a 14x2 would probably be the best option.. running it on the 13 turn limit could be risky...

golden peak also known as GP batteries are very good! the 3300 i had 3 years ago for racing still hold 3000 and give good punch so i think your on the right lines there :)...

ill ask my dad, we might have a decent motor we could sell you :)

[mx0range]

iv been watching alot of videos of buggy racing and they look like theyre going faster than 30mph. theres a tamiya motor super stock bz i think. 26k rpm. i could use that on my existing esc which would save money for putting into something else on the car. think that would be competitive?

[Richard Lowe]

like i said, my nitro is / was (just sold it) around 35 mph ish.
Did you measure it at all or did it say that in the instructions?

The main difference with electric is instant torque and acceleration from low speeds, like Jimmy said even the fastest cars only reach 30-35mph on his preceisly calibrated (:D) hot wheels speed gun.

A 19t will be plenty to start out with ;)

[mx0range]

Did you measure it at all or did it say that in the instructions?
it was raced along side my car... got slightly run over tho lol. no major damage, just some bent body posts and paintwork :D

[Richard Lowe]

igot slightly run over tho lol.
Haha :D

Remember 35mph on your (big) car is actually probably more like 30 ;)

[mx0range]

so should i get the tamiya motor - super stock bz 26k rpm 23t and spend a little more elsewhere (chassis hopups)

or get the new esc 13t+ and a 19t motor?

[Tom3012]

what buggy is it that you have?

[jimmy]

I'd go for the latter, and get a V2 or Checkpoint (no experience with them myself but people say they're good) based motor. If you decide to do some sanctioned racing then any Tamiya motor would be illegal I guess - not that most would really care but there it is.

You can always get a 27t stock motor - that should be ok with your current ESC - but if you want some speed a 19 turn spec motor or similar would be a good choice and easy to drive.. The reason for suggesting V2 or Checkpoint is purely because they last for ages between maintenance compared to older designs.

[mx0range]

why would a tamiya motor be illegal? :confused:

[jimmy]

at a brca sanctioned racing event like a regional race - since it won't be homologated. I'm not sure vickys motor is on any list to be honest but I've never seen anyone complain ! :p:p (silver can 540!)

[c0sie]

im used to driving around a small track with my old nitro rally car.. that does around 35 mph. im not sure how different an electric buggy is.. but it cant be THAT much, can it?

so what speeds (roughly) do these buggies with 19t motors do flatout down the straights?

Id say it was. Power delivery is almost instant on an electric 10th, and a site to behold. If you have a club near you that races outdoor 10th that go and have a looksee

[telboy]

To be honest, I'd go for a more common motor like the ones that jimmy mentioned. the tamiya motors are ok, but nothing compared to the mainline 19's etc.

We use to run tamiya 11turns in the eurocup, but compared to an orion or something similar, the tamiya was more like a 15/16turn orion.
Tamiya motors aren't as fast as most other makes. So if its speed you're after then look at others like the orion/peak/reedy makes etc. they're much better.

[JCJC]

There is work involved in maintaining brushed motors, most racers will skim the armature regulary, this is why brushless are popular, (£180+brushless esc & motor combi). as there are more brushless used, brushed motors are becoming good value secondhand (the V's, peak or orion & checkpoints £60ish new)

Advantage of the V's & checkpoints is the longer/better wear of the brushes, less maintainance, we found the checkpoints easier to solder to, but not much else in it. If you are racing at a local track it will be tires & suspension that make all the difference.

[Col]

How fast to be competetive? Simple answer is not very!!
At york indoors we run several classes and when you look after 5mins of racing, the std 540 class leaders are rarely more than a lap behind the average modified car and ahead of quite a few. As has been said several thousand times in the past, the fast drivers are the ones that don't crash!

[sosidge]

No, you don't need much power to be competitive.

Example - at the Teesside Aces a couple of years ago I ran a 19-turn motor in the 4WD (had killed most of my hotter motors!), and although it felt a little slow it was easy to drive and got me round the track pretty well.

Switched to a 12-turn half-way through the meeting and the car felt much quicker but was only a couple of tenths faster on each lap which was a bit gutting because I thought the motor was what was holding me back! Turns out it was me.

Another example - last week I went down to the local touring car club who run 27T stock motors. I don't have one at the moment so stuck in a Tamiya silver can 540 motor (widely recognised as the slowest motor in RC!).

I qualified fourth for the A-final (out of 17) and very nearly won it! Again, I was only losing a few tenths of a second per lap to people of similar/better ability.

So it goes to show that driving skill (which I do not possess a great deal of mind you) is much more important than the power of the motor.

And the more power the more likely you are to lose control and crash, you see lots of people who are ballistic one lap, then crash into every track marker three times the next!