Why am I slower than competition?

[Vincent_Diesel]

My set up -
Losi XXX-SCT roller with 82 spur and 26-28 pinion on J Concepts Rulux and Barcodes all around. Tekin RS esc and Tekin Redline sensored 17.5 BL motor. Radio post TS401 Tx. Onyx 5000mah 25C Lipo. Running "blinky" class on medium sized indoor clay track.

Why does my competition visibly seems much faster than I on the straights and on the infield. I'm a decent driver although I could be better. What am I doing wrong?

Many of the guys run the same setup and some with inferior electronics but they just seem quicker. Guys are jumping the doubles with ease while I seem to be short of clearing.

[B00t13g]

Try turning the can timing up, ask them what their gearing is and watch their lines. They might run wider on jumps so they can have a little more distance to get their speed up or their motors are just faster, lighter etc etc.

[JK Racing]

also see what batteries they are running, your onyx may not be giving you enough juice. since i have been running blinky class, i've found batteries make a huge difference.

[Vincent_Diesel]

B00T and JK thanks.

So can timing is done by turning the endbell counter clockwise. Right? I see on the Tekin 17.5 motor there is a range from 0 to 12 to something higher it --doesn't say. Where is the recommended setting? I think the factory is set at 12.

So I was thinking my batteries need more punch. Is that where C ratings come in? I was looking at Orion Carbon Pro 2S Lipo that have are rated at 90C. Will this do? Is 65C enough?

[b_atman]

might also check your TX settings, and calibration to esc.
punch,expo and other setting could effect your speeds

[FastEddy]

Back to basics.
Check for binding in your drive train.
Check for worn out bearings.
Could also be driving style and or setup.
Its amazing how coming out of a corner properly can make a huge difference in speed on the straits.
Again check for mechanical issues. Then Setup, then if all else fails, more practice laps.

[downwindorphan]

I have had the same problem, sc10's make jumps look so easy. I've tried tekin, Orion,castle geared up to were after 5 min comes out at 160.. so this has my interest, but I run 13.5

[Trouble's Dad]

Originally Posted by Vincent_Diesel

B00T and JK thanks.

So can timing is done by turning the endbell counter clockwise. Right? I see on the Tekin 17.5 motor there is a range from 0 to 12 to something higher it --doesn't say. Where is the recommended setting? I think the factory is set at 12.

So I was thinking my batteries need more punch. Is that where C ratings come in? I was looking at Orion Carbon Pro 2S Lipo that have are rated at 90C. Will this do? Is 65C enough?

I would say the 65c would be enough, unless you have the extra cash for the 90c packs, but the real question is - are they a true 90c??

so for us I tried a 40c pack on carpet next to a triple jump, no run up and would come up short on the jump, went with a 65c, and would clear it everytime, so my guess is your packs are not delivering what you need to be fast

[Vincent_Diesel]

Thanks for ALL your help.

I am buying a Team CRC 5600mah 65C Lipo now. Stay tuned.

[Matt Sunderlage]

Fast Eddie nailed it.

In stock you really need to have clean lines through and out of the corners to get the best run off it.

I geared my Stock SCT down and turned up the timing in the motor to reduce heat and get more speed out of it, it also had alot more torque in the infield for the longer jumps.

...and I used a 65C battery.

[Hang Man 2010]

Maybe someone can chime in and give some info. I run with Gens Ace 5000 50c and couldn't be happier with the performance. I've seen guys with 65c + battery packs and don't notice or see any drastic advantage, if any advantage at all other than spending more $. I'm only referring to the 17.5 blinky mode racing here. It seems if you have a decent 50c 5000 pack that is good enough, can anyone add and explain the gains going much higher than 50c - 65c vs the cost $? Is it really worth it, especially at club level racing?

Here's a link that is good for gearing:
RC Gearhead - Browse

My baseline gearing/starting point:
I'm currently geared 78/26 = 3
FDR = 7.29

Other than that, like Matt and others in this post have said. Driving, motor end bell and proper gearing are the key
Here's another little secret....."TIRES"

[nascarkeith]

Hang in there man. I know how frustrating it can be.

I raced for a year with little to no improvement. My truck was beat to death. I finally ordered a new truck and talked to Matt Sunderlage for set up advice. Once I hit a set up that felt good to me my fastest lap dropped 2 seconds and I went from running 5th or 6th to running 2nd and third.

Take advice from the fast guys but ultimately its your truck. Set it up so it drives good to you. I started with Dustin Evans set up that Matt recommended and downloaded the Huddy Set Up Guide. If you google you can find it free. I drove the truck and then used the guide to tune to my liking. Now, I couldn't be happier with it.

I'm not sure about blinky classes but I run the Gen's Ace 5000mah 50C in our open class and it does great. Good Luck!

[Vincent_Diesel]

Really appreciate all the advice. Got the day off today so maybe I'll tweak my setup

So many theories out there regarding "C" discharge rates, I don't know what to believe. Consensus is that higher C equates to punchier acceleration but many say that gain only relates to faster motors. Guess I'll soon find out.

[Trouble's Dad]

in the battery wars they just don't compare to each other very well, but its a marketing ploy, so the difference is what you feel comfortable paying for and if they work for you, granted clean lines will make you faster as well as the tires, but when that fails, then the next would be practice, and after that it will come back to battery, back in the day when they ran brushed motors, guys would sit for hours tuning on a motor, getting the bushings just perfect, shimmed perfectly and diamond cut the comm, and all they wanted was that tenth of a second, and it would come down to who had the best battery packs, so their is lots of advice and lots of battery dealers out in the world, so its up to you to find a pack that works for you, see what your local fast guys run for C ratings, then get a plan on how you can get faster and beat them, or at most go and have some fun

[downwindorphan]

Any updates?

[Vincent_Diesel]

No REAL updates as of yet. I haven't been to the track but here is what I am going to test. Updates are:

Went From:
Tekin Redline 17.5 w/ RS ESC
Onyx 5000mah 20C lipo
82 / 28 gearing

Going To:
Trinity Revtech 17.5 w/ RS ESC
Revtech 6500mah 65C lipo
76 / 28 gearing

I have been hearing great things about this battery / motor combo. Apparently this motor is designed for blinky racing. I am hoping with the "added punch" from this battery and add KV from the motor I will be able to keep up on a straight line.

Any thoughts on the gearing? Why do people go smaller on spur and larger on pinion? Does this gearing seem good for my setup?

THX

[Motostowes]

Gear it to 75 spur 25 pinion with tekin motor, makes a huge difference.

[ssjrrupp]

Are racers allowed to run a high torque rotor in the 17.5 class? Just wondering if it is a legal mod. I have a TEKIN Redline 17.5 and bought the 13mm high torque rotor. The 12.5 is roar legal per TEKIN.. 13 apparently is not.

Just wondering because I want to run at Trackside with Matt but don't want to get flagged for illegal equipment.

Also, I have run the Thunderpower ProRace 65c battery, I think it's 5000 MAH. I bought two of them. I also have a little Venom 30c, 3300MAH battery, and a couple Venoms in the 40C - 50C range. In my oppinion, the 65C does not justify its weight vs the 30c battery which is significantly lighter. I don't think the 17.5 motors use up enough power for all of that. I could be mistaken as most of my impression is by feel.

My goal at this point is to lighten up the truck as much as possible without sacrificing some of the higher end components I have, and it seems to me that if I'm thinking 5-7 minute main, I want to go with the least MAH and weight, as well as get the most C in the class vs weight that I can afford. Just a thought. When recently looking at batteries, because I could use something to replace those 65C batteries, the weight is the deciding factor. I think a 3000mah battery should get a person 7 mins a hard run time.

I'm still a newbie and a dabbler so maybe my thought processes aren't what they should be on the subject.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Justin.

[JK Racing]

lighter isnt always better...you will need to compensate for the lighter weight with your suspension tuning. BUT, if you really want to save some weight, look at the shorty packs for the 22 :) small, lightweight & high C ratings

[Vincent_Diesel]

SS brings up an interesting question.

So let's apply power to weight ratio theories, to building a faster setup involves cutting some weight. I think batteries are a good place to start. Going from a 6500Mah 65C lipo to a 4300Mah 65C lipo will shave off over 200 grams. The question is on a blinky 17.5 turn class will this be ample to run 6 minute heats?

Will 200+ grams of weight savings make me faster?