![]() Torque Monsters can optimize their cars by reviewing their Castle Link data logs and watching how the voltage falls during the car’s power pull and how that turns into motor RPMs (and system temps). Better batteries and beefier ESCs can greatly improve the top speeds in these cars, but this can put a LOT of strain on the system causing lots of random things to break. The motor then maxes out at an RPM much lower than the builder intended… and you get a “slow” run. What usually ends up happening is the motor pulls so much current trying to just get the car rolling that the system voltage sags to a really low level. For many cars, this means running impossibly low gear ratios or extremely high battery voltages to get real speed. The problem for speed runners is that you really need to generate really, really high RPMs at the wheels to achieve high speeds. Since Mechanical Power = Torque * RPMs, this means that the motors can produce VERY high levels of torque at pretty low RPMs, which is AWESOME for drag racers, big monster trucks, rock crawlers, or wheelie popping bashers. You see, very large brushless motors typically have pretty low KV ratings, meaning they are designed to produce their peak power at fairly low RPMs. Sometimes this makes perfect sense…., but sometimes it does not. This is the guy who puts a Castle 15-series motor and Mamba XL X ESC powered by 8S LiPos in a 1/10 scale touring car…. We all know that guy who insists on stuffing the absolute biggest motor and ESC possible into their cars, whether it makes sense or not. Copying another builder’s setup without understanding the decisions they’ve made is a great way to destroy expensive hardware (and it makes you look like a jerk). Even though two cars may look the same, there may be some big differences under the hood, especially in ESC tuning. Just keep in mind, NEVER EVER COPY SOMEONE ELSE’S SETUP. Each category has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the fastest guys try to take lessons from each group and apply them to their builds where they best fit. In my experience, new speed builders usually fall into one of 3 basic categories: “Torque Monsters”, “KV Kings”, and “Killa-Volters”. Each category has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the fastest guys try to take lessons from each group and apply them to their builds where they best fit.” “In my experience, new speed builders usually fall into one of 3 basic categories: “Torque Monsters”, “KV Kings”, and “Killa-Volters”. I’ll talk about good starter platforms in a later post, but for now let’s just say that an “inexpensive” platform that you can easily fix after a crash (because you WILL crash) might be a better addition to your Christmas List. For example, if you are just getting into speed running or drag racing, building a Mamba XL X powered, 8S, 1/8 scale (ROSSA 808 class) world record contender may not be your best first move. You also have to be honest with yourself about your goals and your skill level as a driver. You really have to invest a little time and think about how all the pieces work together and tune your ride for your goal. Again, there is no one right path, but if you don’t appreciate what makes each one unique, you can actually pick hardware that works against itself and ultimately wastes a lot of time and money and can actually make you slower.īefore I begin, it’s important to point out that just throwing the biggest or most expensive hardware into a car rarely results in a fast RC. Unfortunately, you really need to have a decent understanding of each of these paths before you can pick the right direction for your particular build. The problem is that many guys do not realize that there are several paths that can get you to some really nice speeds for speed runners (and drag racers). ![]() One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “How can I make my car Really FAST?!!” This is usually followed by a really vague description of the ride in question and a wish list of shiny new parts to be shoehorned into the poor little car.
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