TC3 kinda slow?

[twism86]

Hey everyone, i have a TC3 w/ the stock 48P 72T spur gear. My Esc is an Lrp Ips pro sport w/ no motor limit. My 2 main motors are Reedy TI's, a 8x2 and a 12x2. They are about a year old but still are in good condition, maintained normally. Today i ran the 8 turn with a 18t pinion and was not going fast. Other threads say low turn motors like this can hit 35 - 50 mph. Am i geared wrong, i normally add 10 teeth for the pinion to the motors turns. I use premade batt. packs so i know this doesnt help but if anyone knows of good matched pre-assembled pack that would be great. i dont race so im not going to go into buiding my own. If anyone could help me get some speed and fix the gearing that would be awesome, thanks for any help!

-twism

[highroller]

When using the two motors both being different turns the gearing should never be the same, when using the 8 turn the actual pinion size could be 2 - 3 smaller. If motors were geared correctly and you a now noticing a drop in speed several things could be happening 1. brushes made be wearing - even though they look good the length may have gotten shorter that spring can no longer provide adaquate tension, another could be if motor was geared incorrectly it may have heated up the brush and after running can no longer deliver adaquate current. 2. even though comm may look fine it may have worn, become untrue leading to improper brush contect (see if LHS provides a comm truing service). Before taking motor apart, mark it to make assembly easier. Mark one endbell screw (red permanant marker) with a corresponding mark on can. Remove brushes, springs, then loosen the two screws, rotate motor endbell and gently pull off. Watch for the motor shims (plastic and metal washers) on both ends of armature and try keeping them in correct order. Inspect the comm (copper area where brush makes contact) if a groove as formed along the surface and dark areas ae noticeable near the slots comm will need truing. After truing, replace the shims in correct order on each end of armature, install back in can, align the two marks and tighten screw until they become snug - don't tighten the screw too much or it can create drag on the armature. Replace the brushes and spring, run the motor so brushes are seated, oil the bearing and that should help.
The other possibility could be the battery packs are started to good bad.

Yes speeds could get in excess of 55 mph, but it depends on the size (length) of track straight aways or how long the area is. In competitive racing situations vehicles and equipment are tuned for both handling and speed. Better batteries may be used, motor is setup using a brush, spring and other things that produce the best power, esc may be of better quality, driver skills may be of better caliber couple all that together and you have blazing speeds. Cars may be equipped with items that make them light and quick.

[highroller]

Another misconception with many concerning modified is the speed, some believe using a lower turn motor equates to more speed. This is incorrect.
All modifieds would achieve the same speeds in identical vehicles. What changes is the rpms range (how vehicle accelerates and low end power) the actual HP (represented in watts is nearly identical that equate to how much speed one motor will make over another). The thing you should notice when gearing the 8 turn correctly is more low end power (almost to the point of being uncontrollable). Comparing the two based on the general power ranges of the two whle they both would produce the same speeds the one 8x2 would have a quicker acceleration, taking less time to reach it's top speed than the 12x2 which would have a slower acceleration curve, it's on throttle respondse would seem milder easier to manage and almost tame compared to the 8x2 if both were geared correctly.

In competitive racing circles that is the reason for a variety of different turns or winds. To taylor the power output to track conditions, when traction is less than ideal a higher turn or wind (adding more wire) will make on power output more easier and vehicle easier to handle.

[twism86]

Thanks alot. Ill have to go out and get a bigger selection on pinions and try a few out. Im also looking into better batteries that are matched cells but still assembled, like a few 2400s. Altho i am considering getting a NiMH charged and some of those, but i only bash so im not sure if its a better investment over a few better NiCd's. Thanks again for the help!

-Twism