MY run time is too short

[Iforgot]

I have a Tamiya 4wd buggy, It is stock except I have a 17Tx2 Mod Motor. My run time is about 6 minutes. I know that the run time is shorter on a mod than a stock, but it's no fun to run for five minutes. I am using a 1500 battery.
My local hobby store told me to lower to a 16 or 16 tooth pinion or adjust the timing on the motor... Any suggestions? I don't want to spend a ton of $$ what can I do to get longer runs out of this??? how long should it last?
and my last question how long does a p2k or green machine last on average?? should I loose the mod motor?
Any help would be great

[ 05-09-2001: Message edited by: SteveP ]

[bryceanator]

with those junk batterys man no wonder buy some 2000 at least you need new batterys man

[R/C Homie]

first off 1500 wont last on mod moters get some 2400 and are u discharging ur batts if not ur gonna loose run time and batt life and for bashing its up to u on what moter u use but if u do deside to go with stock get a P2K there good and torquey if u like torque if not get a GM3 pro its great on battery life and has a great top speed not to much toque tho cya hop this helped be==> :cool:

[Iforgot]

What I am really asking is will a lower pinion gear from 21 to 16 help run time? How much? or maybe an esc how much longer will that give me????

[Destrega]

heh well no wonder you have bad runtimes you're still using the msc! Go get a cheap reversing speed control and you'll see a big difference plus a mod is hard on that crappy msc.
just my .02$

[Grizzbob]

The guys are right, here. With everything yu'ev mentioned, I'm surprised you can get that much run time with a mod. You can go to a smaller pinion, but it won't make as much of a difference as you want. You really would benefit from getting an ESC, & upgrading your batteries(2400's should work very well for your purposes). Also, it might be a good idea to try a stock-class motor(like the Trinity P2K), that will also draw less current & help your run time out further..... :)

[Railman]

Iforgot, If you still have the mechanical speed control thats a big part of the problem. From what I remember about the gearing you settled on, it sounded pretty good. The mechanical speed control adjusts the voltage by running it through a resister which uses up a lot of your battery.
I'm surprised you get 6 minutes out of 1500 batts. Even a low to med price speed control will make a huge difference in performance.

A heat in an electric race is only 4 minutes in mod class, & sometimes 5 in stock class.

[WhoKnowsWho]

With a low price ESC and if you are strapped for cash, you can get the Maxx Packs (2 1900 mah packs) and you should be able to enjoy the car for a bit longer.

[Iforgot]

Thanks Guys!!!!! I really Appericate it....
Last Question here is an Idea, what if I gear it down... from 21t to 16t, and retard the motor timing back about 10 degrees. will this help give me a 10 minute run? and does anyone think if I added a esc could I get 15mins????

[RallyDriver]

if you dont have ball bearings those should give you speed and a little more run time.

[Interceptor]

I have a 1500 Amp Max pack, and it works great with my 19 turn Speed Gems. I use it as my practice pack at the track. You might just need to get a higher rate pack for that hot of a motor. For the price though, try an amp max pack or the maxx paxx 1900s.

[Obi112]

I also have Amp Max packs which I use for practice, but I am sure that I could easily get a five minute run out of them (15x2 motor). The only reason I don't use the 1500's for races is because I have 2000's.

[XXXER]

DO NOT put retarded timing on your motor, do not go past the 0 degree mark in the opposite direction, it is very hard on the motor and all other electrics. If you do want longer run times, of course, the ESC is the way to go, but as for your timing, go to about 10 degrees

[Railman]

IFORGOT, Try the reduced timing. Also try cutting a slot in the center of the brush face parallel with the armature shaft. You can probably find a file at your LHS for about a $1 to do this with. A dremel cut wheel will also work. Cut just about 1/32" deep x 1/32 wide to see if you like it. Then lower your gearing a tooth or so. The reduced brush surface will take away a little punch as it reduces amp draw. It will also give a little higher RPM because of the reduced friction. The three things combined will help run time but can't say how much. There are used speed controls in this forum's "For Sale" section all the time. It might be worth a look. Good luck

[WhoKnowsWho]

Don't go below 0 degrees timing!!