"snappy" lathe motor question
 

I have a question for you guys - my buddy has the same crawler set up that I do (Clod based, Novak SR, Integy lathe motors w/ 9 tooth pinions, etc.) Our trucks are wired identical (the front reversed polarity) with the same 3600 mh 6 cell Nimh packs - the problem is his truck is much more "snappier" and has greater wheel speed.
It makes no difference whose charger/ battery etc. - his truck is just plain quicker and jumpier. Any thoughts??? Is there something I can do to modify my motors (brushes, springs, timing etc.), or perhaps a 7 cell pack??????
Let me know if you have any thoughts!!

it might possibly be that his motors are advanced in the timing making them spin faster but inturn having a slower reverse and less of a run time.

I have not messed with the timing on the motors - there are in original off the shelf position...????

for crawling you want them both set to 0deg. advancing the timing helps the magnetic fields to charge in time for really high rpm, but much of crawling is done very slow, so the motors rarely spin at full speed. 0deg timing will give the motors most of their torque at slow speeds.

Is there any difference in wire diameter? You could also see if there is any binding issues, does your rig spin a freely as his.

It could also be a difference in how the controlers are setup.

Heavy

How is your soldering compaird to his?

I think the timing is off a tad. It happens at the factory sometimes.

soldering (just by visual) is the same, however, he is using sort a fine strand flat heavy guage wire. Kinda looks like an outdoor speaker wire. This could possible be the difference?? I am using just your regular approx. 12 guage maybe 8-10 strand auto style wire.
Another friend of mine has a similiar set-up to my truck and his behaves the same as mine???
It is just frustrating knowing that your components are capable fo a little more!
Thanks again for all your input!!

go get some high-strand count 12gauge wire from your locak hobby store. the high strand count really increases its load capacity. more strands = more surface area = more room for electrons.

cool- I will give that a try! Thanks again for all your input!!

it could be a lot of things. gear mesh,bushings,shimming,it could also be that the speed control is set up backwards.

would there be a significant difference in performance with ball bearings over bushings??? that is one factor in the difference of our set-ups that I overlooked????!

not night/day unless they're dirty and causing too much friction, but it will make a noticable difference in run time. You will notice the rig will be smoother, too. every little bit helps.