Titan 550 break-in for maximum performance

[jcboof]

Hey guys , I just recently started short course racing again and I'm running in a stock Slash Spec class. I want to get the maximum performance out of my 12t Titan motor and I'd like some educated suggestions on how to properly break-in the motor for maximum performance.

I've raced the past two weekends and there are a few guys on the track whose trucks are FAST! Not just good driver fast but they will run me down on a straightaway and leave me in the dust. They are geared the same as me and have the same tires as me. We are all running good 50c lipo packs but their trucks are just damn fast!

I've heard of the suggested low voltage break-in and water dipping, but there has to be a different method that these guys are using.
I know they keep their motors clean as do I, and they use comm drops of some sort (looks like neon yellow antifreeze).

Anybody have any good "sealed can" tricks???? People have been racing stock sealed can motors for ages but the good guys will never give out their secrets! I've asked the guys at the track and they Beat around the bush when I raise the subject up.

 

[killswitch]

Low voltage is the only way to do it IMO. Water dipping leads to more harm than good most of the time. They're probably breaking them in on low voltage and using some type of buffing compund in a solvent to polish and free up the bushings. If the "fast" guys have been into electric racing for a long time, they are also probably buying 10+ motors at a time and testing them on a dyno to find the best of the bunch.

 

[EeePee]

If the "fast" guys have been into electric racing for a long time, they are also probably buying 10+ motors at a time and testing them on a dyno to find the best of the bunch.

That's what I was going to say.

 

[killswitch]

That's what we used to do for TCS racing. Spec racing is all about the details. Freeing up all of the bearings on the truck will make a noticable difference too.

 

[EddieO]

Most of the sealed can guys have gone to use a slave motor spinning the new motor........most put a fan on the new motor also to keep it as cool as possible.....

The bushings often were freed up by using all sorts of metal polishes. There is a polish some people used on the comm too.

The big problem you will find is that there is very limited info out there on the traxxas sealed can stuff. Most of the sealed can tips and tricks you will find on the net pertain to the 540 johnson or mabuchi motors.

There is a HUGE thread on rctech.net in the onroad section about sealed cans. Some of the top guys in the world post in it. Some info is public, some is guarded with weapons. Lots of cheating going on too....

Water dipping is not something I recommend. It's rarely done right and often leads to bad things.

If yer motor has already been used, yer past the point of really breaking it in....you would have to buy a new one. And as Killswitch pointed out, the guys at your local track have more than likely bought more than a few motors so they could cherry pick the best one.....

My final advice, get out of the sealed can class as fast as you can.....you'll have more fun in the long run, even if you are getting dead last......getting dead last because of your driving is always better than getting dead last because you got out motored.

Later EddieO

 

[Charlie-III]

And as Killswitch pointed out, the guys at your local track have more than likely bought more than a few motors so they could cherry pick the best one.....

My final advice, get out of the sealed can class as fast as you can.....you'll have more fun in the long run, even if you are getting dead last......getting dead last because of your driving is always better than getting dead last because you got out motored.

Later EddieO

+1, we used to do break in's on epoxy sealed "spec motors" from our LHS. Once ready, we would dyno them.
Some were torque motors others were HP motors. We sorted them out to carpet oval/RR use based on numbers.
The rest became practice motors.

Even though there was no prize money, some cars seemed to be in a different class from the rest.:roll:

 

[jcboof]

Most of the sealed can guys have gone to use a slave motor spinning the new motor........most put a fan on the new motor also to keep it as cool as possible.....

Water dipping is not something I recommend. It's rarely done right and often leads to bad things.

My final advice, get out of the sealed can class as fast as you can.....you'll have more fun in the long run, even if you are getting dead last......getting dead last because of your driving is always better than getting dead last because you got out motored.

Later EddieO

I just want a motor that will operate efficiently and reliably. That is one of the other reasons I want to break my new motor in properly. Extra performance is a nice byproduct of breaking them in too!

Care to elaborate on the slave motor break-in??

I water dipped the first motor at 2v for about an hour to seat the brushes and make them lay flat. It definitely seemed to pep things up a bit. The brushes are so hard on these things it seems to take forever to seat them.

I'm in the stock spec class because it's fun and cheap. I know there will always be someone out there faster whether it's because of the driver or the motor but it's just fun to race. If I win because of my driving I'd be happier rather than winning because of my motor. If the other guys want to spend 200-300 bucks buying motors just to find the hot ones, I'm not worried about it because they are the ones not having fun. The spirit of spec racing is to create a level and fair playing field but some guys are never satisfied with that. I recently decided to take a break from crawling to have fun with racing and that is exactly what I'm having; Fun!
I just want to get the best performance out of what I have so I can still stay competitive while having fun.

 

[EddieO]

Slave motor break in is pretty simple. You need some sort of jig to hold both motors (RPM used to make one, not sure if they still do or if it will work with the titans)........for the slave, really any motor will work as you can just lower the voltage to get the correct speed. I always used a mod for it, since I could set them at zero timing.......so I guess an old crawler motor would work perfect.

Once you got a jig and a slave motor.....all you need is coupling to link the shafts together. You need to power the slave motor in REVERSE so the race motor is spinning the correct direction. I usually did this at like 2-3 volts for 5+ hours......some brushes even took longer on the sealed cans, so 7-10 hours is not unheard of. Put it somewhere the sound won't drive you mad.

Once they are broken in, I like to blow it out with compressed air.....

I used a metal polish on the bushings.....you have to be careful....don't want to overdo it and gain slop....nor do you want that crap getting in the motor. Freeing up the bushings is a big deal.

I am not sure if the bronze polish, I forget the name will work well with the titan brushes, never tried it......I can't remember the name, as its been a while since I did any sealed can stuff. It should be listed in that 90+ page thread on rctech. Probably fine some tips on bushing polish too.

Also, try to adjust your gearing.....a LOT of these motors are all over the range in how they produce their power. Some may be more of a torque motor, others very RPMish....some right in the middle. It's not uncommon to different gearing with the same motor. At the last vegas race I went to, Peter and Travis were battling all weekend in stock touring car.....cars were identical....Pete's motor was extremely torquey compared to travis's motor. He was geared 7 teeth higher than Travis.....just as fast on teh track. If we went to travis's gearing, he lost .2 a lap, which is a lot in onroad.

I can also tell you, if the other trucks are a LOT faster...........then someone is more than likely cheating. It's pretty easy to cheat with those motors on the club level.....nobody is ever gonna tech them and even if they did, lots of stuff is undetectable without the correct tools or knowledge. Cranking the comm, shifting the magnets, advance zapping the magnets, etc is all done...could just be overcharging or heating their packs too....

Later EddieO