ASK Cubby – You Write In, I Mash The Keys in Response

“Castle Mamba X SCT Pro Review

Hey Cubby,

I realize that is a relatively old review, but I was hoping maybe to get some info from you. Specifically you mentioned temperatures on normal bashing gearing. My question is do you recall a pinion/spur combo you used on the Pro-2 to keep the temperatures good when bashing?

Thanks very much ahead of time,
Randall B.”

Cubby- Yo hey Randall, thanks for taking the time to write in.

No, I don’t remember the gearing we used for that review. However, now is always a good time to help you figure out gearing on any car/truck/buggy by yourself. You may already know all this stuff, but I’ll huck it out there again because I feel it is Super Important for new hobbyists.

Step 1 – Go buy a temp gauge. Yup, you are gonna need it, like all the time. Currently I am using This really small unit from Dynamite. That particular temp gun has been disco’ed, but I love mine because it takes up zero space and reads within 5 degrees of my $600 temp gun.

Step 2 – Install a pinion on your car, but make sure it is small! What is small? That varies drastically by truck/car and kV rating of your motor, but on the Pro-2 start with something like a 16. Make a short run (around a minute), come in, check the temp. The lower the temp, the less wattage you are putting out. The higher the temp, they more power you are putting down, but you never, like eva, wanna see 160 or higher for a motor temp. Keep gearing up until you hit your desired power level (remember to keep checking temp every minute or so), while remaining below 160 for temp. Once you can make a run for the length of time you want, without ever over 160, you are dialed.

Step 3 – Gearing changes with conditions and ambient temps. Proper gearing for a guy driving in 30 degree temps in Canada WILL be different than a guy bashing in 90 degree temps in Mexico (who will have to run a smaller pinion). Gearing will also differ depending on conditions. If you are driving in grass or in mud, you will need to gear lower to keep the motor temp below 160 than if you are driving on pavement. Also, one thing that many people just don’t do is to re-gear when you change cell counts. If you go from 2 to 3S, or 4 to 6S, etc, you will need to gear down to keep from overheating/ruining your motor. To boil it down- keep your temp gun handy, use it often, spend less money on new motors.

There is probably more that I typically go into, but that’s enough for today. 🙂

“Speed Run Chassis Setup

Hola, is there a good source for info regarding chassis setup for speed runs? One issue I am wondering about is toe in on the rear wheels, I am using a Losi short course truck rear end, lowered with modified shocks, when I look at the toe I think this cant be good.

Thank you for any consideration

Tony V.”

Cubby- Yo Tony, thanks for the email.

At one time I was big into the high speed scene. So much so that I had an entire website dedicated to it. While I was doing that website, Brian came along and was looking for help on BigSquidRC, and well, the rest is history.

I am in a bullet point mood today, so…

1. No, I don’t know of any good, hardcore, speed run websites. I haven’t Googled it either, I am just that lazy.

2. About rear toe on a speed run car. This boils down super easy. Your Losi SCT uses rear toe for stability. Stability, especially in a speed run car, is a good thing. However, the toe-in on the rear of your truck will scrub speed and pull more power than a set-up that runs 0 toe.

3. Drivability and tires are the two keys on Any speed run car. In your case, you might gain a couple MPH by going to zero rear toe, but your truck will be slightly harder to drive.

Yup, that’s it for this week ya bunch of lunatics. You can email me at – thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. As always, go fast, turn left, break the maximum amount of parts possible!

YOUR Cub Reporter