By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and mini-review of each every Thursday morning!
The 17.5-powered 2WD Stock Buggy class is the biggest and most competitive at SDRC Raceway, so I turned to local fast guys Matthew “Glitch” Gonzales and a former Thursday Testimonials guinea pig, Peter Pirano, to test out two new items sent to LiveRC to be put through the ringer.
Both drivers drove their Team Associated B5M buggies to top three finishes out of 31 entries at last night’s Wednesday Night Worlds, with Pirano’s run from eighth on the grid eclipsed in impressiveness by Glitch’s dominating win from the TQ position. Here’s what both though of the items they had been handed.
Ecopower “Sling shot” 17.5-turn sensored brushless motor
#ECP-8000, $50
The bright green Sling Shot is ROAR-approved, with a high-torque 12.5mm sintered Neodymium rotor and high-purity copper stator stuffed inside the vented can. The end bell can be twisted to alter the motor’s timing, and there are two different sensor ports to offer builders options when routing wiring in different platforms.
Pirano, who switched to 2WD buggy racing several months ago after starting at SDRC in the Pro 4 class, said it took some time to figure out the Sling Shot’s performance characteristics. “The first couple of heats I wasn’t doing that well,” said Pirano, “but then I learned to adapt to the power it had.” Pirano said that the motor runs about ten degrees hotter than his typical race motor, and while it pulled hard off the bottom and seemed to run fine on the straightaway it felt a little bit flat in the midrange. “You can’t beat it for the price, though,” said Pirano, “so if you’re just starting out in the class, you gotta go with this motor.”
Pros:
Low price
Dual sensor wire ports
Smooth power
Cons:
Flat mid-range power
Runs slightly hotter
Conclusion:
A great choice for those new to stock racers and competitors on a budget.
Beacon Rating:
Factory RC B5M/T5M adjustable carbon fiber battery strap (Blue weave)
#FTC009, $25
Factory RC’s battery strap for Team Associated’s mid-motor 2WD vehicles is available in either 3mm-thick blue or standard black weave carbon fiber, and uses adjustable stops to hold the battery securely rather than relying on foam blocks. Its narrow design is meant to allow for additional chassis flex for more grip, and it comes with your choice of either steel or titanium hardware to mount the sliding blocks.
“It looks sick,” said Gonzales, who pointed out that the design is similar to a similar option from Schelle Racing Innovations but that he preferred how the blue carbon fiber complemented the optional parts added to his car. Gonzales used only the front adjustable stop, since his battery was mounted all the way back against the motor. “I thought at first that it might be a little bit stiffer than the stock unit since my car had a little bit less grip, but that might’ve been the track,” he said, though he still had more than enough pace to wrap up the win.
Pros:
Looks awesome
Adjustable stops replace the foam
Cons:
None
Conclusion:
Perfect for adding a personal choice to your race car that has everything.
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