Air Gap

[Fast Freddie]

philirv
Not to be a party crasher but I don't think you have it quite right. I have raced both high bank and flat track and what you'll find out is this. The flat track car prefers a larger air gap, I usually run .540 with a .518 arm or .580 with a .540 arm. The only difference is Proslot American big arm (.580) 16Ds, they seem to really like .575 for any track, at least mine do. The main reason is to remove the twitchieness from the motor and give a smoother transition from brake to full or part throttle ,since your on and off the throttle several times per lap, the car becomes more driveable and can be fine tuned with the controller sensitivity. I would like to add that flat track motors work much better with larger diameter arms and it doesn't hurt to have a really good electronic controller to help calm the motor down. The motors used in racing on all out high banked King tracks like the G9 I use to race on could care less about twitchieness since there usually full bore and are only blipped occasionally on the gutter lanes. These motors usually have air gaps of .528-.530 or less with .513 arms and .530-.535 with .518 arms. I usually run my GP12 motors at .530 with .513 arms and .533 with .518 arms. However, I also try different arms in different setups with different air gaps and when they're happy together they stay together.

[D.Z.]

I've been running air gaps as big as .540 for .513 arms on banked tracks Fast Freddie. So it can depend on car set up & driving style. Pick you poison. Lol

[Fast Freddie]

So true DZ what ever works on a given day is what you use. In the early 90s I never worried about air gap on my C-can motors. I just made sure the magnets were square in the setup when I epoxied them in and that the brushes rode on the center of the comm. they worked fine with .513 arms. To this day I don't know what the air gaps were. Ran 11x37 gear with .765 tires of many different colors. I managed a few wins.

[phlirv]

FREDDIE,

My racing of the last 10 years has been with tracks that have a slight to monster banking. I found, for my liking, that the larger gap seemed to give me a wider power band that helped on higher speed straights. What I gave up coming out of the slow turns I more than made up on the longer,faster sections. The smaller gaps helped on the slower, shorter straights cause of the more power down low but would quit pulling up hi..Just mite be different style of driving..Ya don't really know untill ya try. What works for one may not work for another.

OLPHRT
PHIL I.

[palm_dog]

our wing motors often run between .528 and .530 with a .518 arm. the box12 motors race the entire race without building much heat. the flat track motors we race are usually the .540 arms in a .552. the flat track motors have a lot of power and can be a handful

[Droidene]

I have testet .528, .530 and .533 with .518 arm. (On king track)
I kinda like .533, .530 aint bad either. With good body setup you can handle car pretty smooth and fast turns.

Other track that is more turns or close to a flat track, i havent tested .540 *yet* but i am going to build one as i heard some say it goes smooth and easier to handle turns with scala car (with good controller too, like Carsteen Controller)
Most probalty going to try .535 before go on .540