Mini-Z top speed comparison
 

I've been pretty suprised by the performance I was able to squeeze out of my XMOD, so I decided to compare it to some of my old specs from my Mini-Z. I used my Tamiya mini 4WD speed checker to check the speed, but I opened it up and removed the front wheel spinner because my xmod has awd and it just flies off the tester with the front spinner on there. This way the wheels are just spinning freely in the holes left there. Anyone with the charger will probably know what I'm talking about. The 'total cost' figures don't include money spent on battery recharger, spare batteries, aesthetics, etc

Xmod specs:
6 Cells, Blue Stage 2 motor, AWD, stock tires, I-C3 cells

Total cost: ~$110


Mini-Z specs:
4 Cells, PN SO2 racing motor, TLP Twin Turbo R, Racing Ball Diff, Kodac NIMH cells, also stock tires

Total cost: ~$170 (before lots of other money poured into stuff that doesnt affect these test results)

-------------------------------------

Xmod test results (with 6 cells):
Top speed: 37 kmh (23 mph)
100 meters: 9.62 seconds


Xmod test results (with 4 cells):
Top speed: 27 kmh (17 mph)
100 meters: 13.62 seconds


Mini-Z test results:
Top Speed: 28 kmh (18 mph)
100 meters: 13.43 seconds


Don't get me wrong, I love Mini-Z's, but XMODS are nothing to be looked down upon :) It should also be noted that the numbers would be even higher with RWD instead of AWD. And it also asks everyone with the 6-cell mod still on their 'to do' list: what are you waiting for? It really does make an astronomical difference!

are you serious a 6 cell xmod can beat a mini Z? thats so cool! thanks for posting this. this was exactly what i wanted to read.

what about 5 cell though?

also we have to look at the weight though. the miniz has a lower weight than the xmod so it will be closer to the time shown than the xmod. but the xmod has alot higher speed

accuracy
 

I was going to buy one, when I read on the dinball web-site a few reviews saying that it was not accurate when measuring the speed of the mini-z. This aside though, if you tested both the mini-z and the x-mod on this machine and saw that the x-mod was faster, this is comparing apples-to-apples.

i gotta see it to believe it:rolleyes:

I picked one of those up as well, and have been doing some of my own testing. I haven't had any big problem with the car staying on it when testing, either with RWD or AWD.

I did find that the AWD makes very little difference to the top speed in reality. 1Km/H according to my tests.

Here's what I found:

Tests made with AWD car:

Stage 1 drift (after water break in. This motor is noticably faster than the typical Stage 1 motor), 6:1 gear: 16-17kph (9.9 - 10.5 mph)

Stage 2 drift (bone stock), 6:1 gear: 19kph (11.8 mph)

Stage 2 drag (factory freak), 5.11:1 gear: 21kph (13.0 mph)

Team Orion stock 180 motor, 3.83:1 gear: 16-17kph (9.9 - 10.5 mph)

GPM Hi Speed Modified motor, 3.83:1 gear: 18kph (11.2 mph)

Stage 2 drag hybrid (timing advance and spin brush magnets), 5.11:1 gear: 21-22kph (13 - 13.7 mph)

Custom 35 turn, Neo magnets, BB can, timing advance, 4.4:1 gear: 25kph (15.5 mph)

Stage 2 reduced to 42 turns, timing advance, 5.11:1 gear: 22kph (13.7 mph)


In the RWD (drag project) car:

Custom 30 turn 180 motor, 3.83:1 gear, four cells: 30kph (18.6 mph)

Custom 30 turn 180 motor, 3.83:1 gear, six cells: 38kph (23.6 mph)

I can't take any pics of the results from my mini-z since it doens't work anymore and those results are just from a while ago, but I'll run the same tests again on my xmod today and take pics for you. Might not be till later though, cause I have to watch the Gator bowl (go Mountaineers!!)



Also, about my xmod jumping off the tester with AWD, it might be because of my twitchy steering. The steering tends to jump back and forth and this causes it to just go flying off of the thing.

Ok, managed to push it to 38kmh with 100% fresh cells. 24 mph :D but the batteries were run down a bit so I couldn't get the 100m time down and I don't feel like recharging again, but it's still pretty low.


(Sorry for the low quality pics :( )


This one's for the top speed... it was balancing at 37 for a while, the it started bouncing back and forth between 37 and 38, then it just held at 38... then my tire slipped off the rim and toward the middle of the car and half the tire was ground off on my plastic skidplate... but I got the 38 kph shot taken.

And here's the 100m time...

And here's the xmod on and off the tester, showing how i removed the front spinner thing if you were wondering what I was talking about

Also, that big thing on the front of the car is the battery pack for the 5th and 6th cells. I removed the hood and run the wires through that space. Next best thing to a big blower coming out of the hood :D It's such a pain to fit it in the body that I just let it sit on the hood when I am testing it.


Also, that black stuff around the rear part of the tester is little pieces of tire that were ground off when my wheel came off.

you know though, once under load and with wind drag, those cars won't see anywhere near those times or top speeds, right?

The best way to get a good realistic reading is to use an apparatus like a lap timer, with light beams you have to break.

Just like a real car... using a dyno is great, but it isn't going to really tell you how fast your car is going to be once you take it to the track. Weight, gearing, traction, stability, and drag all play major roles in your actual track times and top speed.

It's been discussed over and over and over and over and over...

The tests with this dyno are just for comparison, hence the name of the topic?



And also, I know that a mini-z would make a xmod look like a piece of crap on an actual course, handling and quickness taken into play. This is just a top speed thing.

It can also be mentioned that my mini-z was a mr1 rx-7 chassis, not one of the F1's or enzo's

my graphing calculator has a conversion program. if i find out how many feet it do per second, i can see how many mph its going. myabe one day i'll try it

well it's the simple formula velocity = displacement / time. You have to convert a few things to get it to mph but it's basically no prob if you've ever taken a physics class. Problem is, I just don't have anywhere big enough to get an accurate measurement at top speed. I'm going back to school in a week and I should find somewhere good up there and I'll post it here.

That mini dyno is amazing! Where can I get one?

dinball rc mart

This is where I bought mine, it's a pretty cool little gizmo and I've never seen anything else like it for 1/28 cars.

I realize that the numbers on these things can't really be trusted to be accurate. All I was looking for out of it is repeatable results so I can establish a baseline of performance and see if I am improving or not.

Honestly, the numbers I have gotten have backed up my experiences in racing other XMod owners. The motors I have been developing have mostly been providing better acceleration, while top-end speed hasn't seen huge improvements.

On the road course I run (it's actually the long course that they show on XModsrc.com) The stage 2 drift motor is generally the fastest setup. Anything else is hampered by slower acceleration and can't use the higher top-end speed. That's where the 180 motors come in. They don't improve on top end, but coming out of the corners, they pull on the other cars like they are standing still.

I wish I hadn't already changed what was my best 180 motor for the road course, it would have been interesting to see what the top end speed was on it. I know it was faster than the GPM. Obviously the 30 turn motor is fast, but it is lacking in off-the-line acceleration compared to the other 180s.

Oh yeah, here's a tip... use the hard slicks when testing on this thing. They don't have that tendency to balloon up and fly off.

Yeah, I almost always use the drift motor, it's alot more fun to play with, but not so much fun to test the top speed of :) I am using the stock tires to test it. They were balooning up and every once in a while they'd fall off when I was testing it earlier, but I stuck them to the rims with some Seal-All earlier and now they stick alot better. Handling is better on our slick kitchen floor (doesn't hop around during turns, just slides and is easliy drifted) and outside it's better just because the wheels don't fall off all the time anymore. Dyno times are pretty much the same, though. Gluing the tires is definately recommended though :)

Found a way to break 40 km/h: 3 tires per rim ;) basically throws away your acceleration but gives your top speed a decent boost

The drift motor is the best unless you got a huge platform to race in.

Can I run 2WD cars on that "dyno"?

$25 plus shipping? How much was yours?

Anyone know where I can get it for less?

I need to find a hobby store near me!

Yes, it works fine with 2WD cars as long as they're RWD. And actually, it will record the speed even if the wheel is spinning backwards, so I guess if you found a FWD remote control car, you can set it on there backwards and run it in reverse. But it shouldn't be an issue.

I don't remember how much mine was, I bought it with a whole bunch of other stuff totaling above $100 (and I didn't buy a car either, they were all hop-ups, I spend too much on this stuff :( ) I haven't seen them anywhere else but they're probably available lots of places, I'd try eBay

i just got my checker the other day,this thing is neat

you da man demon
28.75mph

just think you have been faster
lol

actually
 

Actually it's 27.6mph 1kmh =.6mph but still pretty doggone fast. I see that he has the body off too, that'll boost the speed a bit less weight=less load.

Re: actually
 

lol,he was going off of my previous test that went 48km/h,body only made 1 km/h less,not bad for the weight

kewl
 

What's under the hood (your setup) Demon??

all stock,with 6 cell rs batterys and a sb motor i am workin on

how long does it take to get to 25+mph?!

all i know is speed checker says 1.09- 10m,2.81-30m,24-300m

doubt the speed
 

I know what the speed checker says but I SERIOUSLY doubt the accuracy. I raced mine 6-cell IC3 w/Stage2 blue against a stock Rustler that goes 22-24mph and there was NO WAY it was even close even top speed wise, it's a given that the Rustler has MUCH better acceleration. (for the mentally challenged....the Rustler killed it).

did u see me post anything on how accurate it is?NO,were just saying how fast it went on it,if u dont have one dont go by word of mouth on how accurate they are or arent,its just a tool,and my motor is way faster than a stage 2 blue

yes demon's car kills my stage 2 blue motor.

and i have also seen him beat a 6cell sb hybrid and that guy was running no body and demon left him big time

geez
 

Well frickin' EXCUSE me, because this is what you posted you're setup was "all stock,with 6 cell rs batterys and a sb motor i am workin on", From many resources, they've said that a spinbrush has way more torque than a Stage2 but less top end, unless you've messed around with the windings, armature or something, so don't de so damn defensive.....geez... The bigger question is can you control the thing when driving if it's going that fast??? I lose traction all the time a spin out, but I've heard tennis courts are the best surface....I'll try this weekend

it controlable,and i run it on a tennis court,she hooks good on that surface,its nice and smooth after i blow it off with a blower.and theres alot of thing u can do to a sb to make it alot faster,its not a stock sb

well...
 

Well fill us in then, because I'd frickin' love a near 30mph x-mod!!!

u can play with the springs,magnets,bearings and the winding on the arm,its fun trying different things,even if they dont work out

Thats pretty impressive that the x-mod held up that well. I'd still take my mr-02 (130-a-bb motor and getting a FET upgrade) to the track though. The handling will beat the limitations of the x-mod.

Welcome to my world. ;)

28+mph?!

I only got 39 kmh. :(

I want to go faster!

These things are impossible to do turns with 2 AAA's on the top of the car!

Which is why mine are in the rear bumper... ;)