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)

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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?