I just had a couple of motors "take one for the team", so I could learn what we are dealing with as a baseline for performance. (I posted the same info in another thread, but I thought this kind of information should be in its own thread so as not to be overlooked)
I unwound both a stage 1 and stage 2 armature, and here is what I have to report:
Stage 1: 85 turns, wire thickness is less than 30 gauge. Probably 32 or 34.
Stage 2: 49 turns, 30 gauge.
Just for a kick, I also unwound my (ruined) X Speed: 49 turns, 30 gauge.
Same as the stage 2...
I wonder why the X Speed seems noticably faster than the Stage 2 when running unloaded? This does explain why I can run with X Speed cars even with the Stage 2, though.