mrstingray

I currently have an E-Starter and would like to make it more responsive. Was at local hobby store and the guy there said I could put in a different gearbox. Said it would make it perform in the middle of stock and brushless catagory. I just don't want to dump a bunch of money into lipos, chargers, speed controls and brushless for this plane, but I still want to fly it.

Has anyone out there heard of an upgrade gearbox that will bolt into my 400 speed estarter.

Thanks,

Joe

blackbaron

My Feedback: (92)

What he was trying to tell you was to try a gearbox with a different gear ratio. For the speed 400 motor I use the D gearing and it seems to provide the best all around thrust for my applications. Changing your props will also make quite a bit of difference. Try an 11 X 7 and a 12 X 6 prop with the D gearing and you will see a big difference.

mrstingray

Blackbaron1,

Thanks for the info. The one he was telling me about was a black gearbox the fit right onto the wood stick on my plane. Will go and get the props and the "D" gear . Really enjoy the estarter and just wan to get some more performance out of it without spending a fortune.

Cheers

Time Pilot

mrstingray,

I'd be wary of that advice your LHS gave. If the same motor with a different GWS gearbox gave better performance, wouldn't you think that GWS would have packaged the E Starter with that gearbox to begin with?

The Estarter 400 comes with D gearing and the 350 with C gearing I believe. Check out the specs at www.gws.com.tw. Click on English, products, and then the geared motor pic and then whatever motor you want to check out.

What kind of a battery pack are you using to power your Estarter now?

mrstingray

Timepilot,

Thanks for the advice. I am using a 9.6v, 750 battery right now. Have tried the 2 cell lipo and that improved the perf. but think I damaged it due to running it down too low. Now the 9.6 has better performance than the lipo.

Also, have been flying the estarter since around july. Maybe I am due for an engine change. Just seems that when it was new it had a touch more power. Then again, maybe I am being spoiled by my Stryker. That is a hell of rtf plane.

Thanks again!

Time Pilot

From what I read, 9.6V is about as high as you want to go with a 350 motor as the life of the motor shortens. I'm surprised you got better performance with the 2C lipos. Maybe because it was lighter.

I haven't been in the game long, but my guess is if you're looking for a leap in performance, you'll need to think about brushless motors. I've seen an estarter with a large outrunner be off the ground in 2 feet and vertical. There was so much torque from the spinning prop that hitting full throttle caused the plane to roll in the other direction.

Brushless motors seem to be dropping in price as other companies enter the fray. I'm looking forward to GWS getting into the business. With hope, prices of all brushless motors will come down to a more affordable level.

I do like the stryker. I may go for a Great Planes Slinger as my first wing though--I can get one for under $40 new.

Anyway, good luck powering your E-Starter. I've got one in a box waiting to be built. Waiting on batteries before I start so I can cut out the battery bay before I put the fuse together.

mrstingray

Time Pilot

You will like the Estarter. Sweet flying plane. Reinforce the tail as it is very thin back there and if you do any type of cartwheel landing it is likely to break.

Yes, I think you are right about the brushless. Will have to go that route eventually but will wait till prices come down.

Good luck,

Joe

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Kokam 3S 1500, Castle 25, and e-flite 370. Hold on to your socks baby!!![X(][X(] If you are a good loyal customer at your lhs you can do it all under $100. The e-flite motor comes with an adapter to mount right into your GWS gearbox.