RE: Changing gear ratios in Caldera 10e?
whenever you change the gearing, tire size, or motor KV....its a good idea to own a temp gun.
There are ones on ebay for as little as $20.
Used to be you only had one if you ran nitro.....but with the tech we now run on electrics a temp gun is a huge help.
If you are going for more speed, whether by gearing/motor/tire size a temp gun will let you know if you are going to toast stuff or not.
See, a brushless motor can run 150-160 degrees all day. But anything over 130 is too hot to keep your finger on. So you cant judge by touch.
Ive had a vxl motor upto 190 without it burning up. I dont reccomend that tho.
IMO, the safe zone for a brushless motor is 160 and under. For an ESC, I like to keep it under 150....Ideally more in the 120-130 range.
Temp guns are $20. The cheapest BL esc are $50, and same goes for the motor. Better to buy the temp gun then have to replace burnt up electronics!
Also, dont forget to take readings on different surfaces. Running on grass or rough surface will demand more amps than running on the road. Dont take readings on the pavement and assume the same setup is safe for offroad use.
Dont forget, its possible to UNDER-gear an RC as well. This will keep the motor spinning near max RPMs to much of the time. Tho it will put little strain on the motor, the constantly high RPMs will generate heat and require alot of amps. So even if gearing down or running smaller tires, take temp readings.
Ill say it again, if you want to run larger tires, different KV motor or gearing then take temp readings. Its not a bad idea to do this when moving upto 3s lipo as well.
I made temp gun in bold...LOL. Trying to make adjustments to your truck without one is gambling!