Losi LMT motor/gearing question

[ferrebee88]

I just finished building my TLR tuned Losi LMT. I put a Castle Copperhead ESC with a Holmes Hobbies Puller Pro 540XL 2700kv. I am using the stock 14t pinion. On 2s this has plenty of speed for what it is, but does not have enough power to wheelie. On 3s it will just about backflip when you hit full throttle but this truck is not very stable at high speeds. So in other words, 2s is underwhelming and 3s is overwhelming.

Here is what I am looking for: I want to be able to pop a wheelie since this is a monster truck. I am not interested in top speed for the same reason. I would prefer to run the truck on 2s. I am wondering if I should go up to a 3100-3500kv motor and keep the gearing the same and try it on 2s or: Leave the 2700kv motor in there and go down to a 12t pinion? I could also put in a diff locker in the rear but I don't know if that will create a larger amount of torque twist. Figuring this out as I go...

Your thoughts please! I will not be racing this; just having fun out in the yard and hitting smaller jumps.

Also, I do believe this rig needs way stiffer springs. While driving it likes to sit low which would be great for racing, but not so much for bashing around.

 

[Cowboy Yert]

A new pinion would be cheaper and easier than swaping the motor, so I would start there personally.

 

[ferrebee88]

A new pinion would be cheaper and easier than swaping the motor, so I would start there personally.

Makes sense.... some good ole trial and error. I have a 14t pinion in it now, but it looks like 13t is the smallest pinion I can drop in it. I doubt dropping 1 tooth will make the difference I would like it to. I started off by ordering some stiffer springs.

 

[ferrebee88]

Maybe locking the center diff would help with that too?

 

[ferrebee88]

A new pinion would be cheaper and easier than swaping the motor, so I would start there personally.

Well, I tried going from a 14t pinion to a 13t pinion... That didn't go well. The motor plate has pre-drilled holes for 13t-17t, but when I lined it up with the 13t holes the mesh was so tight that it was binding. I put the 14t back in.

Here is what made a great difference to me: I put 4.0lb(silver) shock springs all around and increased the pre-load as well as locking the center diff. On 2s there is plenty of speed and power with the 2700kv motor. The truck will wheelie but isn't overpowered for my liking. Now it is a super fun driving experience for me.

What I may do in the future: I believe this truck could really benefit from either a dual shock setup or going to an 8th scale shock setup. Either one will be fun to tinker with and dial in.

 

[9x19]

Thanks for the follow up report. It does sound like a fun truck!