Tamiya Lightly Tuned Motor Modification

[DuaneB]

Hi,

I have just joined Tamiya Club and thought I would start off with a contribution rather than a question.

At the moment my local hobby store only has the 'lightly tuned' motor in stock so I have bought a few and found that they can be quickly turned into all the motor I can handle and more with a very quick mod.

With the mod completed and the motor installed in a ball raced TL01 with a 23T pinion, the motor seems to produce almost double the original revs and still has massive torque, I am sure that all this extra performance will come at a cost in motor life, but so far so good, both the kit (101) esc and motor are holding up and I live in Dubai so if heat isn't a problem here it won't be wherever you are.

I have the timing advanced so that the 0 mark on the motor can lines up with the anticlockwise most mark on the can. In order to advance the timing you need to do some obvious work to the motor can and remove a little plastic notch on the endbell that would otherwise fix the timing, so no cheating, a modified motor is very obvious, but great fun for bashing.

If enough people are interested and aren't sure how to do this as it involves removing the endbell in order to remove the plastic tab that fixes the timing, I will have a go at putting together a tutorial. I will also post if all my motors die in the next couple of weeks, but for the moment I am getting very impressive performance from the cheapest motor in town - this town anyway.

Regards

DuaneB.

[Lonestar]

Welcome to the club

May I step in and give a perspective here before this gets out of hand...

I have a trick for you to try - take an IC motor, and instead of running 25% nitro fuel, try 50% - "look ma, almost double the rev!!!"

Seriously - cranking the timing up on a fixed timing motor is indeed a extremely classic way to get more revs, but one should conside the following:

- you gain rpm but typically at the expense of torque - you'd be better leaving the timing where it is at gear up instead

- MOTOR WEAR increases exponentially - that means both your brushes and your comm will be shot waaaaay sooner - heat will kill the magnets sooner, etc...

Keep in mind these motors have fixed timing for a reason - so that people can't tamper with them (initially for "stock" races, today for the recreational hobbyist). If you need to time them higher, buy a hotter motor. Typically what I do with some of my fixed timing motors is timing them DOWN for recreational use as I know they will only loose a bit of power but will retain their shape much much longer between rebuilds (unless Darcy swallows water - private joke).

Other readers - Try the above described, decade-old trick at your own (and your motor's) risk.

Paul

(oh yeah I have another one like that - make that 2L turbo impreza blower crank out 2psi instead of 1 - 50bhp more, just like that, hehe)

[DuaneB]

I know Paul is completly right about motor wear etc

But if you have bought a Tamiya Lightly Tuned motor that isn't as lively as you hoped - lets be honest for an after market motor they are not going to be as livley as anyone hoped - you have nothing to loose by fiddling with the timing and I for one am very pleased with the results.

At the moment its the only motor my LHS stocks so I am having great fun with two that I have modified one in a TT01, another in a TL01. Modified they are way too much for the stock M-Chassis cars I originally bought them for and they are holding up well enough that I havent yet felt the need to order anything else in from abroad.

I will let you know how long they last, the one in the TL01 looks like its going to outlast the tyres at least - not sure about the TT01 I sold the car to my neighbour a few days ago.

So if you see one in your LHS and fancy fiddling around with something for the badword of it, or if you already have one that you are disappointed with go for it - lots of revs, lots of torque, not so many bucks, but may not last long, that about sums it up.

Duane

[irenL]

Modified they are way too much for the stock M-Chassis cars I originally bought them for and they are holding up well enough that I havent yet felt the need to order anything else in from abroad.

A mini can handle 9 turn if properly prepped... been there, done that, way too fast for my eyes...

[HereBeMonsters]

I'm currently running a 15 Turn Ansmann Clash in my Mini with no adverse effects (other than my total hamfisted-ness to be able to control a car as such speed). It's on a MSC and even plastic bearings...seems fine after 10+ bashes of 5-6 packs each, back to back.

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

Well I'll just say...

Welcome to the club!!!

[retroman]

Or there is always the old chestnut of opening up a silver can, advancing the timing by twisting the comm on the armature, and then go racing!

[terry.sc]

Or there is always the old chestnut of opening up a silver can, advancing the timing by twisting the comm on the armature, and then go racing!

Some of us old racers can do this without opening the can at all.

Yes, increasing the timing will make it rev higher, but with lower torque, higher current consumption and faster comm and brush wear. By adjusting the timing you can find a sweet spot where the motor has the best balance between torque and revs, putting it right at the limit is usually too far. Usually when increasing the timing you will need to fit a smaller pinion to balance out the performance.

[HunterZero]

Well, I'll join in the chorus of people so far, with a... Welcome to the club!

Yes, I remember burning the comms and turning brushes blue on many a motor after being too enthusiastic with the advanced timing trick in my childhood quest for more speed...

Adjustable timing is handy for cars with limited gearing options though.

- James

[irenL]

lol... you only need a pair of needle nose pliers and a small screwdriver to alter a silver can in the toilet

[Tamiya1/10]

Is great to be able to mess around and get more performance out of it without spending extra $ other than your own time. The only draw back is the motor may not last as long, run time, wear and tear....but if one believes in live hard and fast but die young is worth it than go for it. The cost of those stock silver can Tamiya motor is not that expensive and a good way to beat your friends with their stock motor.

[Spetz83]

A mini can handle 9 turn if properly prepped... been there, done that, way too fast for my eyes...

A FWD mini from Tamiya???

[irenL]

A FWD mini from Tamiya???

yup.