9 replies to this topic

[chasbeeman]

Although I have raced several Parma 16Ds, I'm curious what the specs were on RPM? Seems a lot of the new mini motors have an RPM range specified by the manufacturer. Did Parma ever publish a RPM expectation for the infamous 501?

[Cheater]

Not to my knowledge, Charles.

 

In fact, very few 1/24 motors were rated as to RPM, although as you mention it is fairly common for that spec to be given for motors in the 1/32 arena in recent years.

[Bill from NH]

Parma used to say most had 15-20 degrees of timing. Most 1/32 motors rated at a particular RPM vary from that figure, so how is RPMs used other than to roughly categorize a particular motor, so you don't get a 26K RPM motor running in a 21K RPM class?

 

16Ds were  classified as 16Ds and S16Ds, but not by any rated RPM. Visually, the arms look entirely different, other than the Pro Slot SpeedFX.

[MSwiss]

Rough guess, you could consider them 45-50K motors.

[chasbeeman]

Seems like they are definitely slower than the Hawk 7s we are using currently. That's why I asked out of curiosity. I estimated that approx 24/26K without any blueprinting done. That's just an educated guess based on lap times.

 

Thanks for the info though!

[MSwiss]

I'd say way higher than that.

We use to run 4.4s with them on my King back when we ran 14.3v.

Here is a 26K motor.

Pro Slot 4000 Sealed Euro MK1 Motor with 26,100 rpm

The Deathstar is way, way faster than those.

[chasbeeman]

Taken from Kahale-Martin racing website circa 2011. This was sent to me in a PM from outlander. In your opinion, is it accurate?

Thanks, Mike.

[MSwiss]

Looks almost perfect, except G-20 is 84,999-107,001.

[chasbeeman]

OK, then I'll adjust the G-20 data accordingly. Somebody went through a lot of testing to compile a data sheet like that!

[Champion 507]

Ok, in memory (or honor) of Tom Malone, the slot car tech guru of Car Model Magazine from the late 1960's and early 1970's, what voltage(s) were these motors tested? The reason I wrote memory or honor is, I don't know and have not been able to find out if Mr. Malone is still alive after all these years. Does anyone know? I would enjoy reading his bio if PdL has included it in his book.

 

Of course, many of us were teenagers during the "Golden Age" of slot racing in the 1960's. Much of the readership of Car Model were thousands of teenage guys easily influenced by advertisements by the manufactures claiming wild rpm numbers for their motors, also claiming their motors were 3 volt, 2 volt or 1 volt screamers. The voltage statement on a motor was an arbitrary number, designed for one purpose...to hook our attention to their ad, so that the next time we went to the track or had enough money saved up, we would buy their latest motor.

 

I remember Mr. Malone would get so frustrated at kids asking which motor on the market was the best. 50 years later, reading those old columns he used to write, you can almost feel his frustration. Kids would ask about some 50,000 rpm motor or another 75,000 rpm motor and he would tell them there is no basis for the number because the voltage the motor was tested (if it was tested) is never listed, so it was impossible to compare them.

 

The voltages tracks are run at today can vary from 12 to over 16 volts. So my questions are, were all these motors listed above tested at the same voltage? If so, what was that voltage? Just as real car racing engines have rpm and power curves, slot car motors do too. Obviously a slot car motor will run faster at 16 volts than it will at 12, So until we know all the facts and figures of the testing process, we won't know the real results of the findings.

 

We all know some motors have a ton of rpm but no torque or brakes. Others have a ton of torque and brakes, but lower rpm. The fastest motor won't always win you the race. It's good to have these rpm spec numbers if they were all tested under the same criteria, but may not be the final choice for a particular track on a given day. Only practice and testing will help you decide which motor is right for you. 

 

Oh, don't forget, not every motor of a certain brand or type will run the same either, especially the imported ones from Asia. Motors from Germany, America and a few others seem to be more consistent in quality and performance.