2 Hr. endurance.....Can it be done ?

[militarymaxx]

Trying to get back into the hobby. The lack of tracks and nitro interest has caused me to shelf all of my stuff. So, now I'm taking on the electric guys in a 2 hour endurance race. My LHS (who caters 99% to electric) is having this race. 15 minute heats will determine the top 10 for what they plan to be a 2 hour main. The track is simple with the back stretch completely straight from one end to the other, and the front stretch consisting of turns. No jumps or whoopties.......all flat. Half on asphalt, the other half on dirt. Total length about 80' and failry narrow. Oh yeah, they plan on running both electric and nitro together. The electric guys think they have this in the bag with the 2 hours meaning certain death to the nitro guys. I know that many of us run for more than 2 hours in a day of running, but what about 2 hours straight ? Aside from my normal race prep to my buggy I thought about tuning the engine to run on the rich side to help with reliability. What else should I be concerned with regarding a 2 hour run? Or is this something that can't be done (shouldn't be done) without certain damage? Thanks.

 

[olds97_lss]

I run for 2 hours straight without to many problems... at least none that I encounter on my vehicle. I normally get a terrible pinch in my back between my shoulder blades if I don't shut down and stretch my arms about every half hour... If I could afford it, I'd get the sensor radio for it's ergo design...

As for the buggy, run just a little rich, but not too rich. Take it out and see what it takes to run it for half an hour without a flame out and temps that stay in the 220-260 range. If you can stay in that range for half an hour, you can stay in that range for 2 hours. Obviously, lean will cause it to flame out, but overly rich for that long will foul out a plug.

2 hours of running means things may loosen up on you due to vibration. Threadlock/shoo-goo everything you possibly can. You will also have a reciever pack issue... 2 hours on a 1100mah pack won't happen if you have decent servo's. Especially if your running digital servo's.

How is an electric anything going to run for 2 hours straight without frying the brushes and/or carrying a 1:1 car battery behind it? Are they all running brushless w/lipo and doing quick battery changes in the pits?

 

[militarymaxx]

Thanks for the tips. As far as I know, most of the electric guys are running brushed motors with the more expensive stick packs (Nicd or Nimh). Many run modified motors with fewer turns that the stock class. I know that when my son runs his stampede with this 7 turn epic motor, that it gets rediculously hot. So hot that sometimes it melts the wires right off of it. So, I hear you. These guys got to have heating issues as well. The way I see it, nitro is better set up to counter heating problems. The engine is more exposed for better ventilation, the same fuel that creates the heating problem can also help cool it (dumping more fuel into the engine at high speed runs), and my fuel supply doesn't get hot as I use it. Unlike a battery pack at a fast discharge will get very hot. Again, thanks for the tips. Especially the one on my rcvr pack. I completely forgot about it and will definately get a higher rated one.

 

[olds97_lss]

If you want to run 2 hours straight, I'd suggest making one.

I run AA sized NiMH's for a receiver pack in my savage. I don't run digital servo's, but I do run high torque for both steering and throttle/brake. I can run two hours without any worries.

My cells are 2100Mah AA's. I was able to fit the pack in my HB Lightning buggy as well when I had it.

I haven't tried to replace the one in my revo yet. With it, I get about 1.5 hours or so of run time before it dies. I run the same servo's on it as I do my savage. I think it's only a 1100Mah pack.

 

[jetmechG550]

I believe SpeedRacer Hobbies in Richardson TX had a 12 hour enduro last fall. It's an indoor track. Anyway, check their website and you might find some setups or tips from guys that ran it. If whatever your running has e-clips, put a drop of clear silicone on them to keep em in place.