yesterday we had a blast running the merv,s, it was hot were we where around 38 degree,s (38 °C = 100.4 °F) so there was only a few quick video,s of the first run way to hot for my wife to to stay out there filming, we ended up running for a couple of hours and had 2 chargeres going flat out for 6 hours lols, befor we ran them i changed my pinion from the stock 28t pinion to the 23t pinion for running twin batteries in series, so i could run 2 x 7.2v nimh in series but in the first 5 mins i crashed my merv over a drain into a embankment and popped a rear left drive shaft out, i popped it back in and kept driving it, but i switch over to the parellel y harness as series is just to nuts on that ground to hard to controll and it just wanted to wheelie and flip over all the time.
my old man was running the rhino 7.2v 2s 25c 1750 mah lipo,s getting a good run time of just under 20mins, and i was getting just over 20 mins running 2 x 7.2v nimh in parellel with the 23t pinion (stock pinion 28t) after the first run my old man switch to the 23t pinion as well to try out and to try and keep things running cooler, we both notice a little less top end but the cars where more playfull and had better low to mid power, since we both have changed the pinions to 23t from the stock 28t pinions i think we will leave the pinions at 23t yes we will loose some top end but i think the 23t is better for stuffing around.
we moved around to diffrent spots around the stables, doing some jumps, speed runs and drags, i won most of the drags cause the 2 x 7.2v nimh in parellel was more contolible and easyer to keep in a straight line and i think i might be a bit better with throttle control and my old man is new to rc cars realy but every now and then he used to drive my nitro,s and my large scale gassers, you can tell the diffrence between the lipo,s more power and more top end running one lipo over the nimh in parellel, the nimh are also alot heavery and i had to run two at a time just to match his run times lols.
the ground we ran on was gravely clay with grass over it in most spots, the ground was very hard and bumpy we both where sure we would break some thing, but didnt the cars copped a hamering, they both where chrashed lots, flipped loads of times and there was some impressive cartwheel,s done, i did pop a rear left drive shaft out in the first 5 mins but it never came out again even though i tryed, i started going full throtle forward hitting the gravely clay spots with no grass on it, spinning the car around nailing full throttle forward and pulling some sick wheelies and alot of reverse into forwad spins (180 degree power slides) and the drive shaft never came out, so i was happy as i was sure if it came out in the first 5 mins it would keep comming out again.
the merv,s jump pritty well and are controllible in the air, they tend to bottom out alot so it will be intresting to try these traxxas firmer front and rear springs to see if that helps, i think it will help as i was runnign the twin nimh packs in parellel this adds a bit of wait to the little monster truck as they are heavery the the lipo,s, all in all we both were admazed by the merv,s, tuff fast relible as we did hit a few hard objects like trees and sleepers and killed a few garden lights, the radios where sweet loads of range and no drammers running side by side and the tyre wear is great i spent 20 mins doing do nuts on hard geavely clay with very minium tyre wear.
both cars undercarge are scratch up from the hard ground, both rear wings are beat up from wheelies, both cars do have a little wear on the rear tyres, both have lost the new car smell. my old mans merv has now run 5 x lipo,s 2 x single nimh and one 2 x nimh in parellel and mines now run equal run time to 22 single nimh batteries and still going strong great relible cars, i can wait for my lipo,s to be here so i can get longer run times i should be able to run for 45 + mins on 2 x 7.4v 2s 20c 2200mah zippy lipo,s in parallel,
even though it was so hot and some of the grass where where running it was a bit long no cars hit thermal shut down, motor temps where hot but the electric speed controllers where always a little cooler, the lipo,s always came out of my old mans car at room temperture and the nimh always came out hot as, i would be intrested to see if running 2 x lipo,s in parellel getting run times of 40 odd mins witht he 23t pinion if they would hit thermal shut down, i guess we will find that out later once my lipo,s are here.
my wife did take a few vid,s for my, but she was standing back in the shade so you cant realy see much and its hard to see from the vidoe whos car is who,s and we didnt realy get into it untill the second run of batteries, there was some cool stuff after the second lot of battery through the day that wasnt caught of film and these few vid,s of the first batteries where a bit dull but we had a blast and put the merv,s though hell afterwards lols.
vidoe one is my old mans (blue) merv running 28t pinion with 1 x 7.4v 2s 25c 1750mah lipo, my (red) merv running 23t pinion with 2 x 7.2v 1200mah nimh in series.
video two is my old mans (blue) merv running 28t pinion with 1 x rhino 7.4v 2s 25c 1750mah lipo, my (red) merv running 23t pinion with 2 x 7.2v 1200mah nimh in parellel.
video three is me running my merv with 23t pinion with 2 x 7.2v 1200mah nimh in parellel but the batteries starting to drop off
you cant beat running a couple of rc trucks in the hot sun drinking a few beers and having some laughs, i did forget to mention i got some dirt in my spur gear.pinion enclosure it burred over a couple of teeth on the side of my spur gear and you could feel the mesh wasnt as good, but with a small screw drive we cleaned the teeth that where burred on the side of the spur gear and cleanded the metal pinion remeshed the gears and kept running, we have already ordered some firmer springs and spur gear sets, but today ill order some spare pinions and drive shafts and mabe some other items, for spare for later down the track.
