Motors

There are two basic kinds of motors: stock, and modified. brushless is the 3rd kind, but they will not be included here. The stinger motor is often referred to as a stock motor, but it is really a generic modified (mod from here on) motor. It is sometimes called stock because it comes "stock" with all traxxas electric rc's with the exception of e-maxx. I will now explain the difference between stock and mod motors, and why the stinger is a mod.

There are two numbers that determine your motors general specifications. The first is the number of turns, the second is the number of winds. All stock motors have 27 turns, 1 wind. The number of turns is how many times the copper wire is wound on the armature. The number of winds is how many strands of wire are used. Thus a 15x2 motor would have 2 strands of copper wire wound around each pole of the armature 15 times. So the stock stinker motor is really a mod 20x1.

Effects of turns and winds:

this is the tricky part. the lower the number of turns a motor has, more powerful it will be. higher the number of winds, the more top end it will have. a 15x2 mod would have more torque than a 15x4, but the 15x4 would reach higher top speeds. my 11x3 motor is the fastest, (of mine) I use it for on road only, my 15x2 is my all purpose motor, and my 19x1 is higher torque and therefore suited for off road use and abuse.

Brushes:

Brushes are the metal pieces that are held on your motor with springs. If you have a stinger, forget about it. they are internal and cant be replaced. The way a stinger works, it will last a long time. I can almost guarantee that you will replace it (outgrow it) before it dies. I have never even run a stinger once in any of the 3 traxxas rc's I have owned, but I hear it is a great beginner motor. For the rest of us, we need to replace the brushes in our motors. See the things that are held into the can by little springs and have a wire coming out? that is the brush. You need to replace those bad boys after a while, or the efficiency of your motor will dwindle into nothing. when they become worn down to the point where the spring doesn't push them against the comm (the shaft on the inside) tightly, they gots ta go! The package from your motor will tell you what kind of brushes to buy. if you don't have the package, look your motor up on tower hobbies. it should tell you right there the replacement #. also, trinity and Orion have default replacement brushes, if you are reading this then you have the internet. That means you will be able to find brushes. just pop that spring off, unscrew the eyelet on the wire and pull the brushes out. then slide the new ones in, screw them down, and replace the springs. The brushes are now replaced! it that easy

Breaking them in:

Some stock motors do not need capacitors soldered on them, and some do not need broken in. The package the motor came in will tell you the answers to both of these questions. in case it needs broken in, read on. "They" say you need a 4 cell pack to break a motor in, but I disagree. what needs to happen during motor break in is simple. The brushes need to take the shape of the comm. all you really have to do is run a pack through the motor at 1/2 throttle or so while the motor is not under load. don't even have the motor in the tranny. I recommend cleaning your motor with motor spray right before and after breaking the brushes in. then just run the motor as usual.

"Lets keep it clean, boys"

I have motors with bearings, so I also use trinity motor lube. I think that keeping your motor cleaned lubed is the most important part of owning it. It will make it run faster longer. I do advise AGAINST using comm drops. They do make it go faster for about 2 minutes, then they slow it down. If you purchase a can of motor spray and a tube of motor lube (under $10 at your lhs) you will save your $20-$100 motors life. Both have the directions printed right on them. What are you still reading for?, go get em!!!

Capacitors

All the advise on capacitors I'm gonna give for now is this: if the motor manufacturer tells you to solder caps on the motor, do it. I smashed my bulkhead on my first run with my topaz because I was lazy and didn't solder the caps on. What happens is the motors with high rpm's generate a radio frequency, and when you get far enough away with the radio (but still in normal range) the motor takes over the driving. A lot of stock motors come with capacitors pre-installed or not needed, so the best thing to do is read and find out. I you need instructions on how to install caps try here.