Is not the fastest servo the more flexible choice?
#1
Tech Apprentice
Thread Starter
Is not the fastest servo the more flexible choice?
For track racing without considering cost, I'm wondering about buying the best and fastest servo for my Losi 1/10 buggy, SCT, 4x4, etc. I can use the Servo Speed in my Spectrum DX3R Pro radio to turn down the servo speed from 100% to whatever lower value I want and prefer for each car. I know there are a lot of variable, but each car would generally match each others' servo speed and each car's steering should "feel" and react about the same.
I'm a beginner and don't want the car going left/right/left down the lane because I'm overcorrecting. I probably wouldn't need Expo then but have a nice, smooth, linear action.
But if I ever get good, I can increase the Servo Speed in all cars to whatever is my new ability.
It doesn't seem right to put in an expensive Tekin motor/RS ESC with an SR3520 receiver and then an inexpensive, slow response, low in-oz servo. A good servo should last longer than a cheaper one plus there is less time spent changing servos to better spend on racing/praticing.
TakeAim
I'm a beginner and don't want the car going left/right/left down the lane because I'm overcorrecting. I probably wouldn't need Expo then but have a nice, smooth, linear action.
But if I ever get good, I can increase the Servo Speed in all cars to whatever is my new ability.
It doesn't seem right to put in an expensive Tekin motor/RS ESC with an SR3520 receiver and then an inexpensive, slow response, low in-oz servo. A good servo should last longer than a cheaper one plus there is less time spent changing servos to better spend on racing/praticing.
TakeAim
#2
Tech Champion
I think you are on the right track. In my experience a good quality fast servo is perhaps the single best hop up, wouldn't leave home without it.
#3
I agree get the best
#5
Get good servos and dont worry about "speed". What your describing is a new racer "learning to drive". I would not play with speed at all, it will do notthing but slow down your driving learning curb.
The biggest tip i give new guys is DRIVE. You can set up, change parts, tune, adjust your radio ect..... But if you dont drive you will not get better no matter how much you spend on servos. And just a side note: I race like a bunch of different classes, 8th off road, on road 10 scale ect and I use different servos and each car has its own feel and thats what makes each car different.
The biggest tip i give new guys is DRIVE. You can set up, change parts, tune, adjust your radio ect..... But if you dont drive you will not get better no matter how much you spend on servos. And just a side note: I race like a bunch of different classes, 8th off road, on road 10 scale ect and I use different servos and each car has its own feel and thats what makes each car different.
#6
Tech Elite
iTrader: (16)
To continue what token was saying.
Each car will have a different feel regardless of the servo, though a servo can help change that feel a little bit. It is important that under any setup, you learn how to drive the vehicle in that condition. Sometimes that means you have to learn when you might traction roll and stop doing so by adjusting your speed, other times it means learning to power slide a corner in order to not spin out, and other times it is learning that sometimes you can't line up that jump and you need to only take the double instead of the tripple. AKA, as token said...just drive.
It has been fun, coming back after a long time away, picking up a trash Slash to re-learn racing with...and finding that while I can't hang with the top guys, after a month and a half or so, I'm starting to drive rather well and dial in the track well enough to hang with the middle guys, despite having a high center of gravity truck, completely wrong tires, and a bad suspension setup (as I'm not investing anything into the truck at all). This will all be invaluable experience as I move on to the buggy I'm building and get a race style SC too. Now that I'm getting the driving down again, setup will start to matter so I can push the driving limits further.
Familiarity with your vehicle and driving style is more important than the truck, some of the pro guys can swap cars with me for a few laps and still win handily because they already know how to handle all of those driving situations after they feel out the vehicle for a lap.
Each car will have a different feel regardless of the servo, though a servo can help change that feel a little bit. It is important that under any setup, you learn how to drive the vehicle in that condition. Sometimes that means you have to learn when you might traction roll and stop doing so by adjusting your speed, other times it means learning to power slide a corner in order to not spin out, and other times it is learning that sometimes you can't line up that jump and you need to only take the double instead of the tripple. AKA, as token said...just drive.
It has been fun, coming back after a long time away, picking up a trash Slash to re-learn racing with...and finding that while I can't hang with the top guys, after a month and a half or so, I'm starting to drive rather well and dial in the track well enough to hang with the middle guys, despite having a high center of gravity truck, completely wrong tires, and a bad suspension setup (as I'm not investing anything into the truck at all). This will all be invaluable experience as I move on to the buggy I'm building and get a race style SC too. Now that I'm getting the driving down again, setup will start to matter so I can push the driving limits further.
Familiarity with your vehicle and driving style is more important than the truck, some of the pro guys can swap cars with me for a few laps and still win handily because they already know how to handle all of those driving situations after they feel out the vehicle for a lap.
#7
In my experience, anything slower than about .16 is very noticeable. Anything from .06-.12, not really noticeable.
#8
Super Moderator
iTrader: (31)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: RIP 'Chopper', 4/18/13 miss you bud:(
Posts: 15,482
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
^^^^ agree, I don't run anything slower than .10
Personally I run the same speed servo in all my stuff. It does have an affect on your driving style.
Personally I run the same speed servo in all my stuff. It does have an affect on your driving style.
#9
Tech Champion
I also think there is more to it than raw speed, or at least the rating. We have 0.10s servos that are nice and smooth, not jittery and buzzing. Tried a 0.07s job, but one of the jacked up buzzy ones. My son, who is far better than me at this point in noticing the differences, prefers the smooth 0.10s deal. As do some other very competitive racers we know.
#10
Super Moderator
iTrader: (31)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: RIP 'Chopper', 4/18/13 miss you bud:(
Posts: 15,482
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
I agree Dave. When I say I don't run anything slower than .10, doesn't mean I think the .07 (or faster) servos are better. I like the specs (.10/200oz.) on the xp 1015's. Can I tell the difference from a .10 to a .12 servo..a little bit, .10 to .15 oh heck yes. Running 2 cars with different speed servos does change your driving style, which can make it hard to compare the two. It's just a variable I like to eliminate.