trerc

iTrader: (89)

I am hoping that the Speed Passion will be at least tested and considered, I bought and tried the Novak and to say the least I'm less than impressed with the brakes the unit offers and after talking to some of the other Novak guys it sounds like this is pretty normal with Novaks. I'm all for a spec ESC but I'd like to see other non programmable offerings tested and possibly accepted just as some of the standard features may be a little better (such as brakes).

iadevil

iTrader: (54)

You can if its a Novak Ballistic motor. If its an SS motor, your out of luck. Easiest way to tell is Ballistic is black with orange band and SS is silver with purple band.

f1larry

iTrader: (22)

If it is a Novak ballistic you can just change the stator. If it is an SS you can use Novak exchange program to get a new SS 25.5 and an afordable price. You send your 13.5 motor to Novak along with $40 - $50 and Novak sends you a 25.5 motor. You can check Novaks website for details and instructions.

hotrodchevy14

iTrader: (115)

Thanks for the info guys...much appreciated

Scottrik

iTrader: (261)

Paul--Novak's LIST price on the Havoc Sport/Spec is right at $60...looks like they stepped RIGHT up to the plate to me.

Better yet, when bought in combo with a $80 motor for $120 total the esc is down to about $40...or take $10 off each piece and figure the motor is now $70 and the esc is $50. Either way, Novak has made the price of competing as "cheap" as it needs to be.

I would be the LAST person to step up and say that the brakes on my Novak GTB's or Havocs are particularly powerful...they aren't. BUT, that said, if everyone is running the same relative "disadvantage" is it really any sort of "disadvantage"? Kinda like everyone in NASCAR runs a carburetor because that's what the sanctioning body has limited the technology to. Rightly or wrongly, the argument NASCAR uses is that it keeps costs down (though I've seen arguments both ways). Anyone worth their salt KNOWS that modern computer-mapped fuel injections systems produce WAY better performance and do so with WAY better fuel economy, but is anyone racing in NASCAR at any sort of a performance disadvantage BECAUSE the technology is limited?

Something to think about anyway. My own opinion is that more options aren't needed...they don't improve the desired end product (closer racing) in any way. All they do is create opportunities for folks to have the "perception" that they got beaten because they didn't have this particular esc or whatever.

DARKSIDE

iTrader: (2)

good point..very good point...Ive heard ppl not liking this or that brand..but I always thought that if me and you both ran the same stuff...the only reason to not do well is driver and setup....problem solved

Tubaboy

iTrader: (9)

Ahhh That's good. Didn't even see that. On Stormer, they have a 1s and 3s listed. Not seeing a normal sport level, just figured we had to stick with the normal Havoc.

Thanks for the pointer.

Paul

DARKSIDE

iTrader: (2)

the Havok series or GTB's are going to work great...even for now...removing my SPX to get a Havok Pro for VTA.........

hotrodchevy14

iTrader: (115)

Does anyone know if all gtb are lipo ready? in that i mean do they have lipo cutoff?
Thanks again guys

trerc

iTrader: (89)

This information is available via Novaks website, I took the liberty of digging it up for you.

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/esc/gtb/index.html

pejota

iTrader: (12)

No, not all... I guess the early ones lacked that feature... however, we don't even get close to the low voltage after back to back 5 minute qualifiers...

Scottrik

iTrader: (261)

No, not all GTB's are "LiPo Ready"...in fact I'd guess that the majority of them out there aren't as that feature wasn't offered until the GTB was on the verge of being overshadowed, performance-wise, by the next gen esc's.

Here's a pic Novak put out some time back that show the back side of a "LiPo Ready" GTB compared to an earlier unit and you can clearly see the components that are added for the LiPo cutoff. If you can convince someone to take the lead solder warning sticker off the back and take a well-lit pic you can be certain whether the unit you're buying is or is not LiPo Ready.

That said, for racing applications "LiPo Ready" isn't needed by any means. Even a 2400mah LiPo will power a VTA car for 12-15 minutes. "LiPo Ready" or LiPo cutoffs are excellent for bashers because it keeps them from over-discharging a battery, but for racing the time frame of a race (plus warm-up, etc) is far less than the amount of time even the lowest mah packs are capable of. Even if you're practicing, practicing beyond 12-15 minutes isn't really telling you anything relevant...everything (including you) is past it's "sweet spot" and you're just chasing your tail.

hotrodchevy14

iTrader: (115)

Again...thanks for the help guys...I have an opportunity to get a GTB for $60 thinking of going for it

CHARLIE BROWN

which kind of motor do you all think has more kick ballistic or SS motors

IndyRC_Racer

iTrader: (9)

I'm running one of the earlier model GTB's in my RCGT car. It does not have lipo cut-off and I'm not using an external cut-off. I have had no problems running the non-lipo cut-off GTB with a 5000mah lipo and 17.5 motor. I'm pulling around 1500 mah out of the battery running 7-8 minutes (includes warm-up laps).


I would recommend that a novice/new to lipo racer use a lipo cut-off. If you are an experienced racer and know not to run the battery down, you shouldn't have any problem running a speed control without lipo cut-off.