I have read pages about GP3700s and IB3800 and the pros and cons of each.
I have spent hours discussing the same subject with other enthusisats all over the world.
Finally I got some good quality IB3800s to complement my GP3700s and have been able to do some unbiased back to back tests of my own.
The car used is a TC4 BMI. Speedo Novak GTX. Motors Checkpoint 7 x 1. The driver is the local champion - 7 times - so he knows the car and the track well enough to be consistant. No modifications were made to car, motors or gearing.
Cells used were top brand GP3700s and fresh and recent top brand IB3800s. Both brands win regularly in International races, and I know that both brands supply me with good products, so we are talking about the best of both.The 3700s have had 12 runs on them and the 3800s were brand new.
Here are the results of 3 five minute runs, all run under the same conditions. All 3 runs were timed with the same Orion Pro Lap counter.
RUN 1. GP3700. Fresh motor and new Take Off 22s. Race time 19 laps in 304. Best lap 15.37. Race Average 16.03.
RUN 2. IB3800. Fresh motor and new Take Off 22s. Race time 19 laps in 304. Best lap 15.37. Race average 16.02.
RUN 3. GP3700. CS22s on 2nd run. Fresh motor. Race time 19 laps in 309. Best lap 15.40. Race average 16.27.
Runs 1 and 2 were faultless, but Run 3 had a couple of mistakes in the first couple of laps, lap 1 in 17 and lap 2 in 19, with the fastest 15.4 coming on lap 5 so performance was pretty much the same if you take that into consideration.
So what are the conclusions so far.
Basically, there is nothing in it. A closer look at the lap times will show the IB to be very quick in the first 2 minutes then loose about half a second a lap for the remaining 3 minutes, finishing very strongly. The GP never seems to have the outright blast of the IB over the first couple of laps but remains much more consistant till about 2 laps from the end, when it starts to drop off a bit.
So what are we going to use. Your guess is as good as mine.
All I have proved so far is that all the praisers of GP over IB, and vice versa, are doing so for their own personal business reasons. Both cells are equally brilliant.
Oh by the way, on my Pro Trak the IBs seemed better, but it was not the case on the track as the lap times showed.
Anyone else been doing any UNBIASED testing ?