I am new to rc and went to my first race this past weekend. I was told to run my Novak 17.5 at 180 degrees by one and then 130 degrees by another. Can someone help here?

I have an xray T2 with a 1.7 internal ratio. I was running a 92 spur with a 40 pinion on a pretty small non-technical track with only three short corners. This made my FDR 3.91. I run 64 pitch.

After 27 laps, my motor was at 189 degrees. So, if that is too high, I should start with a lower number on the pinion, correct? Should I try a 38 or how extreme is one or two teeth?

Thanks for your help!