RPM vs. POWER
I've noticed a lot of guys playing with going really fast have always chosen to go with HIGH VOLTAGE for batteries and HIGH RPM for motors.
I would think (kinda thinking w/ Diesel thinking here)
POWER ..and LOTS OF IT w/ less RPM but MORE POWER for MORE top end could achieve a better top speed without making it so touchy to get moving.
Say 4 lipos, but ALL in parallel only using 8.? volts, but enough power to PULL really hard...but w/o trying to turn the motor 125,000 to 150,000 RPM's and having to use such a LOW FDR.
If the POWER were there, but you were able to use something closer to say a 2.5 or maybe a 2.0 FDR with good heavy STEEL/ALUMINUM 32 pitch gears you should be DURABLE.
170 MPH = 250 ft. per second.
a 2.5" diameter tire would be spinning at approximately 22,900 RPM at that speed. So at motor pulling 46,000 - 48,000 or so rpm's would be about right at around 2.0 I'd think...
Would it get upto speed quick enough? Is the TOP speed all the counts? We're not looking for How quick it gets there..just the speed at the GUN or at the traps.