Novak Super Sport SS5800 Brushless Motor System:
The First Competitive Brushless System
After a long, yet productive winter of racing indoor stock touring car, I decided I would race electric in the summer as well. I had to consider which motor to get. Because I planned on running two classes, I knew I wouldn't have time to cut coms, and wanted to go faster than a stock or 19 turn motor. Although you can get these motors going pretty fast, I was in need of some serious power. With all this taken into consideration, I decided I would be one of the first people in the GTA to try the Novak Brushless System in 1/10 Touring....
Features at a Glance
Once I got home after the first test, I decided to take the motor out to check on its condition. The instructions specifically say to check all screws on the motor and make sure none of them have vibrated loose. I am happy to say that in all the runs I have put through this system, I have never found any of the screws to be loose.
The first outdoor race of the season approached fast; it was the first real test for this system outdoors. The venue was P.L.R.C. with the motor still mounted in the same Tamiya TB Evolution 3 Surikarn.
Although it was a practice race, I pushed the motor hard to see what it could really do. I found, yet again, that it had an enormous amount of torque, and this time I was able to get a good impression of the top speed of this motor.
I set the gearing with a 35 pinion, and a 96 spur, for a final drive ratio of 7.1. I used my Peak Power Flow batteries with decent numbers which helped the motor produce a wicked top speed. The motor easily beat some of the slower cars and did not loose much ground to the faster cars powered by 10 turn or better motors. Because I was battling glitching problems, I never got to finish a race.
I was convinced it was the brushless system until the TCS race at PLRC, where I got to use a normal brushed motor. The car still glitched in the same spot, at that point I knew it was not the brushless. The glitching ended up being caused by the antenna wire being wrapped around the antenna tube, and a defective servo.
So now I was finally able to try the system with no problems. The venue was still PLRC, and with skilled competition on hand, I was excited to see what the motor could really do.
I was only able to qualify the motor/car 2nd in the B Main; With the fierce competition on hand, I was still happy with the way the car ran. On the straight and through the corners the car pulled hard, scaring a few of the drivers ahead of me.
On the straight the top speed was average - not losing any ground to the fastest cars, but not gaining any ground on them either. The system easily pulled in the cars that had higher turn motors. Through the corners, it accelerated hard, yet smoothly. I was able to pull right up behind the cars I was racing with.
The only problem you may find with this system is that the power may come on too hard in mid-range acceleration for a poor handling car. I was lucky that by my third qualifier I had corrected my oversteering and the car could handle the power.
The system has had a good 15 runs put through it, and I have yet to notice a loss of performance. The motor has always stayed below 138° Fahrenheit. Not once during a 5 minute run have I noticed a drop in power. I have run the system for 8 minutes; I started to see a loss of power at the 7:20 mark.
I would highly recommend the Novak Brushless System for any racer who doesn’t have time to cut a comm or solder brushes. You still get to go fast and be competitive without the bother of maintaining a brushed motor and still have the system within a reasonable price range.
Although these systems are not ROAR legal yet, sanctioned events usually have a specific brushless class for those who wish to run them. For the clubs that do allow brushless systems, it is a great deal for someone who races on a parking lot track or large carpet track, or the racer who runs two classes.
It is also awesome for a low budget racer, who can’t afford a com lathe, and the cost of maintaining a high end modified motor.
The brushless system is a new and fresh product on the radio controlled market, but it still has a long way to go before it replaces the brushed motors, if it ever does.
For now it is giving racers like myself a chance to have some fun, without emptying wallets - leaving room in our budgets for other cool toys. If the brushless scene takes off, we are in for some exciting racing in the near future.
Street Price: $ 375.00 (CDN)
Equal to: 10 turn brushed motor
Happy Racing!
Reviewed by:Steve Bortolotti