{"id":6845,"date":"2025-04-25T10:03:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T10:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/?p=6845"},"modified":"2025-08-30T05:24:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:24:38","slug":"tamiya-bt01-optimal-pinion-and-spur-combination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/?p=6845","title":{"rendered":"The optimal pinion and spur combination (featuring Tamiya BT01)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 data-start=\"107\" data-end=\"176\"><strong>Chasing the Sweet Spot: Pinion and Spur Gear Combinations in RC<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"178\" data-end=\"568\">Ask ten RC hobbyists about the \u201cbest\u201d pinion and spur combo, and you\u2019ll probably get ten different answers. That\u2019s because there really isn\u2019t a single \u201cperfect\u201d setup\u2014it all depends on your motor, track, battery, and what you\u2019re trying to get out of your car. Still, there <em data-start=\"451\" data-end=\"455\">is<\/em> an optimal balance to be found, and once you figure it out, your RC feels smoother, faster, and more reliable.<\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"570\" data-end=\"591\"><strong data-start=\"575\" data-end=\"589\">The Basics<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"593\" data-end=\"879\">The gearing in your RC is a lot like the gearing in a bicycle or full-size car. Your <strong data-start=\"678\" data-end=\"691\">spur gear<\/strong> is the big one, mounted on the slipper or transmission, while the <strong data-start=\"758\" data-end=\"773\">pinion gear<\/strong> is the smaller one bolted to your motor shaft. Changing the size of either changes your <strong data-start=\"862\" data-end=\"876\">gear ratio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"881\" data-end=\"1098\">\n<li data-start=\"881\" data-end=\"988\">\n<p data-start=\"883\" data-end=\"988\">A <strong data-start=\"885\" data-end=\"902\">bigger pinion<\/strong> (more teeth) or <strong data-start=\"919\" data-end=\"935\">smaller spur<\/strong> = higher top speed, but more strain on your motor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"989\" data-end=\"1098\">\n<p data-start=\"991\" data-end=\"1098\">A <strong data-start=\"993\" data-end=\"1011\">smaller pinion<\/strong> (fewer teeth) or <strong data-start=\"1029\" data-end=\"1044\">bigger spur<\/strong> = more torque and cooler temps, but less top speed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1100\" data-end=\"1184\">So in short: gear tall for speed runs, gear short for acceleration and durability.<\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"1186\" data-end=\"1224\"><strong data-start=\"1191\" data-end=\"1222\">Finding the \u201cOptimal\u201d Combo<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"1226\" data-end=\"1482\">The trick is to aim for a setup where your car has enough punch off the line <em data-start=\"1303\" data-end=\"1312\">without<\/em> your motor cooking itself after five minutes. Most hobbyists will start with the manufacturer\u2019s recommended gearing (usually listed in the manual) and tune from there.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1484\" data-end=\"1776\">One of the most important checks is <strong data-start=\"1520\" data-end=\"1541\">motor temperature<\/strong>. After a solid run, touch your motor (or better yet, use an IR temp gun). If it\u2019s scalding hot, your gearing is too tall\u2014you\u2019re asking the motor to do more than it can handle. If it\u2019s cool, you\u2019ve got room to gear up for more speed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1778\" data-end=\"2026\">Battery and motor also play a role. A high-KV brushless motor on a LiPo can handle taller gearing than a brushed setup on NiMH. Likewise, a heavy 4WD buggy might need shorter gearing than a lightweight 2WD stadium truck, even with the same motor.<\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"2028\" data-end=\"2063\"><strong data-start=\"2033\" data-end=\"2061\">Real-World Hobbyist Tips<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul data-start=\"2065\" data-end=\"2573\">\n<li data-start=\"2065\" data-end=\"2172\">\n<p data-start=\"2067\" data-end=\"2172\"><strong data-start=\"2067\" data-end=\"2090\">Listen to your car.<\/strong> If it bogs down or feels sluggish under acceleration, your gearing is too tall.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2173\" data-end=\"2282\">\n<p data-start=\"2175\" data-end=\"2282\"><strong data-start=\"2175\" data-end=\"2201\">Check temps regularly.<\/strong> Staying under about 160\u00b0F (70\u00b0C) for brushless motors is a good rule of thumb.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2283\" data-end=\"2452\">\n<p data-start=\"2285\" data-end=\"2452\"><strong data-start=\"2285\" data-end=\"2309\">Consider your track.<\/strong> Tight, twisty tracks usually reward shorter gearing (torque and response), while wide open tracks or speed runs benefit from taller gearing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2453\" data-end=\"2573\">\n<p data-start=\"2455\" data-end=\"2573\"><strong data-start=\"2455\" data-end=\"2482\">Slipper clutch matters.<\/strong> Don\u2019t overtighten it\u2014let it do its job, especially if you\u2019re running aggressive gearing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 data-start=\"2575\" data-end=\"2600\"><strong data-start=\"2580\" data-end=\"2598\">Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"2602\" data-end=\"3049\">There\u2019s no \u201cmagic number\u201d for pinion and spur teeth counts\u2014it\u2019s all about balance. The optimal gearing is the one that gives you the speed you want <em data-start=\"2750\" data-end=\"2755\">and<\/em> keeps your motor happy in the long run. For me, the fun part of the hobby is experimenting: swap in a different pinion, run a few packs, check temps, and see how the car feels. That\u2019s how you really dial in your setup\u2014and once you hit that sweet spot, your RC feels like a whole new machine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Using BT01 as an example:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>36T pinion and 61T spur seems to be the optimal for the BT01 given size limitation of the gearbox casing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6847\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09.jpeg 960w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.09-113x150.jpeg 113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThis is a 61T spur for TT01. Some plastic removed and it will fit into the BT01 gearbox perfectly.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6848\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34.jpeg 960w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-25-at-09.45.34-113x150.jpeg 113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chasing the Sweet Spot: Pinion and Spur Gear Combinations in RC Ask ten RC hobbyists about the \u201cbest\u201d pinion and spur combo, and you\u2019ll probably get ten different answers. That\u2019s because there really isn\u2019t a single \u201cperfect\u201d setup\u2014it all depends on your motor, track, battery, and what you\u2019re trying to get out of your car. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146,124,127],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6845"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6845"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7333,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6845\/revisions\/7333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}