Does my gearing ratio impact my range? I read somewhere that stepping down to 14t from 16t would increase my range by reducing voltage sag. I read this in a thread regarding poor range on AT wheels, but I can no longer find the article.
Sorry for the newb question.
Gearing is relative to the wheels and motor KV, all these factors play into it. You don’t want to be geared to go faster than you actually ride tho.
That’s what I was thinking. I went lower to increase torque and possibly give me better range when I’m on the hills.
I typically now cruise at my boards top speed when on flat straights. Is it ok for me to be running my motors/esc like that all the time? Or would it be less strenuous for them if I went back to 16t from 14t? I’m really happy with my setup, I was just worried because I’m flooring it all the time.
Nah unless thermals are an issue running top out should be ok.
You should experiment with the 14t vs 16t pulley and see what the results are!
No, voltage sag is dependant on the cell type and battery layout. Gearing won’t have any effect on that.
Yes, absolutely
It will, but only as an indirect effect. A gear ratio with more torque and less top-end won’t need to work as hard to maintain top speed, which means less current, which means less sag — and more range as well. And a lower top speed.
If you’re running the system at maximum power, gearing doesn’t affect sag. But in reality, the system with a higher torque won’t be running at maximum power as frequently.
All of the components of your drivetrain impact range. 16t to 14t motor pulley (assuming a normal range on wheel pulley/dia) won’t really have a noticeable difference in range, but that’s only considering one factor in the entire drivetrain.
Drag is the opponent of range. Tire type, rider weight, drive train drag/efficiency, Wh/current discharge efficiency of cells, all have heavy impacts on range.
Higher torque gear ratio also means lower top speed, which means less drag, and air resistance drag is proportional to the square of airspeed, so it’s very pronounced at top speed. Even a tiny reduction in top speed can reduce drag by a lot.
So yes, a gear ratio with higher torque is less drag at top speed. At extremely low speeds it’s possible some other form of drag could outweigh that, like belt friction or something because of a smaller motor pulley. In the end, my money is on “higher torque ratio = higher range” with all else being the same.
Thank you very much for the education!
