Hey man! Sorry for the delay, kept getting distracted
Synergy Speed, it rocks!
I have tried a few setups/frames over the years. This IRCHA will be my 5th entry into the speed cup
A lot of it I learned through trial and error, and even more I picked from the brains of the guys winning every year!
The first thing you need to decide is which class you want to run in. Do you want to take a 3D machine and run speed from time to time, or do you want to build a dedicated speed machine?
Electronics:
FBL: Not all FBL are created equal. While you can certainly run whatever FBL you want, some systems handle FFF better than others. I have had good success with BeastX, Demon, and iKON. The NEO seems to handle speed well, but the other VBars weren't as good an option.
Servos: Don't go cheap here. When you are holding full collective speeding down a run, the servos need to be strong and stable.
ESC: 12s or 14s will be determined by your class choice, but go with an AMP rating as high as you can afford. I have had GREAT success with Castle 160s and YGE(when 14s was needed). I have played with Kosmiks, but that gets expensive FAST.
Batteries: This is easily the first place people ignore. I don't care what the label says, True C ratings are what matters. Check out this database Justin Pucci started and I have been contributing too. We have been testing our packs and posting actual C values. You may be surprised how some of these 65c packs stack up.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AIUIP2CqVG1-BRT8LcMkXTEJ18Xj_pa50-6k16m8BC4/edit?usp=sharingMotor: I am a scorpion guy, but there are many good options. The 4530, 4535 and 5000 series motors are quickly taking over the speed scene. The 4530-540 and a 15t pinion are my go to right now. I have been running my 716F3C blades GOVERNED at 2690 RPM. It isn't holding that, but by gearing for it, I am holding 2500+ at 14 degrees of pitch on a 12s system. Amp loads have been holding under 160 with spikes above 200. Not slamming into full collective helps with the spikes.
Over all setup:
Pitch: There is such a thing as too much pitch. You should target higher head speed and start at 13 of so and work your way up. Find the point where your setup can't take anymore pitch without bogging too much. yes there are guys out there running 16-17 degrees, but that doesn't make them necessarily faster.
Roll rate/responsiveness: Remember, anytime you touch the cyclic in a pass, you are bleeding power. By lower the agility/responsiveness, increasing EXPO, you are dampening the effects of your thumbs on the cyclic. This heli doesn't need to flip and roll on a dime. Movements should be smooth and deliberate. Adding expo and lowering over all rates will help smooth out your runs.
I have not done any FC3, so I can't tell you how close the setup is for that. But I can tell you, like FC3, you can have the perfect setup, if your technique is off, you won't be fast. So much of this is about setting up the pass, holding a line, and turning around while maintaining speed. The equipment is important, but the pilot makes or breaks it, hands down.
I am sure I have left you with more questions than answers, but the reason it's so hard to get concrete information is there is nothing concrete
There are plenty of wrong ways to do things, but so many approaches to going fast.
My setup for the 2016 IRCHA Speed Cup:
Synergy E5ss with E7se Speed conversion
Rail 716F3C mains 96 tails
4.0:1 tail ratio
YGE 160HV
NEO
Scorpion 4530-540KV
Servos Still undecided
Batteries undecided
