What is Difference Between FPV Racing Motor and Freestyle Motor？

When we started flying FPV drones one of the main doubts we had was which motors to use, such as FPV racing motors and FPV freestyle motors. Sometimes we put in our drones the motors that have a better visual appearance without actually going into the differences that we can find between the types of motors according to the type of flight we are looking for.

In this article we will explore the different options that exist in the market of motors for FPV drones that fit the type of flight that we perform either for drone racing or for freestyle flights, because there is a difference that we should have between each of them and turn the motors that we should use if we want to be better every time.

Which Motor is Suitable for Beginners

The first thing you should keep in mind is that if you are a pilot who is starting out in the world of FPV, the type of motor specific for drone racing or freestyle probably does not matter because until now you are developing your skills as a pilot and a taste for a type of flight. So what you need to understand is the KVs that you should use according to your electronics.

KV technically is a unit of measurement that the motors have and that based on it estimates the power of a motor taking into account the revolutions per minute (RPM) and the volts of each motor, usually when you are a beginner it is ideal that you use low KV motors in relation to the number of cells of your drone since the more KV you have in the motors, more power and torque you will get and when you are so far starting to fly it will be a little harder to learn to control your drone.

As a tip for a beginners?who are?not clear yet whether they?like FPV drone racing or want to do freestyle,?the ideal motors would be?1750 KV motors for drones 6s and 2500 KV motors?for drones 4S.

Whynbsp;Choose Motorsnbsp;Based onnbsp;Racing ornbsp;Freestyle?

Now, if you are a pilot who has been flying for a while and you want to specialise, or if you want to have drones for freestyle and drone racing, it is important that you choose the type of motor you want to use. The first thing you will notice is that for racing you usually need high power motors, because obviously you want to go faster and have a more aggressive response in the acceleration processes of the drone, while for freestyle you usually need motors that have a good punch but where their response is a little softer or less aggressive in that sense. In this sense we want to?find two types of motors that can be used for both freestyle and racing, but the reality is that they should be used specifically if you want to improve your flying level in each of these disciplines.

Different Characteristicsnbsp;for FPVnbsp;Freestyle Motors andnbsp;Racing Motors

Motor size:

This is how we find the 2207 and 2306 motors: the numbers we have here show us the physical characteristics of the motor, where the first two numbers show us the width or diameter of the motor and the last two the height in relation to the motor stator, which is the inner part where the copper winding goes. If you want to learn more about the knowledge of motor size, please check the blog: What Brushless Motor Sizes Do I Need for My FPV Drone?

Volume:

We could immediately assume that if we want more power we should use larger motors and therefore we could assume that the 2306 motor, which is 23mm wide and 6mm high, is larger than the 2207 motor, if we compare these two motors side by side we will actually find that the 2306 motor is larger than the 2207, however in terms of the motor what really matters is a factor called stator volume, which is a measure that tells us how much copper actually fits inside a motor stator in relation to its physical dimension and is calculated using the following formula:

(Width/2)^2 x 3.14 x height = stator volume

Stator volume, why is it important?

If we use this formula and apply it to the 2207 and 2306 motors we will find that while in terms of physical size the 2306 motor actually looks bigger the 2207 motor has a higher stator volume and thus can generate more thrust than the 2306 motor.

2306: (23/2)^2 x 3.14 x 6 = 2491.59

2207: (22/2)^2 x 3.14 x 7 = 2659.58

KVnbsp;Requirements

The KV is the number of revolutions per volt supplied, as we saw earlier. If you are a beginner pilot, the most important thing is probably to use motors that do not generate as much thrust, so that you can control the drone better. However as you increase the KV you must increase too the capacity that you have in your electronics is not the same fly with 2100 KV motors in a 6 cell drone with a 45 amp ESC that with a 60 amp ESC as you increase the amount of KV In your drone you increase the current consumption is why it is advisable to use motors with 1950 KV 45 amps and with motors of higher KV in 6 cells use 50 or more amps in your electronics.

The point is that if you want to go faster or do more aggressive tricks, you need to increase the amount of KV you have in your drone. Remember that the more KV you get, the more power you get, in this way we find for racing drones for example 2207 motors with 2100 KV, in the other if are a freestyle pilot, you must look for motors with a low KV reference that the racing motors, for example 1750KV, which offer a good thrust for flights too smooth.

Based on this analysis, we could say that if you are a pilot who performs drone races, the most logical would be to use 2207 motors because they can generate more power and therefore you can go faster on the other hand if you are a pilot who wants to freestyle what it is more logical to use 2306 motors because although they are larger, they generate less thrust and are less aggressive and therefore you can achieve smoother or fluid flights. If you want to know more about the knowledge of KV, check this blog: What is KV in Motor

Weightnbsp;Considerations

Another factor to take into account is the weight of the motors, usually if you are a racing drone pilot you will look for the lowest possible weight of your drone to get the highest speed in competition, while if you are a freestyle pilot the weight is not relevant, in this sense for racing drones it is important to have racing drone motors that are within a range of approximately 28 to 33 grams.

For freestyle, the weight of the? fpv freestyle motors would be the one that has the greatest impact, it is important to remember that increasing the weight of the drone in general will create more complex recovery processes and increase the number of tricks to be performed in this sense, it is advisable to have a good balance between the weight of the motors and the total weight of the drone to avoid having to make unnecessary corrections and thus obtain much smoother flights.

Finally, something that you need to keep in mind is that if you are a pilot that is going faster and faster in drone racing, for example, you need to start analysing the weight of your drone and in this aspect motors play an important role. The larger the volume of your motor stator, the more likely your motor is going to weigh a little bit more. That is to say, if you compare a 2306 motor with a 2207 motor, you will probably find that the 2207 motors are a little bit heavier, this is really also related to the materials used to make the motors. There are 2207 motors that are currently lighter than the 2306 for drone racing, but they are a little bit more fragile to crash.

This is an aspect that is not really relevant to freestyle drones as they tend to be much heavier and what you are really looking for in freestyle is not high speeds but greater control, fluidity and smoothness between trick and trick which the 2306 motors can offer.

Durability and Build Quality

The durability of your motors will also depend largely on the level of demand that you give them but also includes the blows that they can receive and withstand, if you do not want to damage your motors will certainly have to fly very slowly in races or not risk much in freestyle tricks in this sense always keep in mind that the motors are a spare part of a drone that put of which you’re going to have to change at some point.

However it is important to keep in mind that depending on the type of flying you are doing, then you are going to force some different components of the motor and with that you will simply be able to understand when a motor is good and when it is bad for racing. Here we will explore some of them.

Durabilitynbsp;Requirements for FPV Racing Drone Motors

Copper Quality:? Copper is one of the main components of the motors that allow us in the case of racing goblins to go high speeds if the quality of the copper is not good what will happen is that simply being pushed for a while the motor will begin to change the colour of the copper each time to a more reddish or darker tone until it simply burns this is one of the factors that most affects the drone racing pilots as they usually have more burned motors than broken, Therefore, one of the most important aspects when choosing the best drone racing motors is that it can withstand high temperatures, thus avoiding damage during a flight.

Bell Hardness: ?The quality of the bell is a factor to take into account because if we are flying with very light motors, the bell may be too thin or made of materials that are not very resistant. When a motor receives an impact, usually if it receives it from the side of the bell, it may bend and hit against the stator and therefore the motor will not rotate more. It also usually happens that in the upper part where we find the shape that has the motor that is for heating may have breaking points according to their manufacturing design process with which very sensitive crashes for these motors can cause these parts to break and therefore also the bell is locked.

Durabilitynbsp;Requirements fornbsp;FPV Freestyle Motor

One of the main differences in fpv freestyle motor is that they are usually used in different environments while in the case of racing motors usually the tracks are always located in green areas in soccer fields and very little in some enclosed areas, in that sense fpv freestyle motors tend to be more versatile with respect to their use, cooling and durability.

The durability of freestyle motors is usually more focused in terms of the external materials of construction beyond the quality of copper which is obviously important in that way the quality of the bell and the central axis are very important because in the case of freestyle we can return to closed environment continuously which increases the possibility of hitting walls walls columns and other elements that increase the level of damage to the motor, iin the same way the bearings tend to suffer much more for a freestyle drone than for a racing drone hence the quality of the bearings that have the motor are very important in order to avoid that it ends up breaking.

Heat Dissipation

In this sense, reaching high speeds also means reaching high temperatures. Unlike fpv freestyle motors, racing drone motors have to have a better cooling system, because maintaining a constant speed throughout the race means that the motor has to have a good cooling system, which is built into two main parts of the motor.

Bell design: The first component we must take into account to dissipate heat inside the motor is the motor hood, when we pick up a motor and look at the top we will notice a design or pattern, the function of this design is to allow air to enter the motor better when the motor is running at high speeds in order to cool and reduce the heat generated in the copper of the motor, thus avoiding burnout.

Motor height: Another factor to consider in motor dissipation is the height of the stator in relation to the motor base, some motors have a relatively low stator height while others are slightly taller, the taller the stator, the more it prevents heat build up in the lower part of the motor or allows more air to circulate through the lower part of the motor, thus cooling the entire component. It is therefore important to bear in mind that this affects the external dimensions of the motor. Depending on the application, some motors will perform better than others.

Compatibility with ESCs and Propellers

When selecting a motor for your drone, regardless of whether it is for racing or freestyle, you have to take into account other factors that can help affect the performance of your drone. That is why you should consider the compatibility that your motor can have in relation to the ESCs as well as the propellers. According to the mix you make between these three components you will be able to get a better performance, whether it is for racing or freestyle.

ESCnbsp;Requirements fornbsp;High-Speednbsp;Racing Drone Motor

If you want to go at high speeds the most advisable is to have high KV motors, in that sense it must be taken into account that the more KV required is more current consumption. Therefore you will require more amperage with which the most important thing is to get to have ESCs that support constant current peaks. Keep in mind, in the case of Racing the peak current consumption can be given constantly that is not something so temporary with which the selection of current delivery capacity is very important, +45 Amp. For how to choose an ESC for a racing drone, check this article: Choosing the Best ESC for Racing Quadcopter: A Comprehensive Guide

ESCnbsp;Requirements for FPV Freestyle Motor

For the case of freestyle, the current consumption tends to be much lower bearing in mind that the flights tend to be much more smooth and fluid. Some current peaks tend to be lower although when you do a trick where you need to make a power loop or make a particular punch. Those moments are very temporary and very specific and the rest of the flight tends to be a little more smoothed in that way. The motors will not require so high ESCs. but they may have high current peaks in temporary moments, 35 or 40 Amp should be ok.

Propellersnbsp;Compatibility

Another important point that you have to take into account is the compatibility of propellers in your motors. Currently there are two main types of propeller which adapt to two types of adjustment in your motor, one of them is the conventional in which we have a propeller that passes through the central axis and that fits the motor with a nut at the top. The second is a system called popo which has a few small spheres that are introduced with the propeller making pressure and thus avoid loosening the system. The system created very simple to handle and practical but for safety according to the type of flight you are doing. I think it is more convenient to use the conventional system.

On the other hand, depending on the type of pitch that your propellers have, you will be able to have a higher or lower current consumption, so the transmitters become an important factor in the selection of ESCs because if you get to use propellers with a lot of pitch, they may request more current from the ESCs and therefore could burn the ESCs, it can also happen that if it has a lot of pitch, it can also have a higher or lower current consumption, so the transmitters become an important factor in the selection of ESCs.

If you use propellers with a high Pitch they can generate a higher overheating because the practice is generating more grip in the air, and therefore the motor may be working a little harder. A propeller with low Pitch basically generates less air passage between the propeller and therefore less resistance to the motor which requests less current to the speed ESCs.

Conclusion

Based on all the above descriptions, if you are a racing drone pilot or a freestyle pilot, it is best to keep in mind the different factors while choosing a motor, which is not only about the motor, but also about the different components that interact with each other in propelling the drone, such as propellers and ESC motors. These components do not only enable us to have a powerful and robust drone, but also a smooth and fluid flight. On top of that there is also an aesthetic component that helps our drones look great.

Something you have to keep in mind is to be able to have a powerful drone that allows smooth and fluid flights, but also have an aesthetic component that help our drone also look great, you must understand and make a good choice of motors for your drone in order to improve more and more in your capabilities and level of flight, regardless of the type of category in which you find yourself.