extending runtime?

HI
I'll race this weekend. On our track I use approx 250mah per lap and our final race will be 15min for first time. I can make max 24 laps in 15 minutes so I need a 6000mah lipo but I don't have it:( My biggest lipo is 5300mah . My gearing is 14/46 right now and the smallest pinion that I have is 12T. Could I be able to run 24laps if I use 12t pinion or it wouldn't make such difference?

[sabongi]

Maybe reducing throttle EPA and lowering the punch on the ESC will work, along with a correct gear mesh and a free spinning drivetrain.

Any other suggestions?

[What's_nitro?]

Have you looked into weight reduction? If you are allowed to lighten your tires that would be the best improvement, although any weight you can save will help a bit.

[BrianG]

Extending runtime boils down to this: perform less "work". This is done by reducing weight, reducing gearing, smooth drive style, etc; basically making sure the current draw is as low as possible.

Refrain from high bursts of speed (fairly constant throttle) to avoid high current bursts. ESC settings can help somewhat, but may make your vehicle feel less "responsive". Higher voltage with lower kv motor can increase efficiency (less I^2*R losses), which translates to more battery power getting to the ground.

Thanks for suggestions. I know what to do to extend runtime generally as you wrote. If I'm not wrong nobody can say without testing the extended percentage of runtime using 12T instead of 14t without making any other changes. I'm sure Brian should know that if there would be a calculation about that:)