New 2207 motors on the 5" long range — quieter, more efficient

Swapped the motors on the long-range 5” build. Old motors: 2306, 2450kV. New: T-Motor F40 Pro IV, 2207, 1750kV. Lower kV, same prop size (HQ 5.1x4.6), different tune needed.

The motivation was efficiency. The 2306/2450kV combo was pulling too much current at cruise throttle for long-range work. At 50% throttle, which is where you spend most of your time on a 1.5km out-and-back, the current draw was around 18A. That’s fine for freestyle. It’s wasteful for cruising.

After the swap and a fresh Betaflight tune (RPM filter on, lowered P gains, raised I): 12A at the same cruise throttle position. On a 6S 3000mAh pack, that extended flight time from ~14 minutes to ~18 minutes.

The quad is also quieter. Lower kV means lower RPM for the same thrust, which means less prop noise. This matters more than I expected — I fly near farms and the acoustic signature of a drone affects how welcome you are.

The downside: it doesn’t freestyle the same way. The lower kV makes it feel slightly sluggish in tight maneuvers. That’s fine — this frame isn’t for freestyle.

Maiden flight: out to 1.4km, 380m altitude, 18 minutes in the air, landed with 3.7V/cell resting. Good numbers.