[Question] Does a "beat" disc have more glide?

[MNTreekiller]

As a disc beats in how are the innova numbers affected? I know that it loses high speed stability, does it also lose low speed stability and have more glide? For instance I bought a dx banshee a couple weeks ago. Lets just say i have beat it in faster than I had planned and it is now at the point where I can actually turn it over slightly if I give it everything I have. (about 325 feet of power). Since it is a much straighter disc with less fade, could it take the place of say a dx teebird? Thanks for any input

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

What you are experiencing is the phenomenon known as "break-in". As a disc breaks in, its HSS and LSF numbers effectively decrease. No glide is gained, but the disc's increased propensity to hold the lines it is thrown on creates the illusion of increased glide. A broken-in Banshee could definitely be used in place of a fresh TeeBird, provided you have thrashed the Banshee enough to knock the overstability out of it. I see you are throwing DX plastic. Step up to a higher grade (Champion or Star) and your discs will maintain their flight characteristics for much longer.

 

[MNTreekiller]

Yeah I'm planning on picking up a champ banshee for fighting wind/big hyzers. I bought it in dx to try it out and I think the dx will still have a place as a straight driver.

 

[DanJon]

With some discs, probably.

Most likely more drag, especially in base plastic, with all the chunks and gashes.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Yeah I'm planning on picking up a champ banshee for fighting wind/big hyzers. I bought it in dx to try it out and I think the dx will still have a place as a straight driver.

The Banshee is a totally different animal in Champion plastic as opposed to DX, you might be shocked at how much beefier the Champion is. But it will break in, and will likely be a staple of your bag for years to come.

 

[Oklahyzer]

They don't really gain glide, per se, but since most discs/plastics will start to lose some hss (whether you see them turning more or not), they'll go a little farther before the spin slows and the fade kicks in. Many discs don't lose much fade and some lose it before they lose the hss. The Viper is like that mostly, and so is the Teebird in good plastic. Current DX plastic is almost junk, beats in ridiculously fast to the point of why bother. I can't see a beat Banshee being a substitute for a good Teebird, but no doubt you can find use for it and maybe some similar lines...little closer to an Eagle, though.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Eagle has negative HSS, I have never encountered a Banshee that exhibits such characteristics. Back in the day I had a thrashed Pro Banshee that would fly TeeBird-esque lines pretty well. I have never thrown a DX Banshee, so perhaps your Eagle comparison is correct.

 

[mark996]

Yeah I'm planning on picking up a champ banshee for fighting wind/big hyzers. I bought it in dx to try it out and I think the dx will still have a place as a straight driver.

For future reference, as stated, premium plastics are a completely different animal. I wouldn't buy DX to "try" a disc unless I wanted to buy that particular disc in DX, a lot of molds are way too different to get an accurate reading from one plastic to another.

 

[Ender175]

With some discs, probably.

Most likely more drag, especially in base plastic, with all the chunks and gashes.

I've actually pondered this quite a bit.
From the "sharkskin" bathing suits of the US Olympic team(and actual shark skin) to textured matte paint on airplanes and dimples on golf balls, it's been demonstrated over and over that a textured surface has less drag than a smooth one.

But it's not arbitrary, the peaks and valleys of the surface have to be spaced out just right to get the desired interaction with the air/water. The Olympic team looked at real shark skin under an electron microscope to design those suits, and I have no idea how many millions of dollars titliest has spent on testing different shapes and depths of dimples to maximize distance or fade/draw.

DX plastic gets much bigger dings and divots in the rim than pro, champ or star plastic.
I don't think there's enough money in the sport yet for even a Innova to take a bunch of discs in different plastics and stages of wear and wind tunnel test them.

Hopefully some day they will because I would love to know what is the perfect combination of plastic and scuffage to minimize drag and maximize distance.

 

[5QU166Y]

I think they gain a little bit just because the surface of the disc becomes more rough. Rougher surfaces have less drag than smoother surfaces, so the disc shouldn't slow down as quickly and would stay in the air longer. I'm not sure how much of an effect this actually has on the flight (it may be negligible), but it's interesting to consider.

 

[brutalbrutus]

If you want a quick example of this go buy an overstable MVP disc. Throw it a couple times then flip it upside down and scuff up the top on a teepad. It will immediately have less drag, and wont fly as over stable.

 

[PMantle]

Yes, especially in the champion types.