gPlayer234

I'm upgrading to lipo batteries. First off, can someone briefly explain why lipo's are considered better than nimh? More importantly, what is a good charger and battery I should get? I'm looking to spend around $150. I'll be using it in my Stampede with a Castle Sidewinder Sv2 and 4600kv motor. What discharge rate should I be looking at getting? I think I'll want to stick to a 2s to start off, though I have my Pede set up strickly for onroad speed runs so I may get a 3s.

Thanks in advance.

Shabbernigdo

Liter / higher energy density / higher sustained discharge rates / higher energy storage capicity.

Ivebeen lookin at the ac6 and for the money it seems to be one of the best ones out there. as for a battery ide sayany thing 30c +would more then enough

silvermansteve

My Feedback: (2)

i ran a 3s in my sprint 2 flux touring car with a 5700kv sidewinder. i find it kind of tough to use ALL of that, honestly. 2s is more managable for me. but i guess for a speed run 3s the way to go, if you're able to keep the car going straight. maybe with a stampede it's more controllablei do not know. but i'd start with 2s. i get my batteries from hobby king. i think you can get a 2s 20-30c 5000mah for less than, or around, $20. go for the us warehouse if you're here. WARNING i think some sidewinder setups DO NOT take to 3s, according to the manufacturer. check for yours.

phmaximus

2s is fast....

3s will make it impressive & have a good chance of beating most nitro's.... or as i say "stupid fast"

thehuntingterminator

The Thunder AC6 is a great charger. I love mine. Hobbypartz also has some great cheap lipos. I have some Gens Ace packs which have been just as good if not better than my Venom packs which cost almost double.

SyCo_VeNoM

dunno I find nitro fast
2S almost stupidly fast (depending on the RC it kinda teeters there)
3S ludicrously fast

gPlayer234

The Thunder AC6 looks like a decent charger for the price.  It seems to get pretty good reviews too. 

As far as the battery goes, I'll probably be mostly using a 3s.  Is it worth spending alot of money on a lipo or do they all generally perform the same?  I'm aware of the different discharge rates and capacities and what they mean, but I'm talking about durability and longevity.   I see alot of them for $30-$60 that I think would work just fine....is there any downfall to purchasing a cheap lipo? I don't want to buy one and have it crap out on me (or worse, short out and burn my rc or house down).  Any comments on cheap vs expensive? 

thehuntingterminator

its worth it to go lipo. the runtime is better, and so is the power. its an all around win. the only downside to buying cheaper brands, is that they usually come with weird connectors. however, you can always solder on your own or have your LHS do it for not too much.

phmaximus

lol so true... I love showing someone how fast brushless is on 2s... then watch there face on 3s...

gPlayer234

Thanks for the replies. I am so stoked to get into lipos! My friends all think my car is fast on a 7-cell, wait until I whip out the 11.1v! I've recently become somewhat of a speed demon mainly because I used to break something every other run when bashing. Also my onroad setup for my Pede looks really bad*****.

Just out of curiousity, as far as performance goes how would a 2s lipo compare to a 7-cell nimh of equal capacity?

thehuntingterminator

Similar overall power, but since lipos dont lose voltage like NIMHs do when being used, the power will last longer, making it feel like the lipo has more power.

gPlayer234

My LHS has alot of Duratrax Onyx lipo batteries for around $50.  Anyone ever used these?  I've used the nimh Onyx batts and they seem to work well.

thehuntingterminator

i haven't actually used them, but i've heard that they're pretty good. Venom is also something your LHS should have and they're decent.

gPlayer234

What does a higher "c" rating mean?  Would there be any noticable difference between a 20c lipo vs. a 35c on a 4600kv motor?

thehuntingterminator

the "c" rating has to do with internal resistance in the pack. the higher the number, the lower the resistance, and vise versa. is that a Castle motor? if it is, i would go with the 35c just to be safe. you'll have better power too.

SyCo_VeNoM

C is discharge rate (it says it on the friggin packs...)
you use it with the capacity to figure out the safest max discharge rate it can do...
Nothing to really do with internal resistance that needs to be known seeing packs are generally impedance matched from the factory. I'm sure the higher C-rated have lower resistance, but like I said its not important for the use of it.

Higher C-rating means more Amps the pack can push...

So depending on the motors amp pull you can base it on that, but generally you can't go wrong going higher. If too low your pack, will probably puff, get damaged, and has the risk of stating on fire.

gPlayer234

Thanks for the clarification. I talked to a dude a my LHS today and learned everything I need to know about lipos. Can't wait to pick some up!

thehuntingterminator

yeah we're both right. i forgot to add what you said, but we're both correct so its all good.

gPlayer234

I've decided to go with the Venoms over the Duratrax Onyx because I've hear pretty good things about Venom.  Also my LHS has a pretty good selection of them and I prefer to shop in person, not online.  Also the Onyx lipos only go up to 25c discharge, I'm thinking I want something more like 40c. 

cumquat

the thing about lipos is that there are only a few manufacturers of them. most packs will have the same cells. there isnt anything published that i know of that says which packs have which cells but i will say that there are no real horse potty cells being produced as of now. if you want to add an additional pack to your collection for less than the venoms, try these http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-40c-50...-hardcase.html . in my extremely limited experience, they are safer than others of the type (built in 4mm bullet plugs) because if you accidentally plug them in backward an internal fuse of sorts will trip so the lipo doesnt puff and burst. i learned this the hard way while holding the lipo in my hand. just a precautionary tale if you get this type of plug. the benefit of this type is that switching from traxxas to deans to run in someone else's car (or bypassing that type of plug all together for the least resistance, handy for racing) is easier and has less resistance than adapters.

gPlayer234

I've also heard good things about the Gens Ace lipos, plus they're pretty inexpensive. I'll probably end up geting a few different brands of lipos in the coming month and decide which ones I like. I'm sure I'll end up deciding that they all perform basically the same in comparison and I'll like them all far more than my nimh packs, therefore there is know reason to spend the big bucks on a lipo when I can basically get the same thing for alot less. The most expensive one I plan to get is a Venom, I looked at a few different ones I liked at my LHS for $50-$75. I've also heard Turnigy is pretty good for the price. I think their nano-tech lipos are in the same price range. Paycheck in two weeks, then I'm off to Hub Hobby!