If anyone hasn't heard the latest battery news , here it goes , the IB-3800 cell from Intellect Bros. has been discontinued as of August 1st , yes ,this month.

The only two cells their going to market is the IB-3600 and the IB-4200 !

The thing is that the current IB-3600 cell performs as well as an average 3800 cell , so why the need to fill the gap ?

Any track who still has a 3800 rule needs not to worry as there is still quite a few suppliers with 3800's and the 3600's will run with them no problem.

Lets not all panic and change our rules to 4200 as all we're doing is costing us the racer more money, think about it :thumbsup:

Thanks for your input

R.S.

I think the problem here is that the general public had no idea about Aug. 1 nor did they have a say in it. Most tracks have already made their decisions for their fall season. And, judging by the chat on here, almost all of New England are licking their chops and just dying to strap the packs (4200's) that they ALREADY have into their machines....including myself. Here in upstate New York there is a couple of tracks that will be offering a "sportsman" or "spec" class for those who do not wish to get caught up in the expensive trends. Hopefully, this is the solution as I know Plattsburgh has been VERY successful with such a move. Also, these classes have proven to be almost as fast and even more challenging by limiting resources. I don't think anyone can single-handedly bring the battery giant down - but offering the racer an alternative seems like an excellent idea.

We've found that most of the tracks here in Northern Newengland are staying with 3800's in a fixed 19 / 4 cell division.
Maybe 4200's in an adjustible outlaw 19 class., which we don't run. :o

So yes its a bummer to have another hurdle thrown at us but I don't think its going to be that big a deal with a 3800 limit. :cool:

Each track will have to make a decision based on there driver input.

Spending has to slow at sometime or we'll all have no tracks , any one remember slot car racing , the perfect example, continuous spending will kill it in a short period of time.

R.S.

SMC has been the only place I know of still matching these and the # are 1.195+ with 375+ runtime. They are also lighter than 3800s and are cheaper. $33.95. If this cell stays in production this could be a great cell for a spec class or even a stock class.

Pro-Match is going to do 3600 and 4200's .
Their getting 1.22 volts from 3600's which is very
comparable to the 3800's.

I don't think It'll be a major problem , look on Towers site and see how many
3800's are still available., many months worth ,

I wouldnt waste my money on left over 3800's when 4200's will be ROAR legal soon... and they are allowed at many tracks already.
I see IP has a new 4200 (or 4300?) coming out also. Face it, the 3800's are gone.. like the 3300, 3000, 2400 and 2000's etc. Lets move on.

We're all entitled to our opinion and different parts of the country have many different views of this sport, we just find that our racers only have a certain budget and if they can still run 3800's and race competitively then thats how the rules will stay today. We'll see what the future brings ? It really does not matter if the new cells are Roar approved or not :o

R.S.

Pro-Match is going to do 3600 and 4200's .
Their getting 1.22 volts from 3600's which is very
comparable to the 3800's.

I don't think It'll be a major problem , look on Towers site and see how many
3800's are still available., many months worth ,

The 3600's will more than fill the void of the 38's so keep your mah limits where they are and save your racers some money to fill their gas tanks.

maybe keep your stock classes at a 3800 mah limit and allow anything in the pro classes , any sub c that is.

If anyone needs good 3800's (not leftovers) visit the RIP website, there are some really good Whiplash cells available. I spoke to them yesterday, they are still matching 3800's.

The 3600's will more than fill the void of the 38's so keep your mah limits where they are and save your racers some money to fill their gas tanks.
I guess people think different in different parts of the country :)
So since my 3800's are showing signs of age and I was going to buy a couple of fresh packs for the beginning of the season... I should step back to the 3600 cells:confused: just to fit a rule based on a discontinued battery :confused: How is this saving me more than a few bucks?
When should we move to the 4200?... when the 4400 is announced or should we wait until we are 3 steps behind the rest of the world?

You can still get plenty of decent 3800's so picking up a couple fresh packs shouldn't be a problem !

Just think if you had to go buy 6 new 4200's to compete , ouch :(

We're not staying behind the times,,,,just not letting the manufacturers set our rules , think about it. :thumbsup:

Thanks for your feedback

R.S.

Pro-Match has some very good 3800's left. :thumbsup:

You can still get plenty of decent 3800's so picking up a couple fresh packs shouldn't be a problem !

Just think if you had to go buy 6 new 4200's to compete , ouch :(

We're not staying behind the times,,,,just not letting the manufacturers set our rules , think about it. :thumbsup:

Thanks for your feedback

R.S.
Well since 4200's are ok at most of my area tracks, I will go that route.
Why would I need 6 packs anyway? I can get by just fine with 2 race packs (three would be nice but is not a must) and a couple of old 38's for practice packs. Running each pack twice a day is fine.
And if, or when they allow a new cell I only have to buy 2 packs. So if a new cell was approved twice a year it really wouldnt cost me anything since I generally buy 2 packs twice a season already. I guess I just dont see the cost factor as a issue in my case. :)

Rodney
I'm not sure what to say, but this doesn't suprise me at all. My intial thought is that its is not about money, it is about really not wanting "outsiders" running at your track.
This isnt the first instance of this.(6cell, hybrid 19t,seperate classes, sk rules,now 4200's). It is too bad because it is a nice track.
As far as other tracks in new england you may want to call them.
TJ

Sorry you feel that way , but this is an overall club decision and we're sticking with it at least till Jan 1 .

As far as the Spec class "We have the best and most fair rules that any track could have come up with !!!!!!"

I'm sorry that sounds cocky but we've put a tremendous amount of time and thought into making this the attraction of NHRC.

We welcome all drivers at our track , just have to run by our rule book.
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R.S.

(Hypothetically), you decide to have a Big race, you decide to go all out, and post all over the internet "Big Race" November, December or whenever....

Can you give me a reason Why the 100 plus guys I race with In The Northeast that will have gone through 6-12 or so 4200 packs by then, would want to scrounge around and find some old 3800 packs to attend your 1 Race......

I'm not diggin at ya, just want to see the logic in your last statement, where you say " We welcome all drivers at our track, just have to run by our rule book"....

I understand, your rules are your rules, which is the way it is and that's that, every track has them, cool....

But, how can you attract more people (Especially that travel like we do in the Northeast Oval Tour) with a rule that is not the norm?....

I understand Bill , its the decision of all club members " including myself" and we are in a different situation than other tracks , non-business , non-profit, totally volunteer with very low overhead.

But as wev'e always strived '' ALL RACERS ARE WELCOME , JUST ASK WHAT THE RULES ARE BEFORE YOU TRAVEL DOWN " most racers are used to not all tracks being totally consistent.

The 3600 IB cell is a killer in stock or fixed timing 19 as its got extremely low IR and great voltage , 1.23 @35 amps ! ,,,,thats pretty hard to beat.

Thanks for your reply

R.S.

Gotcha..... :thumbsup:

This always seems to be the big issue each year lately. LOL

It's an issue due to the approval date right i nthe middle of the indoor season. If they changed the approval date to be inbetween the indoor and outdoor seasons it wouldn't be such a problem. Either have it spring time or fall, doesn't matter either would be better then Jan 1.

Solution is always to allow a "3 cars makes a class rule" if you want to welcome other racers at your track.