I just bought a xxx-t truck with a stock 27 turn motor and novak fusion esc. Could someone please tell me what battery would give the best performance for off road racing purposes without frying the electronics?
And also how much they usually cost? (new/used)
I currently only have a nicad charger (are nimh batteries better?)
I'm new to r/c racing. Thanks

Any 6-cell (7.2 volt) battery pack should work fine for you. You didn't say what brand/model of charger you have so it is hard to give recommendations. Since you are new to racing I would avoid spending a lot of money on packs.

For decent quality packs you may look to one of our sponsors, MaxAmps at http://www.maxamps.com They offer Sanyo 2400 Nicad packs and GP 3300 NiMh packs for under $30.00 each. Depending on the charger that you have you may have to stick with the lower capacity and higher cost Sanyo packs.

If your charger is not capable of charging NiMh packs then you might investigate gettting one that can. A decent quality peak charger can be purchased for less then 50 bucks.

The charger I have is a dynamite mega peak. (nicad only)

We really want to get this thing to fly in the stock motor class.
How high of a mhz pack can I use to be competetive?
(Do I need to get a nimh charger and battery to be competitive)?
Should I get matched cells?

Also, am I supposed to completely discharge the battery pack after use?

How long do you have to wait to recharge a pack?

Sorry to ask so many questions, I really appreciate the help!

We really want to get this thing to fly in the stock motor class.

Fly? Are you bashing or racing..... everyones first instinct is more power, more speed, I win! Not always the case.

It's not a matter of flying, I presume you'll be running stock novice class? Learn to drive the right lines, not flipping over, taking turns right, and you'll be faster than the person who holds the throttle down to go the "fastest".

If you are bashing, then gear appropriately, get a good shotgun pack (the prebuilt ones) bash away! Speed is fun.. see how high you can go!!

(Do I need to get a nimh charger and battery to be competitive)?
Should I get matched cells?

You don't "need" a nihm charger, but since most of the "new" stuff out there are nihms, it would be wise. Also if you are going to race more, then a good charger that can do both, would be a very wise investment. you can find new ones for under 200$, and even USED for under 150$ nowadays.

LRP Competition Pulsar, Novak Millenium Pro 1 or 2, Reedy Quasar, Integy 16x4 (many diff models of integy), Duratrax ICE, etc.

Read through the forums here, you'll find alot of GOOD info on charging, storing, being competative, etc etc...

Bashing or no bashing, you want a decent charger to "care" for your packs. Stay away from the "timer" chargers, and the lower line supposed "peak" packs. Spend the extra 40~60$ and you'll get something decent to last you a long time.

Also, am I supposed to completely discharge the battery pack after use?

Everyone has a different take on this. This is what I do. If it is a Nicad (lets say 2400), then after the race, I discharge down to on a lightbult with cutoff switch (like the deans) and then store till next race.

If it is a Nihm (3300), I discharge down, and then put about 90~100 seconds of charge back into it before storing.

If your budget is slim, get at least 3 packs, that way you have ample time inbetween packs to bash with. Plus.. you should give your motor a rest too from time to time , so while your car/truck is resting you can go charge up another one.

How long do you have to wait to recharge a pack?

Many different theories on this. If I have multiple packs, I race each one only about 1 time in a day. If you don't, make sure your batteries are cooled down all the way before recharging. I would say 1-2 hours is sufficient (or less depending...)


My two cents....

I also forgot to ask what the best/cheapest way to properly discharge a battery pack?
I remember someone telling me that a series of lights over discharges the batteries.
Does the pack have to stay connected to the discharger until the next time I use it?
Boy to a beginner such as myself this is almost like rocket science, lol.

Thanks a bunch guys, I still need to buy a proper discharger any suggestions?
I promise this is the last question.

Discharger recommendation: Dean's 20 amp discharger with "black box" cutoff switch. Or make your own discharger with 10 12volt automotive tail light bulbs and then buy the cutoff switch separately. Personally, the few extra bucks paid for the Deans model is well worth it!

Alot of the chargers out will discharge as well. No need to buy double stuff.Reedy quasar pro discharges at 20 amps. Lrp Compitition only does it at 10 amps. Integy has 30 amp charger discharger units. These 3 are very good chargers and dischargers for the buck.

Discharger recommendation: Dean's 20 amp discharger with "black box" cutoff switch. Or make your own discharger with 10 12volt automotive tail light bulbs and then buy the cutoff switch separately. Personally, the few extra bucks paid for the Deans model is well worth it!
yeah deans makes a good one, and you can buy the "premade" one too...
integy makes a decent one as well...

i think the bulbs are the most cost efficient and most simple to buy/use. its a no-brainer.

DuraTrax also makes an inexpensive discharger if you are using side-by-side packs.

As was said earlier, the biggest improvement you can make to a car or truck to make it go fast is driving skill and practice. All a fast motor does it makes it crash faster and breaks more parts ;)

To learn about motors and tuning you can read the Motor Black Book on-line at http://www.hobbytalk.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=listarticles&secid=3 or buy a hard copy at www.hobbyshopper.com

red rooster - You've received a lot of good advice here. I couldn't agree more with hankster's recommendation of practice. Practice, practice, practice! If you are looking for additional info on battery care check out the Battery Care section on SPC's (http://www.specpointconcepts.com) website. Welcome to RC and remember to have fun!

good tip- don't buy used batterys you dont know how old they are or if they have been over heated while charging. My recomendation is 1900 or above nycd's-NEW- don't over heat them while charging and dis charge them till the bulbs go out with no black box.this is your best cheepest rout.up until a year ago I used 1500 and1900 packs that I Zapped and assembled myself I run in the stock truck A main weekly with them.(you only have to go fast for 5 min.) Now I run Mod. with 3300's. Driving and setup is the key,not a ballistic truck. :thumbsup:

I bought some nicad 2400 packs.
What sort of a time span should I wait to charge a pack before a race?
1. 1 hr b4
2. 24 hrs b4
3. 48 hrs b4
4. a week

Thanks a bunch guys, I still need to buy a proper discharger any suggestions?
I promise this is the last question.

Before I got my New charger I used an Integy 30 amp dishcharger ( Silver Case). It worked well and was farely inexpensive. Another thing that I also picked up was a Pro-match Smart Tray II and trayed the NiCd down another item that I enjoyed and also worked well for my NiMH packs. Hopefully this gives you an idea what you need, if your getting NiCd packs then you should look into both items but if your getting just straight up NiMH packs than you can get away with just the discharge function on your charger or by other means. Hope this helps.

DJ Mansfield

Just give enough time for battery to fully charge right before you head to starting line.

Yes your batery will perform its best if it is finished charging right before your race is up.

You can still charge it up a few hours earlier and then "re-peak" it right before your race. This is done by just hooking up your battery before your race and push your button on the charger like you are charging it up again. This will not harm the battery at all since it will still shut off when the battery is peaked.

I just would not recommend charging your good packs the night or day before your event.

We raced the truck for the first time last night. Everything went great and the kids had a blast. Thanks a lot.