[ReasonableDoubt]

I'm fairly new to the sport, and I raced oval 4-cell stock...where batteries and motor decided if you were on the podium or not.....then switched to brushless....and as long as you were 4200 MaH batteries and not the 3800MaH batteries you were competetive.......With brushless does it really matter how GREAT your batteries are....racing offorad this spring need to buy new 6 cell packs...and I'm looking for some guidance on wheter I should buy some batteries with decent number on them....or spend the extra 90 bucks and get great batteries....
So the real question is.....Does it matter??? or is brushless technology so effiecient that you can have mediocre packs and still be competetive...???
Thanks,
Alec

 

[Ralf]

Lots of the offroad guys have been running LIPOs for quite a while, check the track you will be racing at to see what batts they are running 1st. Ralf

 

[ReasonableDoubt]

Not up here just standard NiMH batteries....ROAR Rules.......

 

[Anytime72]

I don't think batteries and motors are what make the Podium in Stock it's more set-up and hitting the mark every lap. Of course it would help to have good batteries but without a great set-up and an efficient car the batteries can only take you so far.

 

[IndyRC_Racer]

Depending on the off-road class, batteries matter. If you have decent stuff (batteries/motor) in the non-mod offroad classes then driving and setup are more important then I'd worry about batteries. However, if you plan on running mod then batteries really do make a difference.

A good battery in mod might make the difference between landing the triple every lap or having to double/single the jump later in the run. However, offroad is about putting the power to the track and not burning off the wheels. I personally would spend the extra $90 on extra tires in offroad. Depending on the track conditions, you may need different inserts in the main than in qualifying and/or different tires as well.

Having extra tires for tuning in offroad will make racing more enjoyable. Ask the fast guys at your track for tire recommendations.

 

[ReasonableDoubt]

I do understand that consistency is the biggest part because you can turn 3.1 lap times in oval but then turn a 5.4 or 6.8 and there goes your race.......but after you reach that point of consistency....like I have....batteries and motors do make the difference.....after consistnecy set-up etc..

 

[hankster]

In offroad, tires, setup and driving make up 90% of the performance of the car/truck. You would be better off spending the extra money on having the correct tires and practice then high number batteries. Medium quality cells will do you fine unless you are at the very top in tires, setup and driving and racing the very best.

 

[ReasonableDoubt]

thanks for the pointers.........make sense to me...........

 

[hankster]

I have yet to see batteries win an offroad race. The guy that normally wins has a decently fast car/truck and DOESN'T make a mistake driving (or the least amount of mistakes).

 

[ToddFalkowski]

I have yet to see batteries win an offroad race. The guy that normally wins has a decently fast car/truck and DOESN'T make a mistake driving (or the least amount of mistakes).

Totally agree with Hank, Alec.... I've won many of offroad races in my day with truly junk packs. One and only time I ran R&L's offroad I won the A with a pack that vented just before the main- it was an old 2000 mAh Sanyo, racing against 3300's about 2 years back. Car was a dog, but handled well, and I made few mistakes. Handling and driving are the keys.....
If I could make a suggestion... Look at the EP cells. They don't have as much voltage as the IB cells, but are MUCH more reliable, and will take abuse. I have some for 12th scale that I'll be converting to six-cell shortly. Not to mention they're not as expensive as the IB's.

Drop me a PM, I can hook you up.....

 

[patcollins]

I dont even run matched batteries in offroad. I have run my good oval batteries in offroad and it made no difference.