NimH or lipo's

[joeymac964]

Ok right now I am running 8.4v 5000 mAh NimH batteries in my Traxxas Slash. I changed the spur gear and pinion gear and I am just wondering if it is worth going to a Lipo at this point. If so should I go with 2s or 3s and what Mah should I use?

 

[joshman1204]

If you have a charger capable of handling lipos and you yourself are capable of responsibly handling them they by all means go for it. Lipos will give you a whole new love for you slash!

2s or 3s will depend on your esc capabilities. If you have a brushed slash then you will be limited to 2s but if you have a brushless you can use 2s or 3s. 2s will give you performance very similar to your nimh when it is freshly charged but it will not sag like a nimh does. It will run at almost full charge until it hits a low voltage cutoff in your esc.

Mah simply refers to the amount of energy the battery can hold and this will translate to the amount of runtime you will get before having to recharge. I would suggest getting the largest Mah you can afford that will fit in your kit. I prefer 5000mah just because thats what i have always used and they give me plenty of runtime but I know they make lipos to fit the slash with capacities all the way up to 10000mah.

 

[joeymac964]

I do have the 3s-vxl brushless motor in my slash. If I go with the 11.1 v 3s lipos should I also get a cooling fan for the ESC? I do mostly bashing around but some racing with friends. Would like to run longer. Is the 3S lipo gong to give me that. I'm just really not sure if it is worth the money for lipos. I have 2 nitro trucks. This is my first electric so I am a little new to this.

 

[joshman1204]

A lipo will give you a much longer run time at almost full power compared to a nimh.

If you have a brushless system then you really need to run lipos it is just so much more fun than nimh ever thought about being. I wouldnt worry about a cooling fan for bashing just check the temps on the motor and esc for the first few runs to make sure that your gearing is good.

 

[Non Crimen]

^ I WOULD recommend getting a cooling fan
and/or a motor heatsink. The 3s will heat things up very quick. So you are going to need to check your temps often. If or when you get LiPo batteries make sure to set your esc to low voltage detection and get a LiPo charger. Both of those thing are very important!!! But other than that have fun!


Sent from my Pipboy-3000

 

[REVO-5309]

lipo = heaps of power.

my merv on nimh is pretty tame, its about as fast as 2s on trainer mode. then i go 2s full power and its lots and lots of fun, and 3s on the little thing is just stupid. it will wheel stand at any speed and will destroy diffs left right and center.

i fully recommend lipo as they have a tonne more power and are physically lighter also. go the 10,000mah option if you can. get one pack to start with and go from there, you will always have your nimh packs for backup but you will find half the time you will run the thing on trainer mode on the 3s if its too much which will in turn give you longer run times.

dont quote me on it but 3s on trainer mode of my merv seems about the same speed as 2s on full power.

 

[Punisher]

LOL

I ran my 2WD Slash with a CC3800 on 3s and it was stupid fast - as REVO-5309 said, it would wheel stand at any speed and literally twisted drive shafts like liquorice.

I loved the 3s packs, but it pretty much made the car undrivable - only time you could squirt full throttle was in a straight line and it would instantly spin the wheels.

The is no comparison between 3s 11.1v and a 7.4V Nimh.

 

[Greywolf74]

2S is really what they are designed to run on.....3S requires hop ups or you'll just tear stuff up. Once you go lipo, you'll never go back though

 

[sotvotkong]

I too run 2s lipo in my sc10, more then fast enough, and yes it gets hot, I have the finned cooling plate, and I still need to watch the temps above a 17t pinion. I've got the castle sidewinder and 3800kv in mine. the stock ae stuff got way to hot.

I could never run metal batteries after running lipos. id be like walking compared to running.

 

[hamz9561]

I run 3s LiPos on my mERV. It is very entertaining and does not overheat after I dropped a couple of teeth on the pinion from the "speed pinion and have no real heat issues.

I originally ran it on the 6-cell NiMH pack and then on the LiPo. Anyone want to guess which I run exclusively, now?

 

[slowngreen]

Why are they even still offering NIMH rigs and batteries? Lipos can be had for even cheaper than NIMH and are 100% superior.

 

[Greywolf74]

I run 3s LiPos on my mERV. It is very entertaining and does not overheat after I dropped a couple of teeth on the pinion from the "speed pinion and have no real heat issues.

I originally ran it on the 6-cell NiMH pack and then on the LiPo. Anyone want to guess which I run exclusively, now?

ummmmmmm, lead acid?!

Why are they even still offering NIMH rigs and batteries? Lipos can be had for even cheaper than NIMH and are 100% superior.

very true

 

[REVO-5309]

I'd say its got something to do with the amount of stock left over, they sell them with rtr so that people have to spend more money on other bits. It's cheaper to throw in a nimh charger than it is for a lipo charger

 

[hamz9561]

Why are they even still offering NIMH rigs and batteries? Lipos can be had for even cheaper than NIMH and are 100% superior.

First time users don't know the proper care for LiPo batteries. An exploding LiPo/burning rig isn't a pleasant surprise for a n00b.

 

[KCWCK55]

Don't go 3s if you want to use 2s, then you will have more speed, but more broken parts (diffs and a arms) haha

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

If you go to lipo not only will you not go back to NiMH you will have plenty of money to buy lipos after you sell the nitros because you won't want them either

 

[ksrichard]

3s lipo anyday. Just watch temps. It really is a while new love. Be sure your esc will handle it. Also make sure u have the right charging settup, sack, balancing charger or blinky. Have fun.