Traxxas Slash Battery help

[Metallicats33]

Well My buddy and I decided to get Slash's. What Battery's should we get? I'm sorry but I'm a complete noob when it comes to battery types and set ups. We are going to keep everything stock and are looking for good run times with good power. I was thinking a 7-cell 3000 mah. Will that give me at least 20 min of run time and decent power? or would a 6-cell 4200 mah be better? Any suggestions would be very helpfull...

 

[MotoGod]

6 cell 4200 will give you longer run time, the 7 cell 3000 will give you more power. ;-) The guys locally run the Spec class with 6 cells...and they generally use up a good 3000mah in the 12 min main (plus 5 min or practice prior to the main). So the 4200 should last you around the 20min mark depending on how you drive it.

 

[Metallicats33]

thanks for the info. so I'm assuming the higher the mah# the longer the run time, and the more cells = more power.... ah it all makes sense now... What run time do you think I would get out of a 7-cell 3000 (more power is nice) Reason I'm asking is because both these batteries are the same price and in my price range. Also can the Slash STOCK handle 8-cell?

 

[MotoGod]

Yup. More cells = More voltage = More power. According to what I found, the Slash will only handle a 6-7 cell OR a 2S Lipo Pack. If you want a good mix of speed and run time....go with a Lipo ;-) ...and if we guess a 4600 will run @ 20 min....then the 3000 should run @ 13min give or take. Just some crude math though....so I have no idea how accurate that is ;-)

 

[Metallicats33]

Now are lipos in a world of their own? A guy at my LHS said a 2s Lipo @4000 will run 30-40 min and a top speed of 40-45... Does that sound right?

 

[MotoGod]

I've never used LiPO to be honest, but I hear great things about them.

 

[Metallicats33]

I have a 3s 2000mah but I think that will burn up the esc. Ah.... 15 min for the 7-cell 3000mah should be okay... If not i'll look into lipo, thanks for the help.

 

[Hyster]

If you are just up for bashing go 7 cell 4600 mah or better. I have had long run times with it. If you are up for the race spec then go with 6 cell 4200s like Moto said.

 

[Metallicats33]

Okay I ended up getting the 7-cell 4600mah. I have Two peak Chargers: Dynamite Prophet Sport & Dynamite Prophet Plus. Both Charge at 1,2 & 4 amps. What amps should I charge these batteries at? and how hot should the batts get while charging? Again sorry for the Noob questions but I am a noob to electric RC...

O and kinda off subject but both mine and my buddies engine came loose on our slash's. Is that a common issue?

 

[Lessen]

Go ahead and charge those packs at the 4A setting. It should take right around 1 hour 10 minutes to charge from a near complete discharge. The packs shouldn't get much hotter than 120-130*F at the end of their charge. What brand packs did you purchase? I hope you didn't get Venom that's all. They're not worth the money IMO.

One other thing to consider when purchasing batteries is the packs ability to discharge. High output packs can discharge at a higher amperage than mediocre packs, which will make them seem like they have more power even though both packs might be charged to 8.4V. I'm a big fan of Intellect batteries and they can put the power out in a hurry as opposed to lower quality packs (like Venom). I can personally vouch for a big difference between a Venom pack and an Intellect pack. The Intellect (IB) packs has a crapload more punch. When you pull the throttle it goes and goes now.

 

[Metallicats33]

we got the DuraTrax 7-cell 4600 mah. I don't know if they are good quallity or not but they sure do have a good get up and go and last about 10 min at mostly WOT, about 15-20 min running around the short course at my LHS. I wanted to shop around for battery packs but my buddy was in a hurry and offered to buy mine so that's what we got. What should I do to "condition" the batteries? Do I need to discharge them completly before recharging? and how would I do that?

120-130*F? That's about what temp they are after a full run correct? if so thats what they are at. I haven't used a temp gun on them but I know they feel the same from the charger as they do with after a full run.

Also, the guy down the street offered to sell me a 8 cell 4500mah battery for $20, never used. Iv'e known the guy for a long time and have boughten RC stuff from him before so I'm not worried about the quality. My question is, How well will the Titan motor hold up? The guy said "The ESC will handle the 8-cell no problem but the Titan motor is a hit or miss, U might get 10 runs, U might get as many as U would with a 6-cell" Is he correct? He also told me a 8-cell 4500mah will give me up 30min run time at similar speeds as the 7-cell. I see the motor is only $20 to replace, is it worth a chance?

Again thanks for all the help and input.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

I won't run any less then an 8 cell, 4200(that's all I have at the moment). With stock gearing you'll be fine. Watch the temps if you gear up. Check all the screws often. Titians strip easy, so don't over tighten them. Nice and snug. I grabbed the short end of the allen wrench to tighten mine.

 

[Metallicats33]

I won't run any less then an 8 cell, 4200(that's all I have at the moment). With stock gearing you'll be fine. Watch the temps if you gear up. Check all the screws often. Titians strip easy, so don't over tighten them. Nice and snug. I grabbed the short end of the allen wrench to tighten mine.

Is there a noticable differance between the 8-cell & 7-cell in regards to performance and top speed. What are your runs times like? just trying to find out if it's worth the chance...

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Sure is. I never really keep track of run times, but to guess, I'd say 20-30 min. Wot a lot, probably 15-20min. Your not chancing anything. The xl5 is capable of running 6-8 cell nimh/nicd batteries. As long as your not trying to push a brick wall over, you'll be fine. Keep bind outta the driveline, set the mesh right and keep an eye on temps. You should be able to touch a titian for 5 seconds without it burning ya. That sounds silly, but that's what the instructions say. Somebody should be able to pop in with a temp. figure to stay under.

 

[Metallicats33]

Now if I go Brushless and keep the 7 cell. Will I get less runtime, more runtime or the Same?

 

[swarmjt]

Now if I go Brushless and keep the 7 cell. Will I get less runtime, more runtime or the Same?

I'm wondering the same

 

[Metallicats33]

I'm wondering the same

I was at the track today and saw a slash with a brushless and 7-cell. I asked the driver about it and he said, More run time and more power. We were on a Short course track at one of my LHS and He pulled away from me on the straights and ran about 5-10 minutes more than me.

I'm going to get it, My buddy already had to replace his 12-turn and we drive the same. I heard the velineon is more durable and virtually maintinence free...

 

[swarmjt]

I was at the track today and saw a slash with a brushless and 7-cell. I asked the driver about it and he said, More run time and more power. We were on a Short course track at one of my LHS and He pulled away from me on the straights and ran about 5-10 minutes more than me.

I'm going to get it, My buddy already had to replace his 12-turn and we drive the same. I heard the velineon is more durable and virtually maintinence free...

I just purchased brushless slash on ebay.. i have one of each now (brush and brushless) and will use the same battery and let you know the results

 

[Metallicats33]

I just purchased brushless slash on ebay.. i have one of each now (brush and brushless) and will use the same battery and let you know the results

Well we got Brushless motors yesterday. They do have more get up and go. I could hit the jumps better at my LHS and I almost got 30 min of run time! I probably would have gotten more but I did some WOT passes in the parking lot before hitting the track. Id say about 5-10 more MPH... Well worth the $$ even with the 7-cell.

 

[swarmjt]

Well we got Brushless motors yesterday. They do have more get up and go. I could hit the jumps better at my LHS and I almost got 30 min of run time! I probably would have gotten more but I did some WOT passes in the parking lot before hitting the track. Id say about 5-10 more MPH... Well worth the $$ even with the 7-cell.

so you got a longer run time on the 7 cell than with the stock motor?