laxstud07

I just purchased my first RC car. I went with the new Traxxas Rustler VXL.... needless to say, I am quite happy. With it, I purchased a 4500 7.2v 6s nimh battery. That's about as technical you'll hear me get as I know next to nothing about RC cars, batteries, etc.

This said, I'm ready to step up the speed. I'm about to purchase a 3s 11.2v Lipo battery from maxamps.com. I have a few questions regarding this purchase. You can see the battery I'm leaning towards in the following link, along with the options that I have questions about.

http://www.maxamps.com/proddetail.ph...11-Pack&cat=75

1. I'm assuming I want the Traxxas TRX connector plug? I'm hoping this will be compatible with my Rustler right out of the box?

2. What are balancing taps? What do they do? Also, any advice on which balancing taps I should purchase from that drop down box?

3. What's the deal with the wire? It says it comes standard with 14 awg but I can upgrade to 12 awg for extra 3 bucks? What will that do for me?

Lastly, what else would you recommend I upgrade my car with knowing that it will soon be going 60+ mph?

I've already ordered the following:

-Lipo-compatible charger

-76 spur gear

-31 pinion gear

I'm thinking I'll need a wheelie bar too.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

laxstud07

Any takers?

LOL, I figured I asked too many questions!

party_wagon

iTrader: (29)

Ok, for purely bashing I would just run the truck bone stock. The battery should be fine. When you purchase a charger be sure to purchase a good balancer as well. You want the traxxas plug. The truck w/ nothing but the lipo battery should run great, when you hit hard stuff going that fast you will break stuff no matter what parts you are running so it is better to just keep replacing the cheap parts when you do have bad wrecks. If you ever decide to get into racing then you can use the money you saved by not wasting it on useless upgrades to purchase a high end race roller. The bl system and the lipo will still work great for racing.

jslider

iTrader: (10)

OKAY ; TRAXXAS CONNECTOR SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE

THE LOWER THE GAUGE OF WIRE THE BIGGER OR THICKER THAT IT WILL BE, LOOK AT WIRE LIKE IT IS A WATER PIPE THE BIGGER THE PIPE MORE WORE WATER, SAME WITH WIRE BIGGER WIRE MORE AMPS , IN DC ELECTRIC MOTORS MORE AMPS = MORE SPEED

EVERYTHING AFTRER THIS IS OPINION, OR STUFF I HAVE READ THAT IS VERIFIABLE,

BALANCE LEADS ARE SO THAT THE PACKS CAN BE BALANCED WHILE CHARGING , SOME SAY THAT THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND SOME SAY NOT SO IMPORTANT( I SAY IMPORTANT AND WHEN I GET MONEY FOR LIPO WILL DEFINATLEY HAVE THESE BATTERIES SEEM TO HAVE COME A LONG WAY BUT STILL REQUIRE TENDER TOUCH AS THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS IF CHARGED IMPROERLY OR MISHANDLED)

THATS ALL FOR ME

OH AND IF YOU FIND A LOCAL RACE TRACK YOU MAY WANT TO GO IN AND ASK QUESTIONS FROM SOME OF THE GUYS THAT IS WHERE I USUALLY GET THE BEST ADVICE .

Drift_Buggy

iTrader: (22)

How do you use a lipo balancer? Does the Duratrax Ice come built in with one? Is it a serperate peice that goes in between the charger and battery?
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...2&I=LXNYJ1&P=K

streetracer745

balancer is a seperate piece. and as for a 11.1V with the rustler VXL for someone who is new to driving rc? NO! you will destroy the thing before you run through 2 batteries. first off, they will run for about 25 minutes. i have been driving for 8 years now, and still cant handle the VXL on 3s. its amazing power. the thing lifts the wheels off the ground at any speed, and any jump o nthe throttle will flip it. stay with your battery now. and yes the VXL truck comes with the traxxas connectors, meaning batteries you get will need to have them too.

laxstud07

I've clocked it with my regular battery at 39mph and I'm good at it.... maybe I'm naturally a good driver.... I don't know. But at 39mph I'm getting bored. I can whip it around windy sidewalks without issue. I'll certainly keep my current battery and if I find I can't 'handle' the lipo, I'll simply keep it stashed for later.... of course not letting the charge drop too low.

party_wagon

iTrader: (29)

You can turn down that esc if you find the 3s lipo is too much. You obviously have plenty of room to bash around with.

KE4PJO

Until you educate yourself on Li-Po technology, just buy a couple cheap 7cell battery packs, load some gear on it and have fun.

streetracer745

it is true that you can tune down the lipo power if you want, i didnt think about that. and honestly, lipo is as easy as nimh if you have the right stuff. if nto easier. everything is so advanced now that it does all the work for you. i thought the same thing about running it on 6 cell and jumping to 11V, but i was pretty amazed. its not the speed handling thats the problem. its getting there that can hurt you. a wheelie bar would be needed deffinetly. that and i guys the stock alias tires dont have the same street grip as dirt hawgs and can slide around a little more? id say if your bored with 40mph runs, go for it. 70mph keeps you hangin on tight and is a blast to drive. just be causious when you first run it. it will yank the front up so easily that its scary.

laxstud07

I've spent a lot of time researching maintenance and safety, which is why I haven't asked any questions about these things. But the things I read with regards to maintenance and safety of lipos didn't go into the techs suck as thickness of wire, balancers, etc.

I feel I'm versed enough in safe handling of Lipos though, to own one. I mean, how long could it possibly take to learn? I spent a good 3 days on the net reading instructional pages about them.

streetracer745

good. get it man. its a blast to drive. i love mine. and honestly i think the lipo stuff is easier. get what you need. maxamps sells a whole system, balancer, charger, and 5000 mAh 11.1V batt for $300. go for it man. read ALL of the instructions included and everythign will be absolutely fine. and prepare to hold on and have an extremely smooth finger.