ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

i pretty much got my mind made up. when i can, im going with 3s 20c lipos. whats the highest mah rating i can get on a 3s 11.1v lipo? i see 12000mah. whats the highest i should run,safely? i want to get as much run time as possible. at least 30 minutes. because buying 2 lipos is expensive. plus do i need some kind of balancer hooked up while running on the lipo? and what charger do i need? im just trying to figure everything out so when the time comes, i have done my home work

Duster_360

iTrader: (21)

Get a charger like this - it has the balancer builtin making it far easier than fooling with an external balancer -

http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html

That charger is going to limit current a little for a 3S since its a 50watt charger and say for a 5000mah 3S, you'll need 12.6v x 5a = 63watts for a full 1C charge rate. 50watts would let you charge at a touch under 4amps. It will take a little longer. This charger wouldn't need a p[ower supply, a charger that would let you do a full 1C charge on the 5000mah 3S lipo would be DC and would need a separate power supply.


Theres a balance between run time and lipo weight, not sure if you could find a 12000mah, that you could make it fit and it would be heavy. If you can find 5000- 5500mah, I think that would be plenty pof run time with a decent balance between weight and runtime.

You do not run a balance while you're running the lipo, you just use a lvc which you already have in the vxl esc after you turn it back on.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

i checked out that charger, sounds and looks pretty good. i will probably get that one when the time comes. yea your right about the batteries with the 10000-12000mah about being heavy. how long could i run off say a 5000-5500mah 3s 20c lipo? driving on a track, so it wouldn't be full throttle much. if i can get atleast 30 minutes, i will be happy. i will eventually get 2 lipos. where is the best place to buy lipo batteries? and what is the best brand to use?

bowl806

"Best Lipo?" You're going to open a can of worms w/that question ie: SMC, Zippy, Maxamps, Orion,etc. All have pros and cons;cost, dependability, cust. service, replacement,quality,etc.

pedecrawler

iTrader: (10)

For even more heat issue problem fixing, go to addicter2rc.com and check out the rustler aluminum tranny case. I had a full 1/8 scale aluminum stampede VXL geared 19/83 and ran on 3cell lipo with no heat issues. Also there are cooling fans that will fit the VXL. You just need one that fits a 540 size motor can.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

yea thats one of the mods on my list of things to get. they got a blue alum. gear box. its like $32.00. i ordered a fan for the esc. if i can get one for the motor, that would be great.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

yea i pretty much figured that. well i mean just some options. the ones you mentioned are brand names. i guess when it comes time to buy them, i will go from there.

bowl806

One of the reasons I went w/name brand Lipos is because (I hate to use an old phrase) you get what you pay for; Customer service is big for me!

pedecrawler

iTrader: (10)

Not to start a lipo war or anything but I own SPC's, Maxamps, Venom, and Blue lipos from hobbyking. For the price of the HK lipos, they are just s good as any of the names above. The only downfall is the HK lipos dont offer the 8000mah which i tend to like. I run 3cell 8000 in a VXL and love it but when im on the track with it(for fun) i use the Turnigy 2cell 5000mah. It all depends on what you want out of it. If you want to spend 25-60 bucks on cheap lipos from Hobbyking ($60 will get you into the 4,5, and 6 cell lipos) then you dont need to worry about any customer service s long as you tke care of them. Balancing is a big thing when it comes to the life of your pack, as well as LVC. My trucks LVC is set to 3.3V per cell. I have gotten over 300 cycles out of all my lipos with no issues.

bowl806

I agree pedecrawler re: no Lipo wars from here either and balancing,LVC is important. I think my cutoffs are set at 3.3 too. I've read on this forum good and bad about Maxamps. I been using them for years and they have always been real good to me.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

yea im just bashing mostly. i mean i run laps on the track, but im not racing. i just want to get as much run time as possible so i dont need like 3-4 lipos. i for sure want the 3s lipo. and to spend 40-50 bucks for a lipo, thats fine with me. yea the charger mentioned above has a balancer. and the esc has lvc. so i should be fine.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

i agree. i mean i dont want to buy a lipo, then after like 20 runs with it, have to buy a new one.

ckblood05

iTrader: (15)

so about 3.3 would be good to set my vxl?

pedecrawler

iTrader: (10)

The VXL comes with a pre-set LVC which for the most part seems like its at 3.3-3.4V its alittle premature sometimes but it wont endanger your lipos at all. for your longest runtimes, i highly recommend the SPC 3s 8000mah. they are $109 i think and well worth the $. I have 3 of em and in a stampede VXL i got around an hour run time geared 19/83. Less speed = lower temps and longer runtime. Stock gearing is plenty fast enough on 3cell while still being able to bash it without temp issues... I can answer just about any questions you have about a VXL system and a Traxxas rustler/bandit/stampede. i have owned and bashed these for over 3 years.

bowl806

A lot of racers don't like the VXL ESC because of not being able to program it and its'size. But to bash in a Rustler you won't even notice the difference. I have my Pede setup 22/86 w/3s 5250 Lipo and it is pretty much uncontrollable in the dirt so I keep in on the street. If you stick a 3s in a Rustler w/stock gearing the thing'll fly! Don't know about if you put something larger in it since the 3s 5250 is a handful for me! (and I'm a middle aged guy in my 50's if that's any indication.) My general run time is +- 25-30 min at 45 +- mph. Only once I burnt up a ESC (probably cuz of the heat/speed.) In my Slash(s) 1 has VXL (3500) and the other a Castle Mamba Pro w/4600 and I am using 2s 5250 in both.--3s? too much power!