Are hard case packs a must for 1/8 buggy?
03-05-2012, 07:39 PM
#2
Yes and no. If it is a ROAR sanctioned event then yes. If it is a club race and the rules do not state hard case then no. I ran a low profile soft 4s in my Losi for 2 years without any issues. I now run hard case only.
03-05-2012, 07:43 PM
#4
Pretty much what Eastcoast said like most of us on here dont run Roar events including me so i run soft case lipos in my truggy and never had any issues and there lighter than the hardcase lipos.
03-05-2012, 07:44 PM
#5
03-05-2012, 08:48 PM
#7
If the impact is enough to damage a soft case, a thin layer of plastic won't help anything. All a "hard" case does is hide issues. You can tell a lipo is puffing much sooner when not hidden by a useless thin plastic case. Crack one open and tell me how confident you are about it lol
03-05-2012, 08:52 PM
#8
I think a hard case is more for if the battery itself gets hit, like if something gets past/under the body. Bouncing/impacts on the chassis will affect both hard and soft packs the same, IMO. I prefer not to take the risk and run hard packs. Ultimately, we all do what we want.
03-05-2012, 09:04 PM
#9
Well maybe ive been lucky but i never damaged any of my Soft case lipos in my truggy i have a good amount of foam padding in the tray. And i strap them in good i do use a lipo pack for them though when chargeing other than that there good.
Oh and ive had a couple of hard landings.
Oh and ive had a couple of hard landings.
03-06-2012, 07:09 AM
#10
The main advantage I see of running a hardcase lipo is puncture damage.
Impact damage it does zero protection.
That said, if you think you will ever run at tracks where it could be an issue, you might as well just buy a hardcase lipo and be done with it. Lots of options out there for good prices.
Impact damage it does zero protection.
That said, if you think you will ever run at tracks where it could be an issue, you might as well just buy a hardcase lipo and be done with it. Lots of options out there for good prices.
03-06-2012, 07:31 AM
#11
Hardcases don't do anything imho other than provide a false sense of security. I've been running electric 8th longer than most and have yet to have an issue with soft packs. I've even had a few battery ejections with no issues.
The best thing you can do safety wise is just insure your battery is tightly secured in the battery tray with a minimum of 2 velcro straps. In addition, use a foam pad in front of the lipo along with a nonslip pad or velcro lining the battery tray.
I much prefer to be able to visually inspect my lipos to see if they are puffing or getting too soft.
If your local tracks require them then you have to follow their rules though so check with your tracks. Fortunately, our tracks locally recognize that there are many voltage options and most issues come from improper charging, not car crashes.
The best thing you can do safety wise is just insure your battery is tightly secured in the battery tray with a minimum of 2 velcro straps. In addition, use a foam pad in front of the lipo along with a nonslip pad or velcro lining the battery tray.
I much prefer to be able to visually inspect my lipos to see if they are puffing or getting too soft.
If your local tracks require them then you have to follow their rules though so check with your tracks. Fortunately, our tracks locally recognize that there are many voltage options and most issues come from improper charging, not car crashes.
03-06-2012, 08:09 AM
#12
If you have a car with trays, then hardcase is the way to go. Then if you get the correct size, battery doesn't move side to side or front to back. If you have a velcro mount car, then it probably doesn't matter.
03-06-2012, 08:12 AM
#13
Gens Ace. I got a few of their 4S batteries and they are hard case.
I sold my Losi 8ight and the "soft" batteries I had only fits in the Losi tray.
I ran my soft packs for 2 years without issue. I would run soft again if I had to. If you already have soft packs then run them unless the race you are at requires hard case.
As far as protection is concerned I think a hard case offers a little more protection than a soft case. I don't feel "safer" with hard case batteries. I've had hard case batteries (not Gens Ace) "puff" and crack the case. I fully discharged and disposed of the battery.
To me the following are the areas to watch for when dealing with LiPo batteries.
- Wrong charger settings (NiMh or NiCd)
- Over charging (greater than 4.25V a cell)
- Over discharging (less than 3.0V a cell)
- Exposing the battery to extreme heat (don't leave them in your trunk)
- Trying to "fix" a "puffed" battery
- Not balancing the battery (I balance charge every time)
- Not storing the battery at the proper voltage (around 3.7 a cell)
- Leaving the battery plugged into the ESC (leads to over discharge)
- Puncturing the cell(s)
- Warping the battery due to a crash
I sold my Losi 8ight and the "soft" batteries I had only fits in the Losi tray.
I ran my soft packs for 2 years without issue. I would run soft again if I had to. If you already have soft packs then run them unless the race you are at requires hard case.
As far as protection is concerned I think a hard case offers a little more protection than a soft case. I don't feel "safer" with hard case batteries. I've had hard case batteries (not Gens Ace) "puff" and crack the case. I fully discharged and disposed of the battery.
To me the following are the areas to watch for when dealing with LiPo batteries.
- Wrong charger settings (NiMh or NiCd)
- Over charging (greater than 4.25V a cell)
- Over discharging (less than 3.0V a cell)
- Exposing the battery to extreme heat (don't leave them in your trunk)
- Trying to "fix" a "puffed" battery
- Not balancing the battery (I balance charge every time)
- Not storing the battery at the proper voltage (around 3.7 a cell)
- Leaving the battery plugged into the ESC (leads to over discharge)
- Puncturing the cell(s)
- Warping the battery due to a crash
03-06-2012, 08:17 AM
#14
personally I always set my cutoffs at 3.2V per cell or higher. Back when we were running really low C packs at the start of 1/8 electric, the higher cutoff voltages helped with packs that weren't as strong as others.
I usually find that the trays I use for lipos hardcase still need a tad bit of foam to really secure the battery. I usually put a strip of weather stripping on the tray. Only one I don't do that with has been the Tekno style strapping since there are 3 straps, and the Hyper 9E as it fit the batteries almost too tight.
I usually find that the trays I use for lipos hardcase still need a tad bit of foam to really secure the battery. I usually put a strip of weather stripping on the tray. Only one I don't do that with has been the Tekno style strapping since there are 3 straps, and the Hyper 9E as it fit the batteries almost too tight.
03-06-2012, 09:26 AM
#15
I ran soft case last season and both of them started to bend slightly and the top 2 cells either slid forward a bit or the bottom 2 were pushed back some. The packs still work fine and I might continue to use them but I went ahead and got a hard case so I can run ROAR events this year. I wanna get another hardcase then I will just use these soft cases for practice or my starter box. With Gens Ace hard case costing nearly the same as soft case lipos it just seems to make more sense to run the hard case ones.
I might change my mind though because the soft cases are nearly 1/2 inch shorter which does lower the CG. I had to get a new body to run the hard case so I havent even run it yet.
I might change my mind though because the soft cases are nearly 1/2 inch shorter which does lower the CG. I had to get a new body to run the hard case so I havent even run it yet.