Interesting posts here, My question will be very simple but i am sure I will get a detailed answer.

How long do the 4xAA pack with energizer batteries last in the RC car vs. using the NiMH 5 cell battery packs?

I was told by my hobby shop that the NiMH pack will only last a few hours. I remember when I was younger the 4x AA pack lasted for days. I know there are many factors to look at and alot of what if. so to help this out some I bought some RTR Traxxas cars, the rustler 4x4, the slash 4x4, and the revo 3.3 nitro. I have Two sons 12 and 15, and I like to get them out of the tech world we live in and into some kind of hobby fun thing to make them more active. I remember how i loved RC cars when I was a kid back in the 80s and when i was in collage in the early 2000s.

This might not fit here but what are the charging times vs run time on these batteries. I plan on going to state parks and other location to run them for the whole day. I personally don't like electric RC because of how long it takes to charge a battery and then run it for only half the time it took to charge it. I do plan on getting an AC/DC charger to charge packs out in the field. I also plan on getting 4 battery packs for each car to aid in longer play times and with a dual battery charger I am still looking at about 4 hours to charge batteries before we leave, and I have no ideal how long those charging times will be out in the field on a charger connected to a real 12v car battery will take take. (I plan on taking a second car battery in case they drain my truck battery down to where i can start my truck lol)

Thank to all here for any help they can provide
XeroMyHero.

well since no 1 knows how many mah your AA are and what electronics yo have in anything you own no 1 can give you a run time # i will say charging on a 12 volt is going to take same time as AC does not longer...id just get a 2 cell lipo and a ubec and run if off that then you know how long it will be once you crunch the #s

Why would any use non rechargable AA batteries for the receiver?

It is for sure not cost effective if you do need a 4-pack every day and because of the spring contacts in the battery holder you have many possible contacts that can fail.

Back in the 80s when i had tamiya cars they used AA battery for the receiver and they lasted for days with them, The 5 cell NiMH battery that come with these new RTR don't last but a few hours. You can buy rechargable AA batteries if cost is an issue for you. I am looking for run times. I hate batteries, I hate charging batteries for hours just to play for half that time. I want to set up the receiver to where you don't have to put batteries in it every few hours. I was wondering with this new tech how affective running AA batteries are vs. NiMH batteries.
So if you use 4 Duracell batteries and they last all day working the servos, and NiMH 5 cell battery pack only last a few hours. Then I would say the AA batteries are more affective and longer lasting. Now if you only get a few hours with 4 Duracell batteries, then it would not matter what battery setup you use.

In the end I will find out once I get the RTRs and test out battery usage and which ones will last longer. It is odd how this forum pushes Lipo batteries, electric motors, 100+ mph cars. I got a 10 year old and a 14 year old that I want to get them out of their phones and computers and get out side and into a hobby that is some what active. They don't need 100+ mph cars and hit some other kid and brake an ankle, or Lipo batteries that need supervision when charging. or a safety bag in case they blow up. I need it to be plug and play and very simple, but at the same time give them more play time and fun. These are kids.

I will get the cars in a few weeks. I will run tests on batteries and see how long each setup will last. Which ever lasts the longest I will go with. I will post my results to share with others who many have the same questions.

any battery needs supervision . any they all have the potential to fail and burn-up whatever. Only battery I know that is safer is a A123 cell.think its like a lithium iron...I find it very unlikely some 1 recommended a 100+ mph rc for a 12 year old.

The thing is, you're basing your attitude towards electric rc cars on what you remember 30+ years ago and a lot has changed since then.

First off, modern chargers and batteries give you the ability to charge a battery faster than you can run it down in your car. This means that with 2 batteries you can run nearly non stop. I can literally charge a pack from dead to full in under 10 minutes, while the same battery gives me 20+ minutes of run time in my electric rc cars. Because lipo battery cells have a higher voltage, fewer cells are required per pack. This makes lipo batteries more efficient.

Second off, if you are concerned about the safety of lipo batteries then you need to get rid of almost any portable electronic device in your house as almost all of them have lipo batteries in them. Almost all modern electric rc cars have a low voltage cutoff built in to prevent over-discharging, and almost all chargers are capable of safely charging lipo batteries. As long as your kids have the most basic level of aptitude, they shouldn't have a problem running lipo batteries in their rc cars.