My Ni-Mh (6-cell)paks are now starting to go flat. i don't want to buy any more NiMh. I am still on a Brushed system. Running an old Novak Cyclone with 19t motors. I do plan on getting a BL set-up, but that is way later in time.
Would it be worth it to get a descent Lipo batt?
Not looking for the best right now, but definitely something inexpensive and would be a major improvement from my 4500's.

I do know a voltage cut-off is necessary.

If you thought to ask the question, the answer is definately go LiPo... I wish I hadn't spent any money on NiMH when I got back into things...

well buy a good lipo pack. dont buy something that you're going to regret getting. there are some quality but low power lipos like the orion 2400, too light and low on power. i know smc's lipos go for a great price and are some of the best on the market, like the 5200 24c+. if you have the opportunity to go lipo, go for it, no regrets.

lipo kills the other batts... fairly affordable (well for my 20 dollar packs anyway), most of the mah is in the top voltage so no power loss until the last second, fast charge times, hard drains, super long run times, smaller/lighter than others


yes go lipo. it is a bit more maintenance I guess but not much and definitely worth the pay-off

lipo is less maintenance and what is there to wait for?

--pakk

he said 20$ packs, those cheap chinese ones that require a balance every run of they blow up or something

I balance with every charge anyway. I still think it is a lot less maintenance than nihms.

--pakk

Definitely invest in a lipo if you plan on going brushless in the near future.

When I got back into RC last year with a B44, I bought a good NIMH saddle. Then a few months later, I went with a lipo, and the difference in punch and speed was really noticeable.

Also, you may want to get a 2.4ghz radio system as well to prevent any glitching issues. I was using an AM radio with brushless and it wasn't a good combination.

Get a good lipo if you already have a lipo capable charger - that makes it a no brainer. If your charger can't do lipo, then its a little more of an issue.

Yea I'm going to switch, just have to some research.
guess I asked the question cause the guy at the LHS said not to buy until I get a BL system

He's got a point - why spend the money to get lipo setup in your car now. Wait and spend the money on the lipo and nice BL system when you can do it all.

I say go for it with or without brushless. I have been using Lipo for awhile now with brushless, but I still have a few brushed cars that I play with them in also. The brushed cars benefit just as much as the brushless. I dont burn up brushes as fast with the higher voltage. I just have to watch my runtime, because I have burned up a set of brushes by running for 30 minutes straight.

Maintenance is less for me with Lipo. With Nimh I was always equalizing packs, cycling packs, blah blah blah. With the Lipo I just charge them on a balance charger and I have no worries ever. Oh and by the way, I have some of those "cheap chinese" Lipo's. Im going on 75 cycles, minimum 5 cycles per week each pack, and they are doing great. They seem to balance about .03V every few weeks. I use a 3.4V per cell cutoff. I did see more imbalance when I ran a 3.0V cutoff one time, but after balance charging they were right back to normal. Cant go wrong if you ask me.

+1. My 19T brushed motor ran awesome on LiPO

I want to know if there are any benefits of going lipo or not. I use nimh now but should I go lipo? Do they last any longer?

It's a noticeable difference in speed and punch. Plus yes, increased runtime. I also noticed that it has a constant speed, before it stops (from the safe lipo cutoff settings). You'd also have to consider the lipo charger costs if you don't already have one.

Once you go lipo, you'd never go back!