I have a few questions about LiPo Setups.

I have been out of the RC world for a few years now.
I use to race all the time when I lived in SoCal, but after moving away from my local track (Tamiya) I never had the chance to get back into the hobby.

Well now I have the chance and Im VARY out of date.

How do I pick a LiPo set up?
Do i have to go Brushless?
Will my old 27T green Monster motor still keep up with the modern motors?
I know it will depend alot on my track rules, but I'm going to start ordering parts soon and need advise.

Last thing I raced was a Tamiya TA04 when It was the "new car" and it was so long ago that LiPo's were "That new funny battery the guys are trying" yeah... sad but its been that long.

I'm not looking to get back into the heavy $$$$ dollar racing setup yet. But I do want a car that will be good at my local track. I'm thinking of the Tamiya TA-06 and the M-06. The M-06 is more likely because of the size of the local tracks.

But thats a different thread entirely.

Thanks.

Scott.

In all honesty the biggest difference between NiMH and Lipos are the weight and charge density (capacity). The voltage is slightly higher (nominal 7.4V lipo vs. 7.2V NiMH) but the best thing about Lipo is that a 4,000 mah pack will keep its voltage up better than a NiMH 4,000 mah pack and since the lipo pack weighs about 100g less the car will be faster and run a little longer longer.

There is almost no charge memory and the packs seem to keep their ooomph after many chargings. You can use one pack all day by charging it after each run. For most racing a 3,600 to 5,000mah pack is more than sufficient.

The only caveats are not to overcharge, over discharge and to balance the pack frequently. Also you should guard against punctures (hard cases make this easier).

The Tamiya TA-06 was designed for Lipo use. Not sure about the Mini and if that still needs a stick pack form factor (rounded sides).

The Lipo pack will run any electric motor you want to use, it doesn't care if the motor has brushes or not. Now with that being said, the new generation brushless ESCs are amazing with their adjustability for timing, extra acceleration boost (turbo) etc. They make a 17.5 motor run like a 13.5 or 10.5 (mild modifieds in brushed terms like a 19T ot 15T).

A 27T Green Machine is almost equivalent to a 17.5 brushless motor. Can it keep up? That will depend on your driving skills. The less you crash the faster your lap times are.

Yes. You should go to brushless and Lipo as there is nearly no maintanance with them. It gives to RC racer a new dimension.