Need some help regarding TC electronics
 

I'm trying to get back into 1/10th TC and I need some help regarding electronics. I've got a car and radio gear already down, but not sure on some of the other stuff mainly because when I sold up years ago, a 3300mAh NiMH pack was the thing to have. I've read about LiPo's and brushless systems but need a few more details. Will be running 17.5 with anything goes on the ESC.

I was thinking of going for a Speed Passion Reventon Pro - they seem to have got the thumbs up not only here but a lot of other sites too. Good choice?

The motor I'm thinking about getting is a Speed Passion MMM Series 17.5R. Worth it, or are there better choices out there?

As for a charger, obviously need to pick something that can charge the packs at 1C and balance them, any recommendations for brands/models that aren't stupidly expensive but have all the features required?

For batteries I wasn't sure if going LiFe instead of LiPo would be a better choice as they seem a lot safer and more reliable. Would that choice negatively impact the cars performance to a noticeable degree? If so, what LiPo's would you recommend - I've been looking at Reedy, Thunder Power and GM.

Apologies if I've missed anything, and if my question(s) have already been answered properly in another thread. I did have a good search around but didn't find anything useful enough to make a decision on specific components.

I have zero experience with Speed Passion equipment so someone else will have to help you there. I really haven't heard anything bad about them for that matter either. What kind of application do you plan on running? Boosted, blinky(no timing)? I run LRP because of its smoothness and brakes. Some here say LRP BEC crap out a lot but i have had zero issues and its a year old and runs like new even with zero updates done. All of the programming is done onboard the ESC. My other car has a Tekin RS. Its good too but but needs a netbook/laptop to fine tune along with the connection adapter by Tekin(hot-wire).
Tekin support is excellent. They are on this forum quite a bit and turn around service is good.

There are a lot of charger choices too. I like thunder power. Another great company based out of Vegas. Hyperion Chargers are nice too.

As for batteries, Lipo is the way to go. Life chemistry makes the more stable but power output compared to lipo is less. Mis handling lipos like not balance charging and over discharging may cause cell swelling or worse, Flame out. Just charge at 1C(capacity divided by 100) and you be fine. Get a lipo charge bag just in case.

On another note, Mod and boosted classes dont require Higher C rated batteries. but if you plan on running blinky classes, you may want to buy a the highest C rating you can afford. Higher C ratings will have much more punch. believe me it the truth regardless of what other will say. try to stay away from 2s2p cells(four cells but 2 are in parallel and the theyare then wire in series) much more internal resistance and less punch.

Reedys and thunder power are a great choice. those are what i use and i can definately vouch for the power output.

Here's what i use: LRP sxx tc version 2, reedy motors(smooth power delivery) and reedy batteries. My thunder powers batteries are over a year old but run at 90% original capabilities. thunder power chargers

If I'm not mistaken, the Revention is a re-badged Hobbywing so it should be a solid choice. No personal experience with Speedpassion motors, but you apparently have to purchase additional parts if you want full timing adjustment. The hot ticket for 17.5 currently seems to be the Trinity Duo3.5.

LiFe batteries would not be competitive in stock touring. As for LiPo, you can probably save some money with a cheaper brand (eg. Gens Ace, Turnigy). The value of big name brand batteries is constantly debated around here, and C ratings between brands are pretty much meaningless so don't put too much stock in specs.

Appreciate the input so far, going a long way towards working something out. Might have to look into the Reedy motors too, slipped my mind. Will most likely be racing 17.5 boosted.

Should have mentioned I'm in the UK, although its usually easy enough to get anything over here - exceptions being anything from Fantom Racing and possibly Trinity - that is unless people can point me to a good place to buy their products from.

If you're running boosted, then your battery specs become even less critical, but the ESC choice moreso. You best bet will probably be to see what the fast guys in your area are running for ESC/motor so you can share setup info. Boost settings can be tricky for some.

I may have to go and see what others are running, could be helpful. That said with the huge amount of information around on different sites/forums I can probably find some good settings regardless.

Main thing I'm not sure about right now is the motor - thinking of going Reedy unless I can find a UK/EU shop that sells the D3.5. Could always order one from the US, although the import tax will probably be a bit of a killer.

Appreciate the advice though, got a much better idea of what to look at now.

Trinity motors are really fast. Quality is iffy but fast none the less. biggest thing about trinity motors are the solder tabs. They tend to wobble and can(not to say they will) short out and lead to ESC failures. i have a couple trinity's myself but dab a bit of shoe goo in between the tabs so they don't ever move. Not sure about the D3.5 but if you run blinky classes, i highly recommend 12.5mm rotors regardless of what motor you choose. More torque for coming out of corners. If boosting than 12.3mm is fine because you'll need the revs.