Never let them sit fully charged for any longer than necessary. Sitting fully charged raises internal resistance (and can cause puffing). Don’t charge them the night before, don’t charge them before going to the track, etc. Temperature changes at full charge can make it worse. Charge them as you need them. Compromise: Charge one to 70-75% before heading out, then it only needs a quick top off while you’re getting unpacked and ready.

If running mod consider charging only to 90-95%. Saves a lot of time too by avoiding the slowest portion of the charge routine.

New packs need a few cycles to wake up. Similarly packs sitting for a while get a little stale. Run race packs in practice.

Don't allow them to get hot, don't leave them in sunlight, etc. Store in a cool place, my dry basement, 65~70 F, seems to work well.

Don't charge or use them when cold. This really drops performance.

Opinions/experiences seem to vary on deep discharges. Generally I try to avoid deep discharges, but an occasional one doesn't seem to hurt and may actually help. I'd like to hear other's experiences.

Store around half capacity. Most recommendations are in the 3.7 to 3.85V/cell range, and at least for me seem to work equally well.

Get a good charger, one that has IR measurement, to keep track of performance. Perhaps one that allows charge to a controlled percentage, I find that very useful.

By following these guidelines I've had great results, packs last and maintain low internal resistance and good punch, much better than before I learned them.


Note on rules, the ROAR rule book needs updating. While it says 4.22V/cell is the max charge voltage, there is an amendment that states 4.20V is the max. It is checked and enforced at national events, perhaps others that use ROAR rules.