I'd have to agree with Bud's here, I started up racing again last summer and went down the cheap route with components, I have since replaced absolutely everything apart from my batteries.
Things have changed a hell of a lot since the days you used to race where I imagine you were using mild modified brushed motors, early ESC's and Sanyo SCR batteries. These days we all run brushless motors and speed controllers which as the name suggests do not use brushes touching a commutator to create power it is all created through the magnetic field within the motor can...please do not ask me to elaborate further on the mechanics as that's about as much as I know and all you need to know really. These motors have absolutely no touching parts so there is no wear at all, install it in your car and forget about it, I'm running the same motor since last summer and have no intention of changing it. Different motors do off slightly different characteristics and feel so that is generally the only reason people will ever change them they won't wear out.
In order to operate the brushless motors we also now use specific speed controllers designed for these motors. Most of these offer fully programmable software so you can fine tune your power to suit track conditions easily trackside...sort of like an ECU or something an F1 team uses in the pits to make the engine smoother or more aggressive for example.
The other major change since your days of racing is the use of lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries, similar to the ones that power your laptop. This for me is the biggest advance as unlike the Nicad packs we used to run where we had to carefully gear our car to last the 5 minutes without dumping and you would need to discharge the batteries before charging to keep them in top condition this is no longer an issue. Lipo batteries can be continuously topped up with charge with no damage caused to the battery and here's the best bit....you get up to 20 minutes duration from one fully charged pack!! This means you can get away with using just one (as I do) pack all day and just too up with a bit of charge between runs, many use the same pack for 3runs without any recharging and have no problems.
My advice is nip into JE Models in Pilsworth and speak to Stu or Nick, they will give you all the info you will need and if you ever need help trackside were a friendly bunch who always have time to help.
Chris
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