NOOB battery questions

[beast95451]

Well I'm new to this whole electric thing. Been running 1/10 & 1/8 scale nitro for years, & after seeing these 4wd buggies run I just had to have one. I've searched through many, many posts & it's getting old so I'm starting a new one....
I just bought a Kyosho Lazer ZX-5 with KMC conversion to use saddle packs (picture below)
Now for my battery options. I will be racing 1 or 2 times a week, usually 2-4 5 min heats, & 10 minute mains. Trying to figure out my best options...I know a little about Nimh batteries (discharging & equalizing) but know very little about LiPo
This is what I'm trying to decide on...2 or 3, 3800-4200 nimh top quality 6 cell saddle packs or 1 LiPo saddle pack.
Questions on LiPo....
-I would either be getting the maxamps 4400 or 5500 2S LiPo. http://maxamps.com/products.php?cat=54 Which leads to my next question...are both of these packs the same size? Will they work in my buggy? Will I need to mod anything?
-Will one LiPo fit my racing needs?
-Is there any maintenance involved with LiPo (discharging, equalizing)?
-After a 5 min heat, can I just plug it in to the charger & top it off for the next race? How long should it take to peak between races?
-What kind of runtimes am I looking at compared to nimh? If I win the 5 min "B" main & move on to a 10 min "A" main will the LiPo make it through the "A" main without recharging?
-How will my performance differ between the 2 different types of packs?
-It seems like in the long run, if I only have to buy one pack & a charger, that LiPo is the best bang for my buck...correct me if I'm wrong.
BTW I'll be running a Mamba Max 7700...which I have already purchased.
Sorry for the long post, your advice is much appreciated

[bert digler]

Originally Posted by beast95451

Well I'm new to this whole electric thing. Been running 1/10 & 1/8 scale nitro for years, & after seeing these 4wd buggies run I just had to have one. I've searched through many, many posts & it's getting old so I'm starting a new one....
I just bought a Kyosho Lazer ZX-5 with KMC conversion to use saddle packs (picture below)
Now for my battery options. I will be racing 1 or 2 times a week, usually 2-4 5 min heats, & 10 minute mains. Trying to figure out my best options...I know a little about Nimh batteries (discharging & equalizing) but know very little about LiPo
This is what I'm trying to decide on...2 or 3, 3800-4200 nimh top quality 6 cell saddle packs or 1 LiPo saddle pack.
Questions on LiPo....
-I would either be getting the maxamps 4400 or 5500 2S LiPo. http://maxamps.com/products.php?cat=54 Which leads to my next question...are both of these packs the same size? Will they work in my buggy? Will I need to mod anything?
-Will one LiPo fit my racing needs?
-Is there any maintenance involved with LiPo (discharging, equalizing)?
-After a 5 min heat, can I just plug it in to the charger & top it off for the next race? How long should it take to peak between races?
-What kind of runtimes am I looking at compared to nimh? If I win the 5 min "B" main & move on to a 10 min "A" main will the LiPo make it through the "A" main without recharging?
-How will my performance differ between the 2 different types of packs?
-It seems like in the long run, if I only have to buy one pack & a charger, that LiPo is the best bang for my buck...correct me if I'm wrong.
BTW I'll be running a Mamba Max 7700...which I have already purchased.
Sorry for the long post, your advice is much appreciated

if u gonna run it with brushless u wont anything more than 3700s they will be plenty if not 4200 are pretty good just use a quality charger and dischrge board with em

[jim76]

10 minute races? where the heck is that? never heard of clubs running that long! You will struggle for 10 minutes with 4200's, especially with that brushless (way to powerful for small-medium tracks!). The higher capacity lipos would last 10 mins, but depends if the club allow them as some don't.

[bert digler]

Originally Posted by jim76

10 minute races? where the heck is that? never heard of clubs running that long! You will struggle for 10 minutes with 4200's, especially with that brushless (way to powerful for small-medium tracks!). The higher capacity lipos would last 10 mins, but depends if the club allow them as some don't.

the races are five minutes no christmas tree finals i think beast is new to this format

[beast95451]

Originally Posted by bert digler

the races are five minutes no christmas tree finals i think beast is new to this format

A main is 10 minutes (USA)

[Scouser]

Jeez that's a long race!! I have read reports of people getting two heats from one set of cells but I believe it was with brushed motors. For brushless you might need a pit man with a set of oven gloves!!

[bert digler]

Originally Posted by beast95451

A main is 10 minutes (USA)

nitro most race electric 5 min