shemesh

hi,
i've just bought a new volcano epx, very nice car.
with the car i got a 1800 mah battery.
assuming the battery is fully charged - how much (average) driving time do i should have?
5minutes? 15? 30minutes? an hour?

how much?

nitrosportsandrunner

5-10 minutes depending on how you drive and on what surface.
The stock battery gets the job dont, but isnt that great.
Upgrade to a 2s 5000mah lipo battery and you will get 25-30 minute runtimes along with more power and speed.
Hobbypartz.com has such lipos for $25. If you dont already have a charger that can do lipos, they have ones for around $50. These will charger said lipo in 1 hour.

shemesh

oh... :-(

nitrosportsandrunner

yeh, pretty much the case with electrics is you gotta have more than 1 battery.

the MAH rating is was involves runtime. The higher the better.
I linked a battery below that will get you close to 20 minutes (maybe more) of runtime. Its the least costly option for you. It can be chaged with the stock charger, tho it will take around 8 hours to charge with that one.

If you are just getting started, a better battery and a better charger are a must. The same site has a good charger for $50.

http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-5000-7...ble-stick.html

shemesh

i've already got a decent charger - http://www.electrifly.com/chargers/gpmm3152.html

nitrosportsandrunner

too much money for that batt. comes with the wrong plugs as well.

Since you already have a lipo capable charger, get a 2s lipo.
this 2s 5000mah lipo hardly costs any more than that nimh stick pack: http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-sl5000...se-bullet.html
That lipo will get you 25 minute runtimes easy. And you charger will balance charge that lipo in just a bit over 1 hour.
The lipo will add not just runtime, but power and top speed as well.
The only modification you will need to make to your truck is to swap out the stock battery post for the body posts meant for the lightning epx. These are taller, and are needed since the hardcased lipo is thicker (taller) than a nimh pack.

nitrosportsandrunner

for anyone else reading this, you cannot run a 2s lipo on the brushed EPX version. I thought the OP had a brushless EPX Pro model. A 2s lipo will cause the brushed version esc to overheat and possibly burnout. At most, you want a 7.2v 3000mah nimh battery on the stock brushed esc.

Shady9503

Just wondering since this post is here, my little brother wants to get into R/C, he's seen me mess with mine and i guess he wants in on the fun, anyway, i didnt want him to deal with nitro because of engine tuning and such, so i suggested the volcano epx i know you said max he could run was a 3000 Ni-MH 7.2v but i was just wondering if a 3800 Ni-MH 7.2v would be ok? just so he could get some more runtime out of it

nitrosportsandrunner

3800mah should be OK. Especially if he runs on dirt or pavement. tall grass on the other hand puts more stress on the motor, and the added runtime of a 3800mah could overdo it.
I have actually run a 5000mah 7.2v....but I gave the truck a break part way threw the battery so the ESC/motor could cool down.

Shady9503

yeah, he'll be mostly on pavement and some loose dirt, little bit of grass but its very short :P how long would the stock charger take to charge the 3800? or should i invest in a quick charger for him?

nitrosportsandrunner

many hours...LOL.
thunder AC6. can find on ebay an hobbypartz.com. It can charger nimh, lipo and more. Only $50 tho! Ive been using mine for 2 years. will charge any nimh pack in about 1 hour. same goes for more lipo packs.
It has adjustable charge rate....so you can set it for 2.0amp for the stock pack and 3.8amp for the 3800mah pack.

Shady9503

Awesome, thanks for all your help! honestly had it not been for you and everyone else here on RCU i think i would have quit this hobby, but now 3 years in with 2 cars of my own and many to come lol i'm solving my own problems before even coming to the forums, I'm having less downtime and more fun because of driving tips and the like!