Hey guys - I've done quite a bit of reading on this thread but the conversation is above me at some points. (Kinda like sitting in on a surgery). I've made boats go fast before and I know a few things about vehicle dynamics, but my power plant was a chevy small block.[>:] I'm kinda in the process of building my own FAQ for FE (working on batteries as they re my weakest point). If it's appropriate I'll share it and you guys can feel free to edit. These threads would be way more beneficial if the new reader had some basic knowledge of what was important. At this point it soaks in rather slow. That said let's start as square one for a second:

The 4 digit value on all batteries is the miliamp x hours the battery is capable of delivering. I understand this to be a combination of time vs power output. There are two things that everyone wants, long runtimes and high speeds. So the bigger the number the better for either, but typically the more of one the less of the other. Correct?

The way I understand it is that the best packs have the lowest resistance (meaning good quality cells (still trying to understand what that is) and they are tied together in a way to lower discharge resistance) IE good, thick wires, deans connectors, and bars replacing wire where possible.

I've read a great deal about battery care where I think the whole idea is to get all the cells even and to their max potential.

Also I see refrences to "getting them up to operating temp by topping them off. I assume this makes sure they are maxed out and also warm (does temperature speed the chemical reaction?)

That's all for my first swipe. Belive me, I'll have more.

Thanks.