Starter box battery question (stick packs)

[tofufar]

Im going to pick up a ofna multistart but lugging around a gel cell inside the box seems horrendous. I already have a couple of 2400 nicds laying around from the electric days and the box supports them. for all those who have tried, how long will the stick packs last till i have to recharge? I know i know... the gel cell will last me forever... but its 5 lbs!! and im going to be bashing all over the place (college campus) so weight is an issue

thanks!
-LT

[militarymaxx]

I also have a starter box that takes stick packs. I prefer a Nimh pack over a Nicd pack for this application. Nicd's require more maintenance than that of the Nimh's. Nicd's need to be fully dis-charged after use or you risk developing battery memory. If you use the Nicd for a littel while and then store it for a few days, then use it again, and continue doing so, you will slowly kill it.
And when you go to re-charge it, you won't get a full charge because of the memory. Nimh's on the other hand are much more user friendly. With a full charge on them you can use as much or as little as you need and need not worry about dis-charging. In fact, Nimh's prefer to be stored with some juice on them. Just look at the prefered hump packs that guys use as receiver batteries. Yup, Nimh's. After a day's running you don't have to worry about dis-charging before re-charging like you would with Nicd's. Just simply plug it back in to top it off. The trade off is Nimh's are a bit pricey and you'll need a charger specific for Nimh's, but in the long run it's worth it. No telling what shape those Nicd's you have are in. It would suck if you got out in the field and they went dead prematurely.

[El Pirata]

I can either run stick packs or the gel cell. I really don't have a preference for either. The stick packs will last me all day and then some.

[Diver6127]

I run twin 2400 Nimh in my Dynamite torque starter box. I peak them before I leave and they last all day. Two days on most charges.

It all depends how you use the starter box. If you don't start right away (within 5-8 secs) you will kill the batteries pretty quick. With my car, a slight tap on the wheel is enough to get her started if still warm. When cold, it takes a couple of secs (after priming the engine with fuel). One thing is for sure, you will run down any battery of you keep trying to start the car by running the wheel on the flywheel for extended times.

[Maskale]

Its heavy but I would go with gel cell, cause some day your engine may give some trouble and you dont want you batteries going out on you. And when you get a new engine that is tight and you go to break it in and your doing heat cycling you will want a battery that i will hold up, and a motor that will put some power out. Thats just from my limited experience.

[El Pirata]

The battery packs are not going to die that easily. What Diver said is that just straight continious cranking will drain the batteries faster, just like a real car.

[tofufar]

thanks everyone for the quick replies

will the ofna multistart be enough? i dont want to spend as much money as what the dynamite torque-start costs.... and the multistart seems light... thoughts?

I hear the RBs are a PITA to break in not much better than the hypers O_o

[Çh®i§tiªñ]

Get the 8th scale box if this is for your buggy.

And while breaking in, be prepared to recharge those packs a bit. Once broken in they will work very well.

Im still a gel cell fanatic.

[tofufar]

Yeah its for my buggy. i guess i should get a gel pack as a backup anyways... its not that much more anyways i guess =) thanks!