lipo mah vs. weight vs. heat vs. c rating

[BrianG]

I think it depends somewhat on use.

If you want max performance for shorter runtimes (or if you don't mind a battery swap), you probably want something lighter, yet not sacrifice performance. For that, you need lower capacity cells for the weight and high C rating to get the amperage you need.

For just bashing around, you probably want long runtimes. This means the cells will have higher capacity. And since the capacity is higher, max discharge current is easier to reach with lower C ratings.

[jhautz]

Racing.... The highest C rateing you can get with just enough mah to get you through the race. The smallest pack you can run and still finish comfortably.

Bashing. I dont mind more weight to get mor mah for extended run times. The longer it runs the happier I am.

That said. In most buggy, truugy and lighter MT applications you need a battery capable of 80A constant at a minumum for your typical 4s, 5s setups. More than that if you have a very heavy vehicle. 11lbs+. I have found that I have toasted lipos, it was always ones that were on the small side for the application amp wise.

If you decide to run very high voltage you can get away with batteries that are less capable as far as current, but you will need more cells to get the higher voltage. Its all trade off.