# 1/8 electric questions



## celticpride311 (Jul 29, 2004)

Alright heres the deal. I'm looking at getting a 1/8e buggy and I have a lot of questions. Apparently there have been a lot of advances since I've been gone. One of which is in the speed control/motor department. I've already made the decision to go with the Tekin RX8. My question is what is the difference in all of them and which one i should look at and why. As for batteries....Same thing. I know Lipo is the new thing now so what's the difference in all of them (besides MaH) Last and Final question. Which car? I was looking at the Hot Bodies VE8 and Im not really sure if I like the idea of a car that has the battery and motor on the same side of the car (seems unbalanced), even though it DOES have 4 wheels moving so its not like that matters a lot. But are the mechanical breaks really necessary with this car? I noticed no other brand has mechanical breaks on them. Could this be an advantage?

Thank! 
-Josh


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## hotrodchevy_77 (May 9, 2009)

you can pick your fav 1/8 buggy and convert it. mugens are big around here now. then you gotta pick how many cells your gonna run 4s 5s 6s this is a good chart wipf put together http://www.2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=254224. most guys use the losi 8-e battery tray and cut it to fit. i think the best electric motor mount is http://www.elitercd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=2. i like the mamba monster esc's better they seem to be tougher. castle has a no questions replacment warrenty. i really liked the tekin 1900kv on 4s turnigy 5400mah with mamba monster esc geared 14 or 15 pinion 46t spur i was getting 22min at the river.


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

Go with:

Any buggy in the $400-600 neighborhood when new........anything less, and they'll get you on the parts/upgrades you'll end up buying on the back end because they start with fewer upgrades and cheaper parts that break easily and wear out easily

The $300'ish buggies will handle pretty decent, and can take a bit of abuse, but after about 6 races or so, you'll see a MAJOR difference between a cheap buggy and a better one

I second the Castle Creations Mamba Monster ESC & motor......they have proven to be tougher than the Tekin. The Tekin looks cooler though! LOL

Go with a 3S battery and 2650kv motor, or a 4s battery and a 1700-1900kv motor. Castle is clearancing their 1800kv motors right now for like $60......if they have any left! 5S and 6S are good setups and they have their advantages, but you will find yourself well on the outside of the norm, and will be limiting your choices in a number of areas if you don't go with 3S or 4S.

For batteries, you need a 25-30C continuous (or better) and a 40C (or better) burst rating. 4000-5000mah will get you 13-20 minutes depending on a number of factors. Most people shoot for the 5000mah range. It's a little heavier battery, but has the extra runtime when you need it.

hmmm.....what else guys?


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

oh, and pay attention to the instructions on charging/using your batteries!


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## jasonwipf (Feb 23, 2009)

That chart brian posted is what you need for motor selection. Tekin did have a weak case that they retro fitted and made beefier about 3 months ago so its on par with Castle now. Neither is infallible but when a tekin goes out it stops, when a castle goes out you often see smoke and fire. Plus as you know the sensored ability really does feel smooth on a tekin and if you go 4s as most of us do, the tekin 1900 is much faster than the 1800 for the same given pinion and runs a tad cooler. Both are good And I would not go with any other brand but castle or Tekin. if your racing 4000-5000mah 25-50c constant C rating is your battery goal with 4s. Hobbycity.com's nano tech lipos are about the best performance for the money out there now. Finally Mugen, Vertigo raceway is having a special on the newly released MBX6E buggy, unbeatable price and its ready for electronics install.


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

and make sure you pay attention to the battery dimensions, and the dimensions of your battery tray.

I wish those nano-tech batteries were taller instead of longer. I have yet to find a 3S or 4S 4000+MAH that is less than about 160MM, which is too long for MOST 1/8 e-buggy battery trays.


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## hotrodchevy_77 (May 9, 2009)

joe's in lake jackson has the elite motor mount and the castle 1800kv in stock


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## Earl_Sparky (Jan 12, 2008)

I am just glad that I do not have to answer these questions anymore!:rotfl:


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

HAHAHA......this E-buggy stuff used to be like black magic, and Earl was the ONLY one who knew anything consistent about it and EVERYONE constantly asked him about it (including me!). I remember those days!


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## cjtamu (Sep 22, 2004)

LOL @ Earl. If there's a question nobody else can answer, Earl is still The Man when it comes to this stuff, but some of these other guys have finally figured out what they're doing too. Josh, I forgot about the new ebuggy kit from Moogen. There are a lot of guys around here running that car too, so plenty of parts around. That's a good car, you ought to check with the guys at Vertigo on the price. You actually met Derick this weekend at Mike's. Jerry had issues ha ha. Link to website below, and it has the contact info.
http://www.vertigoraceway.com/


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## celticpride311 (Jul 29, 2004)

Yeah I cant find a single battery that fits within a 160mm tray. Im looking at getting a 3s 4000+mah battery which from what it sounds like would be capable of emulating the speed of a nitro buggy. This what Im currently looking at.http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=11956

Next question. Do you guys actually run 2 batteries at a time? Or would I be fine by starting out with buying 2 of these packs?


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## hotrodchevy_77 (May 9, 2009)

if you go with a 4s setup you will need 5000mah or bigger. i never ran 3s so that will be courtneys question to answer.

this 4s is 159mm 
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=11936. most everyone runs one lipo at a time. they will have many more in the pits ready to go. i would run 4s just because its the norm and alot more people can help out with your set up, gearing and lending you a lipo if you needed one.

have you decided on a motor yet?


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## wily (Oct 14, 2005)

Some of us like to think we know what we are doing.


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## jasonwipf (Feb 23, 2009)

celticpride311 said:


> Yeah I cant find a single battery that fits within a 160mm tray. Im looking at getting a 3s 4000+mah battery which from what it sounds like would be capable of emulating the speed of a nitro buggy. This what Im currently looking at.http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=11956
> 
> Next question. Do you guys actually run 2 batteries at a time? Or would I be fine by starting out with buying 2 of these packs?


the one Brian posted will be your best all around performer for the money. Performs awesome, great charge rate and 50-70% less than comparable packs. Note: the one brian linked will fit what you are looking for the one you linked is way to long and wide for just about any battery tray if you want to lay it flat. The differance is in C rating to why the size is different. 25C will be fast enough 45C is super fast but runs out of battery faster and gets hotter.

You do not really want to go 2x2s unless you like dealing with more plugs that can come undone, sodered or risk one pack not having the exact identical discharge or capacity resulting in your lipo cut off not correctly cutting off at the end and puffing/ruining one or both of your packs. Life is simpler just doing 1 4s.

Now if you haven't choosen a car yet there are only 4 top level racers that I would personally recommend Mugen, X-Ray, Kyosho & Losi. All great performers, tough and ready made for electric. I favor Mugen because of the parts availability around here and price. Plus, that pre-order special Vertigo has is simply a must DO and cheaper that the rest by ALOT!

Now that battery pack above is great especially if you can lay it down but at 49mm its wide. For that reason I use the Losi tray in my mugen because it can hold just about any battery pack out there I think its 175mm long and 52mm wide. I have it installed tightly on my gas converted mugen (see pic below) and the new MBX6E has a 5mm longer chassis making it an even easier fit if you buy that tray for it ($15).

Chargers: Tones out there. If you are ordering from Hobby city for batteries you can get a high amp (faster charging) one such as:

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10382

or for the same price you can get a bunch of these:

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10452

But they charge about half as fast(25min vs. 50min), but being you have so many you could be charging many batteries at a time which is nice and if one goes out on you got alot of spares and the day/night is not ruined.

I just ordered a pair of the expensive ones so I am selling my lower wattage ones now with power supply (3 charges and power supply combo with all wiring). See pic below. I'll sell it the combo to a local for $75 btw.


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

Welcome home Josh. Gimme a call.


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

For the reasons that these guys said Josh, I would stick with 4S. That seems to becoming pretty much the standard for electrics, and it's how manufactures are starting to design their cars. I get the impression in several years, we may laugh at ourselves for using anything other than a 4S.

And yes, that battery you listed was too wide.

Just be aware, you get what you pay for. I have been through a total of 6 Turnigy batteries at this point, and all but 1 of them have come unbalanced after about 20 charges or so. Also, their power curve is not as flat and constant as a better battery. And shipping from hong kong is iffy.......you have about a 1 in 4 chance that your order will get held up or rejected in customs.

I highly recommend you consider spending more around $150 per battery. Although I've only been doing the electric thing for about a year, these guys will tell you I switch stuff up a lot and try lots of new things. My experiences have led me see that there is a major difference in driveability, reliability, and life expectancy.

There are guys on here that only buy cheap batteries, and win races, but I guarantee you they go through batteries more often than they will admit!


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## jelias (Sep 7, 2004)

Anyone running the Venom 4S 5000 mAh 35C hard case? They any good? Is this a size that will fit current battery trays on Xray or Mugen car?

Josh: Hope you don't mind me jumping in and asking questions. I too am looking at the e-buggies trying to decide what to do. Already have my motor/esc and now looking at batteries.


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## hotrodchevy_77 (May 9, 2009)

jelias - i run a venom 2s in my slash and not impressed with it....i would compare to to a turnigy for twice the price. if you do get the venom cut the universal plug system thingy off and put a deans or trx plug on it

like cv said you get what you pay for i had good luck with turnigys ony lost 1 outta 4 but better luck with hyperion and flightpower enox lipos


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## jasonwipf (Feb 23, 2009)

Courtney Vaughan said:


> I have been through a total of 6 Turnigy batteries at this point, and all but 1 of them have come unbalanced after about 20 charges or so. There are guys on here that only buy cheap batteries, and win races, but I guarantee you they go through batteries more often than they will admit!


Yep I have gone thru about 5 Turnigy (standard blue type) and they all went bad in 3-6 months and less than 80 cycles. And Willy Mills and I have tried $100-$200 packs that have also gone bad in 4-8 months at about 100-200 cycles. Surprisingly I have had Rhino packs that lasted me the whole year and about 250-300 cycles each (and they are considered to be pretty crappy). I'm on my 2nd set (4) of rhinos and trying out the Turnegy Nano-Techs too. The Nano-Techs perform great and the power band is very good, much like the expensive batteries at 1/2 to 1/3rd the price, but they are new and most of us have under 100 cycles thru them. Yet they still are better than the old standard type turnigy blue cells that everyone complains about that dies within 100 cycles.

Oh, food for thought. A gallon of nitro will get you about 26 tanks of gas at 7min avg run time each tank (7-13min possible but when you avg. tuning waste, idle time and end of the day excess gas dumping your real avg is about 7min) = 182 min or 3hrs. Then multiply times 2 gallons to get the cost up to $60 and 6hrs of run time (for comparison sake). Then you take a crappy lipo 5000mah pack that is $60 that gets a laughable 50 cycles and I'll low ball the run time to 12 min (15-20min very doable) =600min total run time, or 10hrs. Point being even the worlds worst lipo packs still give you 40% more runtime than nitro per dollar at a fraction of hassle.


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## captkidd (Jan 4, 2011)

*e buggy*

I just picked up a hotbody ve8 buggy roller, any input on if its good? and what motor should i go with?


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## captkidd (Jan 4, 2011)

hey everyone, i picked up this buggy, the buggy is in really nice shape, the tekno chassis is really a sweet setup, and it does have the brakes and servo mount there if I wanted the option of dialing your braking in. the tires are in good shape with lots of tread left, the rims are good with no cracks or anything. this buggy just needs all the electronics put in and its ready to race! What are some good pinion to put into this setup? I have a DX3E rx/tx + futaba S9156 to put into it also. any feedback will be nice thx.


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