New to electric buggies, looking to buy one

[gfkostas]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy an RTR electric 1/8 buggy to play at my local park (won't be doing races but might bash it a little) and I need advice on what to choose.

My budget is max £400-500 for a unit of decent quality. I don't mind eventually upgrading the servo/radio as usually the house ones are mediocre.
I need to say that my skills are kind of limited. I can change the servo, suspensions, battery packs or radio but that's about it before i start feeling shaky shaky.

I want something reasonably fast (50mph+)with good battery life. Do batteries last for 15mins a go ?

I've been looking at the Hobao/Kyosho range. Any recommendations?. I've seen a ton on ebay. I would be happy if my budget
can get me a car that has decent parts all together so no upgrade would be *really* necessary.

Many thanks!

[capri-boy]

4 minutes ago, gfkostas said:

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy an RTR electric 1/8 buggy to play at my local park (won't be doing races but might bash it a little) and I need advice on what to choose.

My budget is max £400-500 for a unit of decent quality. I don't mind eventually upgrading the servo/radio as usually the house ones are mediocre.
I need to say that my skills are kind of limited. I can change the servo, suspensions, battery packs or radio but that's about it before i start feeling shaky shaky.

I want something reasonably fast (50mph+)with good battery life. Do batteries last for 15mins a go ?

I've been looking at the Hobao/Kyosho range. Any recommendations?. I've seen a ton on ebay. I would be happy if my budget
can get me a car that has decent parts all together so no upgrade would be *really* necessary.

Many thanks!

 

Hoba Hyper Vse - and on offer atm at modelsport for £325

 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hyper-vs-1-8-rtr-buggy-red/rc-car-products/396615

 

Leaves you enough for a good charger, but not lipo's.  Radio gear is very acceptable for a RTR, servo's useable but, hey, there rtr ones.

 

 

[gfkostas]

Yes I was looking at the same on ebay. Any idea on top speeds / play time per charge? Also what would be a good/fast charger?

They have a bundle that comes with  Overlander RC6-VSR 80watt 7A Output AC/DC Charger  and  Peak Power Plant LiPo 2s 7.4v 4000mAh 45C - Dean.

 

I am looking for maximum run time so i want to ensure I have the largest capacity possible. Also i don't see this particular model to have a waterproof battery pack.

[locky]

I believe the Hyper VS battery tray accomodates 2S, 3S and 4S LiPo packs,140 x 45.7 x 25.4mm, so go on Hobbyking abd see what fits.

 

Speed will depend on motor Kv, gearing, lipo voltage.

 

You can use this calculator to work out top speed...http://www.scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/top_speed.html

[XV Pilot]

Looks like a good call that - not sure about the radio gear, but Savox are respected makers of servos, as are Hobbywing of ESCs and motors, so it looks like you get quality electrics with the car.

 

The batteries and charger included in the bundle are workable budget options, but you can get far higher capacity batteries and a faster dual output charger if you are willing to pay more for them.

 

Battery packs are all quite water resistant but none are completely waterproof to my knowledge, so while they will be fine if they get splashed, you'll always need to avoid submerging them for extended periods, especially in saltwater.

[Alex97]

Have a look on hobbyking for batteries, they are a lot cheaper than modelsport

[dazp1976]

I'm a fan of separate power supplies and chargers however to start off with I'd go for either 2 x Overlanders (you will want 2 sets of 4s batteries at least guaranteed). Or go all out and get the Prophet 4x100w quad from Kings Lynn. You won't need nothing else for 4s.

FYI. If you have 2x2s you'll end up charging one at a time on 1 Overlander which will take time which is why I also suggest going for 2 Overs, the quad, and/or straight to 4s packs if they fit.

 

 

[gfkostas]

Thanks for the info guys. I might just go for the Hobao.

 

Any idea of running time with 4s batteries?  Also would you call its engine powerful?

 

I can't seem to find what batteries it takes. They seem quite expensive. 5000Mah the maximum I've found on hobby king.

 

Traxxas X-Maxx 8s Battery Upgrade with x2 6700mAh 4s LiPos and EZ-Peak Live iD Charger goes for £300 on model sport 

Edited March 30, 2017 by gfkostas

[gfkostas]

Also guys can you explain me the role of the speed controller and how important it is?

[XV Pilot]

If you look at the pictures of the car, you'll see three thick wires coming out of the motor (A, B and C), but only two going to the battery plug (+ and -).

 

The role of the speed controller is to take the power from the battery, and connect it to two of the three motor wires (A+/B-), then the next two (B+/C-), then the next two (C+/A-), then back to the first two (A+/B-), in very quick succession so that the motor spins.

 

While doing this, it also switches the power to the motor on and off many times per second, and can vary the balance between "on" time and "off" time. Obviously at full throttle it is 100% on, and at zero throttle it is 100% off.

 

It varies how quickly it does all of this in response to a signal from your receiver, giving you throttle control.

 

Obviously therefore, it is very important, as without it, a brushed motor would be going at full pelt until the battery dies, and a brushless motor wouldn't spin at all.

 

Many speed controllers also include a voltage regulator called a BEC (battery eliminator circuit) that feeds the receiver and servos with a steady 6 volts, eliminating the need to run a separate battery pack to power your radio gear.

[gfkostas]

39 minutes ago, XV Pilot said:

If you look at the pictures of the car, you'll see three thick wires coming out of the motor (A, B and C), but only two going to the battery plug (+ and -).

 

The role of the speed controller is to take the power from the battery, and connect it to two of the three motor wires (A+/B-), then the next two (B+/C-), then the next two (C+/A-), then back to the first two (A+/B-), in very quick succession so that the motor spins.

 

While doing this, it also switches the power to the motor on and off many times per second, and can vary the balance between "on" time and "off" time. Obviously at full throttle it is 100% on, and at zero throttle it is 100% off.

 

It varies how quickly it does all of this in response to a signal from your receiver, giving you throttle control.

 

Obviously therefore, it is very important, as without it, a brushed motor would be going at full pelt until the battery dies, and a brushless motor wouldn't spin at all.

 

Many speed controllers also include a voltage regulator called a BEC (battery eliminator circuit) that feeds the receiver and servos with a steady 6 volts, eliminating the need to run a separate battery pack to power your radio gear.

 

Thanks for that reply. It opened my eyes.

 

Would you know the runtime if I bought a  7000-8000mah set? would I have 20 mins of fun before batteries dry out?

[XV Pilot]

Runtime is very difficult to predict as it depends on so many factors including but not limited to gearing, terrain, driving style, ambient temperature, the overall condition of your car and batteries, etc.

 

A car geared conservatively, driven on smooth ground, with varied throttle input, on a warmish day, with a well-maintained free-running drivetrain ought to easily manage 20 minutes runtime and possibly a whole lot more, but the same car geared for maximum performance, driven in grass or mud, at full throttle for most of the run, on a cold day, with a binding drivetrain might well struggle.

 

Common wisdom is to get the best batteries you can, then adjust your gearing to find the best compromise between runtime and performance under your given set of driving conditions.

[gfkostas]

Thanks XV pilot.

 

I am currently looking at the Traxxas 8,400mah batteries. A good charger with them costs more than the buggy though .

Do you think a large battery pack will affect the handling of the car? Is there a point I shouldn't go beyond certain Mah due to the weight of the battery?

 

 

How do you understand if an electric car runs out of battery? do you get an indication?

Edited March 31, 2017 by gfkostas

[mond]

Most ESCs have a low voltage cut off. The car will just stop. Depending on the ESC, you can set it yourself.

 

The mah on the battery is important but so is the C rating. To be safe on an 8th scale buggy, you probably want at least rated to 35c. Depends on the motors draw. I don't use anything under 50c on mine.

 

Traxxas batteries are over priced. Your best bang for buck in the UK is to buy Turnigy Graphene 4S when they are on sale. New US transport rules means it's impossible to get many of the better brands now. Occasionally Gens Ace go on sale as well.

[XV Pilot]

7 hours ago, gfkostas said:

 

Do you think a large battery pack will affect the handling of the car? Is there a point I shouldn't go beyond certain Mah due to the weight of the battery?

 

 

Unlike NiMH batteries where higher capacity packs were significantly heavier than lower capacity ones, the weight difference between LiPo batteries of different capacities is not that huge. Also, a bigger car like the 1/8 scale buggy you are considering is a lot more forgiving of battery weight variations compared to say a 1/10 or 1/12 scale car where such considerations are far more critical. If it does become an issue, balancing the car by adding small weights to the lighter side is easily accomplished.

[gfkostas]

2 hours ago, mond said:

Most ESCs have a low voltage cut off. The car will just stop. Depending on the ESC, you can set it yourself.

 

The mah on the battery is important but so is the C rating. To be safe on an 8th scale buggy, you probably want at least rated to 35c. Depends on the motors draw. I don't use anything under 50c on mine.

 

Traxxas batteries are over priced. Your best bang for buck in the UK is to buy Turnigy Graphene 4S when they are on sale. New US transport rules means it's impossible to get many of the better brands now. Occasionally Gens Ace go on sale as well.

 

What does the C mean? It appears to me the higher the mah the lower the C. Why is the C rating important perfomance wise?

[mond]

So the C rating indicates the continuous current the battery is capable of.  Your motor will basically try and pull a certain current when the throttle is pressed. If the Amps it requests is lower then the battery is capable of, it can lead to a damaged battery. 

 

So if your motor draws 120amps, you want a battery that can provide 120amps. So a 5000Mah 50C battery will provide 250amps, which means that's more than fine for the job. A 5000mah 15C will not be suitable as it will only provide 75amps. So Mah X C rating / 1000 = amps. 

 

When you see two C ratings, one is continuous and one is burst. 

 

Someone correct me if i'm wrong.

[XV Pilot]

In simpler terms:

 

Imagine a battery as a fuel tank. The mAH rating tells you how much fuel it contains, the C rating tells you how quickly the fuel can be drawn from the tank's outlet without damaging it.

 

It is possible to have a big tank with a tiny outlet (high mAH, low C) or one with a small capacity and a big outlet (low mAH, high C). A high-end battery will have both on the high side.

[White_Crow_G]

Hi Guys
Need an advice befor buy.

i bought wltoys 144010 (just as a very first rc car ever, to try) last monts.
i found myself really enjoyng rc hobby so decide to for something...bigger.
right now my choice isZD Racing Pirates V3 

or
Hobay Hyper TT 2.0 pro.
and i literally can't choose one.

What would you recomend.

Thanks a lot!

[locky]

Hyper TT - better parts support and better quality

[Darren Frosty]

How about looking at the Corally range?