Ftx outback tundra 2 battery upgrade.

[Bones74]

Hi, I'm wondering can anyone help me here. I recently purchased a ftx outback tundra 2. I'm looking to upgrade the battery. What would use suggest? I'm totally new to rc cars. This is my first purchase. Below is a picture of the current battery. Ive read that it can handle lipo batterys. If so which one would suit it and do i need another charger too? Thanks for any help

[Yorkshireman]

Hi, the battery pack I use in my outback is a Floureon 7.4v 2200mah. Fits nicely in the battery tray.

You will need a lipo charger but,  a basic one can be had relatively cheap.

[Bones74]

Thanks for the reply. How long do you get out of that battery?

[Yorkshireman]

Hard to say really...seems like ages!  I was out with it yesterday (see my post in rc pictures) on a part charged battery and that must have lasted an hour or so !

[Bones74]

Thanks John.

Are connectors the same on your battery as on mine? They look different. 

[Badcrumble]

Your battery pack has a Mini Tamiya plug.

LiPo batteries often have different connectors such as Deans (also known as T plug?).

The good news is that the manual for your vehicle who’s that you can move the jumper on your combined ESC / RX to accommodate LiPo so you just need a battery with an appropriate terminal. 
You can get adapters for Deans to Mini Tamiya

https://www.overlander.co.uk/male-deans-to-female-mini-tamiya-conversion-lead.html

I’m not sure if the one linked has the correct male / female plugs for your needs, there are loads out there on EBay or from regular stockists like Modelsport, Hobbyking, etc.

[Bones74]

Ah ok. That makes sense. May i ask what charger you use to charge your lipo battery? Or would you recommend any. I live in ireland. All the hobby shops are closed due to covid or id have just brought it in and asked there. I Appreciate the information. Thanks

[Yorkshireman]

21 minutes ago, Bones74 said:

Ah ok. That makes sense. May i ask what charger you use to charge your lipo battery? Or would you recommend any. I live in ireland. All the hobby shops are closed due to covid or id have just brought it in and asked there. I Appreciate the information. Thanks

I myself use an Overlander RC6-VSR for all my batteries.  The one in the picture is a cheapo off ebay but, you can get a similar one from Modelsport (Etronix  powerpal  pocket 2  ET0223) . You can also get an adaptor as stated above by Badcrumble  from Modelsport  (ET0819).

 

 

[Bones74]

Great thanks guys! So if i get that battery and that charger you mentioned i should be good to go? I read somewhere about handling lipo batterys. Do i need a bag of something to store it in? Thanks again

[Badcrumble]

I've not gone LiPo (yet) but yes, you'll need something safe to store batteries in.

Here's some 'light' reading..

That Overlander charger is the one I was looking at if switching to LiPo .

[Bones74]

Thanks! Maybe I'd be better off sticking with a nimh battery. Would you recommend one that would fit that would give me the most drive time? Thanks alot for the information guys. Much appreciated

[Badcrumble]

I haven't seen one with that cell size (2/3 AF) greater than 1600mah unfortunately.

I don't know whether a SubC cell pack (standard 1:10  scale battery) would fit in your vehicle. They are typically something like Length: 127mm,  Width: 43mm, Height: 23mm. 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=383051

Larger cell and higher capacity = longer run time.

Also means more weight - why is why LiPo would probably be a better option.

[Bones74]

The stock battery dimensions are 100 x 32 x 17 mm. I'll look into getting a lipo one that fits. Lots of battery's seem to be sold out online. At least over here in Ireland. 

[Badcrumble]

3 minutes ago, Bones74 said:

The stock battery dimensions are 100 x 32 x 17 mm. I'll look into getting a lipo one that fits. Lots of battery's seem to be sold out online. At least over here in Ireland. 

 

Take a look at Hobbyking  and their European warehouse to see if they have stock.  They might have comparable chargers too. Something like...

 

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/accuell-s60-ac-charger-eu-plug.html?queryID=5359643ea24e92ff4013aa6b28afc7b8&objectID=45265&indexName=hbk_live_magento_en_us_products

 

Be warned - I have no frame of reference!!