Just went Lipo :)

[DonnyNitro]

Hey all,
Just received 2 ******* 2s 5000 lipos. I am running a sidewinder sct combo and am geared 23/86. Should I lower my pinion or raise my spur? What is the best combo to run?
Thx, Don

[SR-71]

I also have a Castle Sidewinder SCT in my Slash. I'm geared 14/56 and run 9.9v almost exclusively and have never had any problems. Your geared up a bit more than I am (3.7 vs. 4.0) but I'm guessing you will be fine at 23/86 on 2s, just watch your temp. I do have a fan on my ESC .

[OlorinTharkun]

I also have a Castle Sidewinder SCT in my Slash. I'm geared 14/56 and run 9.9v almost exclusively and have never had any problems. Your geared up a bit more than I am (3.7 vs. 4.0) but I'm guessing you will be fine at 23/86 on 2s, just watch your temp. I do have a fan on my ESC .

9.9V? Do you mean 9.6V as in 8-cell NiMh? 2S LiPo would be 7.4V and 3S would be 11.1V, so I assume you must be running NiMh... just curious...

Donny, for the gearing, it depends a lot on how you drive and what you're looking for for the gearing. Are you racing or bashing or doing street speed runs? There's no one perfect gear setup. Try different ratios and see what fits your driving style best. Just watch your temps. It's worth buying an IR temp gun.

According to Castle tech support, if an ESC needs a fan, it's not designed right. They only put fans on their newer Mamba Max ESCs because the market demanded them. Didn't ask about the Sidewinder series, but he made it sound like a broad generalization. Some people may feel otherwise. I still have one on my Sidewinder, but I put it on before I had that particular conversation. Just random FYI.

Welcome to LiPo... the only regret I ever had about LiPo was that I wasted money on NiMh before making the switch!

[SR-71]

9.9V? Do you mean 9.6V as in 8-cell NiMh? 2S LiPo would be 7.4V and 3S would be 11.1V, so I assume you must be running NiMh... just curious...

I'm running 9.9v LiFe.

According to Castle tech support, if an ESC needs a fan, it's not designed right. They only put fans on their newer Mamba Max ESCs because the market demanded them.

My Sidewinder was one of the oddballs that shipped with a different ESC housing that includes a fan. Castle told me it was a mistake but I'm not complaining

[O.G.]

Hey all,
Just received 2 ******* 2s 5000 lipos. I am running a sidewinder sct combo and am geared 23/86. Should I lower my pinion or raise my spur? What is the best combo to run?
Thx, Don

Welcome to Lipo!!

To be safe I'd go back to a 19t pinion and check your temps with a temp gun.

[chazekxt84]

I also have a Castle Sidewinder SCT in my Slash. I'm geared 14/56 and run 9.9v almost exclusively and have never had any problems. Your geared up a bit more than I am (3.7 vs. 4.0) but I'm guessing you will be fine at 23/86 on 2s, just watch your temp. I do have a fan on my ESC .

what charger u use and do u balance them 9.9 packs?

[SR-71]

what charger u use and do u balance them 9.9 packs?

I am using a Venom Pro charger and yes I balance my LiFe packs. It seems like a pretty good 5A charger. Only issue I have had is that I can't charge above 4.4 - 4.5 amps or else it kicks out. I wonder if this is typical.

[O.G.]

I have an older venom pro charger and it charges my lipos at 5.0 no problem. I've never charged LIFE batteries with it.

[SR-71]

O.G. are you balance charging at 5A?