Batteries and Holding Charge?

[twism86]

Hey,
Im racing this season and have 2 GP3300 packs. Should i charge them before i leave for my track or should i charge one, and have the other charging for the main while im running my heat race? Will they hold charge long enough to have them precharged or will they have more punch if used soon after i charge them? Thanks guys!

-Twism

[nicholcgn]

It is best to charge them and have the charge stop just before you use them. This can be hard to do unless you discharge them each time before you charge them and learn the time it requires. If you charge them at home they may feel a little flat. Of course if you are going to practice with them this may not be a big deal. Also if you are not off the pipes for most of a race then maybe a pack that feels flat will help you some.

Generally I do the following.

Discharge in a tray to .5 volts per cell just before I start the charge process.

Charge them at 5 amps and time it so they will peak within 10 mins of the expected start time. (Always have a spare charge that you can repeak.)

If it is over 1 hr since charge I will repeak them. It is not a large difference but you can tell it.

[702nitro]

Hey,
Im racing this season and have 2 GP3300 packs. Should i charge them before i leave for my track or should i charge one, and have the other charging for the main while im running my heat race? Will they hold charge long enough to have them precharged or will they have more punch if used soon after i charge them? Thanks guys!

-Twism

First, I wanna recommend that you first get an extra pack, that way if the pack doesn't get charged in time, you'll still have an extra pack ready to go.
You should have at least a minimum of 4 packs for racing, but 3 should do with some careful time management.

Charging the packs before you go to the track should be fine, as you really won't feel a significant drop in voltage from the cell. It usually takes a couple of days for a pack to self discharge. But to get that extra punch during the start of the heat, racers like to repeak the pack, that way it'll have a little more juice. Consider repeaking 15 minutes before your heat. that'll give you adequate time to charge and get your wiring and what not all ready.