Lipo Shootout 3 – Driving Tests
BigSquidRC 4S Lipo Battery Shootout- On Track Driving Test
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what any numerical data may say, what really matters is how a battery feels while being driven. In our on track driving tests, we utilize 3 different test drivers, all with vastly different tastes. We were not looking to find out which battery would provide the fastest lap time, we wanted to find out which battery actually “felt” the fastest.
This is a blind test, none of the 3 test drivers knew which battery was inside the car to eliminate brand prejudice. Our test platform was the Hot Bodies Ve8. The Ve8 was using a Castle 2200 kv motor and Monster speedo. The test venue was Deweys RC in Springfield Illinois, which is a dirt off road track, and each test driver drove each battery till they were satisfied they had a good feel for how fast it was, then the next pack was installed and the process was repeated.
| Points/Rating | Manufacturer/Battery |
|---|---|
| 1(3) | ACE 5000 |
| 2(8) | Thunder Power 5300 |
| 3(10) | Checkpoint 5400 |
| 4(11) | Venom 5000 |
| 5(13) | Turnigy 4500 |
Remember: The tests are all scored by points, lowest to highest. The lower the score the better, like a game of golf.
Below is the rankings from each separate driver-
Editor Brian–
1. Ace
2. Thunder Power
3. CheckPoint
4. Venom
5. Turnigy
Test Guy Jim–
1. Ace
2. Venom
3. Thunder Power
4. Turnigy
5. CheckPoint
Cubby–
1. Ace
2. CheckPoint
3. ThunderPower
4. Turnigy
5. Venom
It’s pretty obvious who won this category, the Ace, and it’s the first pack in any of our Lipo shootouts to have been picked unanimously by all 3 test drivers. I can say first hand that the Ace felt like it was subtly a bit punchier from a dead stop, and it seemed like it was easier for me to triple into the whoop-de-do section with.
