C Rates. What is the deal?

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slick2500

slick2500

Anything will break if you drive it wrong enough.
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C rates are the little numbers printed on the sides of every single lipo battery. In theory that number is supposed to represent the discharge rate of the cells. But as the following threads show those numbers actually do not mean anything when it comes to real world testing.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3190743-ADVANCED-Electronics-Tutorial-(Why-LiPo-C-Ratings-are-Fake)

https://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-electronics/1009300-warning-lipo-c-discharge-ratings-invalid.html

http://www.thercnetwork.com/rc-cars/lipo-battery-c-ratings/

http://rctruckstop.com/2019/09/25/expert-answers-on-lipo-batteries/

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1767093-Battery-Load-Test-Comparisons



This video is to show what effect the c rate can have on the power output of your batteries.


Ps I couldn't really think of a good thread title for this.
 
Last edited:
I don't even pay attention to C rates anymore. I buy quality lipos with highest claimed C rate. For instance all my lipos are 5400 90c SMCs, don't care about the inflated C rate as long as there not truly 25C.
 
arrmadillo said:
I don't even pay attention to C rates anymore. I buy quality lipos with highest claimed C rate. For instance all my lipos are 5400 90c SMCs, don't care about the inflated C rate as long as there not truly 25C.
Click to expand...

If they are a TRUE 25C, then chances are, they will be fine in our RC cars. I had a pair of those SMC 5000mah 90C "True Spec Premium" 135a packs. Do the math, and they are 27C, assuming the 135a is true. But, both of mine puffed bad in my Arrma 6s trucks.

I also have a pair of Turnigy (blue)3s 25c 5000mah lipos. The RCGroups gang had tested them, and found they were a TRUE 25c-28c lipo. I have been running them in my Granite (as 3s) and in my 6s trucks, no issues. No, they don't have the "Bang" that my Graphines have, but they seems solid.
 
r4nd0m said:
well, if you have a charger that provides the ohms you can check the actual C rating http://jj604.com/LiPoTool/

at my club we got a Wayne Giles ESR meter and check the resistance on a new pack and after 10 runs to see how they keep up ...
this gives you at least a closer "real" rating ...
Click to expand...
The IR / Wayne Giles method does not work for Graphine-style lipos, FYI...
 
slick2500 said:
Really?
Click to expand...
Yup. When the first Turnigy Graphines were released, there was a bit of a throw down between the load testers and the IR testers. Took a while before the IR only guys believed the Graphine packs were really as good as they are, because their IR was "too high" to make the amps claimed by the load test guys.

At least, that is how I remember it. But that was a while back. I could be getting foggy.
 
Jerry-rigged said:
Yup. When the first Turnigy Graphines were released, there was a bit of a throw down between the load testers and the IR testers. Took a while before the IR only guys believed the Graphine packs were really as good as they are, because their IR was "too high" to make the amps claimed by the load test guys.

At least, that is how I remember it. But that was a while back. I could be getting foggy.
Click to expand...
You know now that you mention this I vaguely remember that thread from URC from when they first came out.
 
 
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