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Rc cars are some of the most fun, exciting things to play with. There are many different RC car brands that you can purchase depending upon how advanced you are.
They range in price from just a few dollars to the most expensive being over $1,000.00! Not all RC cars are made of the same material which is why some are more expensive than others.
Although there are two main types of RC cars (nitro and battery) most people purchase the battery operated ones. This it’s because they are cheaper to operate as well as cheaper to purchase.
Most RC cars have a different size battery depending upon how big the RC car is and what brand it is. The average time to charge an RC battery pack is 45-60 minutes. This is because most companies will include a battery charger that is bigger if you have a bigger battery so the charging time falls into the average.
People who purchase an RC car to use for fun do not want to spend hours waiting on their car to charge. This is the main reason companies will include either a smaller battery or a faster charger so people do not have to wait hours before they can use their RC car again.
To see the most popular RC cars currently on the market just click here.
A good RC car doesn’t have to cost a fortune. This 1/16 scale model is 4WD and can reach a top speed of almost 30 MPH!
With speeds like that and 4WD you can take this RC car almost anywhere!
How can I tell that my battery is fully charged?
Because overcharging a battery for your RC car is never a good thing, many people want to know how they can tell if their RC car battery is fully charged. No one wants to overcharge their battery and possibly damage it, or undercharge it and not get the full use out of it.
You can easily tell that your battery is fully charged because when you go to charge your RC car battery and you plug it into a charger normally the green light will begin flashing to let you know that the battery is charging. When the battery is fully charged the light will be a continuous greenlight rather than a blinking one.
Other battery chargers have a red and a green light on them. When you plug-in a battery that is not fully charged it will turn on the red light and when it is done charging it will turn on the green light and the red light will turn off. This is another way to tell that your battery is fully charged if you have this type of charger.
Thankfully today most chargers automatically stop charging your RC car battery so you do not over charge the battery and cause damage to it. The last thing anyone wants to do is to damage their battery on their RC car by overcharging it.
Do RC car batteries go bad?
If you own an RC car you may be worried about your battery going bad. Well some people worry about this, it does not even cross other people’s minds.
RC car batteries can go bad, and there are a couple ways to know if yours is bad or not. If your battery does not hold a charge and seems to always be dead then your RC car battery has gone bad. If your RC car battery ever swells up you should throw it out immediately since it’s also gone bad.
It is always good to inspect your battery every time that you charge it to make sure that there are no swollen parts on it. A swollen battery cannot only damage your RC car but it can also completely ruin it if it leaks or explodes.
Some people do not like to take the extra time to thoroughly inspect their battery when they charge it but would simply rather plug it in and then come back in 45 minutes or an hour to play with their RC car again. This is normally not a problem when you first get the car but the longer you own it, the more you need to complete routine inspections of the battery to avoid damage to your RC car.
What charger should I use on my RC car battery?
When you go to charge your RC car battery you may be wondering if there is one specific charger that is better than another? You may also wonder if your specific RC car battery needs a specific charger.
If your RC car comes with a battery charger you should always use that specific charger with that specific battery. This is because the charger that you use is designed to work with that specific battery.
If your RC car does not come with a battery charger, there are various ones that you can purchase that will charge any battery. The best RC car battery charger is the Traxxas ID battery charger.
When you plug in a battery to this battery charger it will automatically tell you what battery it is, how big it is, and the best way to charge it. It will then begin charging the battery at the proper rate once you push start on the charger.
Normally you will have to have a different battery charger for different types of batteries but that is not the case with this charger. If you’re looking to purchase this universal charger that can be used for any RC car battery you can find it by clicking here.
How can I make my RC car battery last longer?
If you cannot afford to purchase a bigger battery to put in your RC car or if you own a cheap RC car that cannot hold a bigger battery, then you probably want to know how to make it last longer. There are actually ways to extend the range of your battery.
The easiest way to make your RC car battery last longer is by not turning on your RC car until the moment you are ready to use it. The other way to make your RC car battery last longer is to ease into the throttle when you are starting instead of pulling the trigger all the way down immediately.
Most people do not think about it but they will flip their RC car on 10 to 15 minutes before they actually use it and although it does not use much battery it does take up battery for it to be on and connected. Going from 0 to 100% throttle quickly is another way that your battery gets drained faster.
If you slowly begin to pull the trigger your acceleration will be more gradual and you will see that your battery will last longer as it is not going to 100% capacity within a split second. You can see how true this is by simply looking at the Tesla vehicles that have launch control.
When you use launch control on a Tesla although it will be extremely fast off the line you will drain quite a bit of your battery compared to if you were just easy on the Accelerator. This is because pulling the 100% power from the battery at one time drains the battery faster.
Conclusion
Now that you know about RC cars and their battery packs you know exactly how long you need to charge them before your battery is full. Everyone wants to make sure that their battery is fully charged and now that you know how, you will never again have to worry about your battery being dead again when you take it off the charger.
No matter what type of RC car you own, if it is battery operated you will need to charge it before you use it. Once it is charged you can use the RC car and have fun with it for many hours to come.