I have come to realize that all batteries, regardless of mah value are not created equal. Two (very experienced) drivers at the local track have told me that the Radio Shack Green 600mah batteries are the best.
I don't know if it's coincidence but I have one pack of Energizer 700mah and about six packs of Rayovac 700mah, and the Energizers are quite a bit faster.
Run time is not an issue, as long as it's eight minutes.
As a secondary issue, is there a way to easily test batteries to see which are better ? I have measured voltage and there is some difference but very little. One of the drivers that recommended the Radio Shack batteries said it was because of internal resistance.
I'm not sure that NiCd produce more power than the other types. All rechargables produce the same volts. But I would recommend NiMH type batteries. They last longer than NiCd and they have no memory effect.
Ni-Cds have lower internal resistance. For e.g Sanyo 1000 mah (AA sized battery, sorry, I have no experience in AAA size batteries), has an internal resistance of 19 milli ohms. But GP 1600 mah AA sized batteries has 25 milli ohms. Now the difference may not sound nor look like a lot, but when you are talking about 1/12 size RC racing (no, I don't race these either, I race mini-4wds) the difference can be felt. Ni-Cds have less run time but definitely more power. They can easily compenstate for the power needed when cornering hard or braking, and the acceleration is better than Ni-Mh.
So it goes with you that should you race long distance type tracks (lots of straights and very little curves) you should use Ni-Mh, but if you race tech tracks (tons of curves and so on) you should use Ni-Cds.
BTW what is the maximum capacity of Ni-Cd AAA batteries?
Nerdcase: NiCad AAAs are usually 250mAh. Kinesthesia: NiMH last longer but NiCads have more punch; if you're only running 8 minute races the NiCads will give you a pretty good performance increase over those using NiMH.
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