Lipo C rating ?'s

[gunch]

So, C ratings, lipos, etc, all confusing to me. But if I ran a 5000mah 20c, it gives the same amount of amps as a 4000mah 25c, correct? So does that mean that they are going to give the same amount of power or is one stronger than the other. Also, how does c rating affect run time? Would these batteries last the same amount of time in theory?

[indiana mudcat]

They would both pass 100 amps of power, the 5000 would run longer though. In theory if the 4000 ran for 4 hours the 5000 would run 5.

[Summit2150]

The capacity and therefore runtime is mostly governed by the .... capacity ;) which is the "mah" rating (milliamp hour) so a 4000 should last longer than a 5000 mah... assuming they both are under the same load/amp draw condition.

[Lorents]

so a 4000 should last longer than a 5000

You probably mean that 5000 should last longer than a 4000, right?

Oh, even if the lipos can pass bursts of 100A your ESC is probably not rated for 100A bursts. Hehe, one horsepower for rating electric motors is 746 watts. in theory 100A at 2S = 700ish watt = close to one horsepower (if we disregard resistance in leads, ESC and motor, ...).

[oldhippie]

Originally Posted by gunch

So, C ratings, lipos, etc, all confusing to me. But if I ran a 5000mah 20c, it gives the same amount of amps as a 4000mah 25c, correct? So does that mean that they are going to give the same amount of power or is one stronger than the other. Also, how does c rating affect run time? Would these batteries last the same amount of time in theory?

In theory both batteries will provide the same output/power/100amps. The larger 5000mah battery will give a longer runtime (last longer), even with the smaller C. C rating really has nothing to do with runtime (as long as the draw remains under rated output).
The problem is that there are no standards for C rating and different manufacturers/brands rate their batteries differently. Some even list the burst rating as the battery C rating (Just to confuse ya some more). It really is a "buyer beware" thing and I recommend sticking with name brands. I like Hyperion and Thunder Power but some folks swear by cheap turnigy/rhino/zippys from China.

[gunch]

Cool, thanks everyone, I thinks its starting to make a little more sense.