Expected run time for LNC with 5000mah Lipo

[Cunninghams]

Looking to upgrade my battery from a 3000mah nimh. Around how much run time would I get with a 5000mah lipo?

[mudholestomper]

2 cell or 3 cell

The only insight I can give you is, when my LNC was completely stock except for a no-name, Chinese brushed esc, I only ran it using a 2200mah, 3 cell, 20-30c turnigy battery and it would run so long I'd lose interest after 30-45 minutes

I'd remove the battery and test each cell with a decent quality multimeter at the balance plug and each cell would still have 3.6 - 3.8 volts - I didn't have the means to test the remaining capacity, but given the voltage readings, I (and I'm making an assumption here) feel I could have crawled around for at least another 30-45 minutes before the voltage got down near 3 volts/cell or 9 volts for the whole pack

based on my (rudimentary) understanding of the relationship between voltage, mah ratings, and C ratings, given equal ratings for a 2 cell and 3 cell, the 3 cell will far outlast a 2 cell under the same loads - if the mah and C ratings are identical for each battery, the 3 cell's higher voltage will allow it to drain slower - a 5000mah pack with a 30c rating can output 150amps maximum - but the 3 cell pack will need to deliver the 150 amps less often to achieve the RPMs from the motor than the 2 cell pack, thus the 3 cell pack will not slurp as much at the battery's capacity (mah)

I could be a bit off on that analysis, so if someone wants to correct it, please do! - and my analysis is pretty rough and does not take into account all of the other things that play a big role in run time, including (but not limited to) wire size/type, connectors used, esc and motor, vehicle weight, gearing, tire size, and friction related stuff

mudholestomper

[Olle P]

Mudholestomper got it about right.

My angle is that a smaller (read: lighter) battery will give you better crawling performance. 5000mAh is only good for trail runs where you don't need the obstacle crossing.
3S is out of question with the stock electronics.
A 2S 5000mAh battery should provide about twice your current run time, more if your current battery is actually well below 3000mAh.
~1500 mAh will give you half an hour of intense crawling, and then the worm drives should be allowed to cool down anyway.