Looking for so,e recommends on a rc....must haves...
$600ish RTR, that's lipo packs, controller and all
4wd
I had traxxas jato 2.5 nitro 2wd back about 10 years ago, ran about 55. Speed wise I would like that, minimum.

The little research I've done says anything ARMA is pretty much gtg and has a class leading 2 year warranty but makes me wonder if that's because you'll need it or just good customer service. Imho from the traxxas I've ran of friends, they're overrated, but those opinions were formed 10 years ago and I'm thinking of getting back into it (100% basher, hence why I'm staying away from nitro this go, I need simple/quick/reliable).
TIA

Traxxas Slash 4x4 brushless several body styles available

Traxxas TRX4 bushless

As a hobby shop owner it is the one brand that we carry that has the least / no problems out of the box and Traxxas support to the dealer and end user is the best in the industry.

Both of those only run about 35 with standard gears and the battery/ charging system is sold separately. Is a true "ready to run, just add controller AAs and charge that runs 50+ bone stock on provided lipos not a thing?

You're going to want to upgrade to a better charger anyway.

Can I buy a 6s car and run a single 3s battery and upgrade to bigger/better batteries later?

High power stampedes are a lot of fun. I had a roller I ended up with and dropped in a waterproof esc and motor combo (turnigy 5200kv) that was pretty cheap and it's a blast, especially in the snow. I geared it pretty tall for top speed and it does cog slightly at low speed (it is sensorless...), but I haven't had much issue with it.



I'm sure you could build it much fancier, but for not a ton of money it's one of my favorite bashing setups.

Traxxas slash 4x4 VXL with stability management goes for about $400. Will do 60 on a 3S 5000mAh lipo. You can find batts and chargers all over eBay and Amazon. You will need adaptors for any batteries that are not from traxxas as they use proprietary plugs now. Arrma is stepping into the game and is a good option. I like the spectrum radios they are including. A buddy has the arrma senton and has had a few problems. ESC burned up quick, bad motor bearings, and a few other things but arrma has done right through the warranty.

ETA: I guess 60mph does also require regearing sooo...

I've got one of these (ARRMA Notorious), and it's at the upper end of your budget, beyond with batteries, but it is a freakin beast!

Can you give me a noob rundown on how these batteries work?
I.e...
Different styles of connectors?
3s vs 6s
Different tech (lipo vs ?)

They're all lipos now pretty much. S number is the number of cells in series. Think how many AA batteries are in your remote, AAs have a nominal voltage of 1.5V, so two batteries make 3V when put in series. Lipo cells have a nominal voltage of 3.7V, so 2S is 7.4V. And 3S is 11.1V, 4S is 14.8V and so on.

The AH (Amp-Hour) rating on the battery is how long each cell can deliver a certain current (Amps being current and hours being the time it can deliver them) or per cell capacity, sometimes expressed as mAH (milliamp-Hour) which is just 1/1000th of an AH, thanks metric system. Just like the AA example if a single cell holds 5AH worth of capacity, going to a 2S will double the size of your pack, but the cell capacity stays the same. So even though your battery pack has doubled in size and you've doubled the stored energy, it's important to remember the AH stays the same because putting them in series changed the voltage not the current from the cells.

The other rating is the C rating which is just the maximum discharge rate expressed as a multiple of the capacity, unless you're pushing limits on batteries you can usually ignore this as most batteries are rated far higher than most cars can draw, but higher number means capable of more discharge current

Cool so on the arma example its rated as a 6s car but you can run a single 3s, 4s, or 6s?
Also I'm seeing ic5 and esc connector? Are those the main 2 and any rhyme or reason to what uses which?
Recommended a particular charger?

According to their spec page on the car they specify to use a 4-6S battery. Since it is a dual battery pack (look at the instruction manual) they are assuming you'd buy two 2S or 3S battery packs. Just like AAs you'd put the two packs in series to get 4S or 6S.

I don't know if you could get away with a 3S or not since it's set up for a dual battery, you'd essentially have to run one battery and short the other connector. The ESC says it takes the 3S, I assume it would work though https://www.arrma-rc.com/part/AR390211IC.

For the Notorious they say:

Needed to complete:
(2) 2-3S LiPo Batteries OR (1) 4-6S LiPo Battery with XT90 Connectors

So two 2S or 3S batteries.
or
A single 4S or 6S battery.

I've got adapters on the truck to run Traxxas batteries, and use a Traxxas charger. I take it easy on the full throttle, and limit it to bursts, since they're 25C, and the truck calls for 30 or 35C (rate at which the truck can pull current vs. what the batteries are rated to put out).

Yea so i was curious about that. I've been doing a LOT of research...
So if minimum needed specs were 35c, 4000 mah, with a 20%punch rating
And you bought one a high end graphene 100c, 8000 mah, 60% punch rating
That would be more better or a waste?
(All numbers exaggerated for illustration purposes)

I hear the servis on these tend to have issues/ break servo savers because of the bigger tires and feel wildly uncontrollable (like 2wd all the time). Thoughts?

Hey also can anyone tell me why arrma discontinued the 6s senton? I know they have the Mojave now, but that's 1/7 instead of 1/10. I'm thinking with the weight difference the 6s power difference should be substantial.

The biggest difference between those batteries you hypothetically mentioned would be the double capacity (and thus run time). A C rating that is far too low may have a bigger voltage dip under high current load with high draw motors and be slightly sluggish under full throttle especially from a stand still.