I've bought a Rustler VXL a few week ago and I feel it needs something more than the stock NiMh battery. I am planning to buy a 2S LiPo but I am on a budget so don't plan to spend too much.

What brands should I look for? mAh? Discharge rate?

I have a AC680 charger so I believe that will handle well any type of 2S LiPo.

Also, concerning the safety of LiPos, what else do I need to buy (charging and storing)?
LiPo bag? Ammo box?
I live in an apartment with carpet everywhere so I think I need to store the LiPos properly.

Thanks!

Edit: I bought some Traxxas Female HC Connectors. If I buy a battery that has different connectors what do I do? Just cut and solder my Traxxas ones?

Never leave your battery unattended while charging. Yes a lipo sack is recommended especially if your in an apartment. Read your charger manual on how to charge your batteries and your in business

Originally Posted by mredzadventure

Never leave your battery unattended while charging. Yes a lipo sack is recommended especially if your in an apartment. Read your charger manual on how to charge your batteries and your in business

Yep, I've read that thing with don't charge Lipos unattended. I was looking at what other people did and I think that I will buy a small/medium size ammo box and make dividers for all the lipos that I'll have. Probably I'll get some cheap lipo sacks and put each battery in their own sack. I guess these two measures should keep my apartment safe for any unforeseen events. I heard that Lipos are quite safe but I've also heard the opposite so... I guess better safe than sorry.

I found so far a Gens Ace 2s 5000mAh 40C ~$35, and Turnigy 2s 5000mAh 50C - $23. Are these brands ok? Is one better than the other?

Gen's Ace has a better reputation. Turnigy can also be good, but quality control is not on the same level as Gen's Ace.

Lipo's are quite safe, when treated with respect. For cars, it's best to get hardcase packs, as the shell around the lipo protects it from impact from flying debris like small rocks etc, that the wheels may throw up. And you need to have a speed control with lipo saver or a seperate lipo saver, to prevent deep discharge.

Originally Posted by SoloProFan

Gen's Ace has a better reputation. Turnigy can also be good, but quality control is not on the same level as Gen's Ace.

Lipo's are quite safe, when treated with respect. For cars, it's best to get hardcase packs, as the shell around the lipo protects it from impact from flying debris like small rocks etc, that the wheels may throw up. And you need to have a speed control with lipo saver or a seperate lipo saver, to prevent deep discharge.

What type of problems does Turnigy have with quality control? Their batteries not being safe (fires, etc) or just their mAh or discharge rate not being accurate?

You might occasionally get a battery that's d.o.a. Meaning that it's puffed and damaged. The nanotechs are nice and the gens ace are as well. Zippy and turnigy are good too.

Originally Posted by cristian9509

What type of problems does Turnigy have with quality control? Their batteries not being safe (fires, etc) or just their mAh or discharge rate not being accurate?

Some don't last as long or don't perform as well as others from a different batch. You can use them safely, but you don't always get the performance you expect.

Originally Posted by SoloProFan

Some don't last as long or don't perform as well as others from a different batch. You can use them safely, but you don't always get the performance you expect.

Gotcha!

I am down to two options right now: either Turnigy nano-tech ~5000mAh or Gens Ace.

Any reviews on the nano-tech Turnigy?

nano techs are amazing gens ace suck i will never buy them ever again buy the nano tech

Originally Posted by cristian9509

Gotcha!

I am down to two options right now: either Turnigy nano-tech ~5000mAh or Gens Ace.

Any reviews on the nano-tech Turnigy?

the nanotechs i have for my MERV rock. Tons of power and ~25 minute runtimes.

yeah i have noticed extermly good run times out of my nano techs too

Originally Posted by rustlererad3

yeah i have noticed extermly good run times out of my nano techs too

Anything over 18-20 minutes with my stock NiMh 3000mAh works. And I guess I can't even compare the power of LiPo with NiMh! Haven't made any run with LiPo yet so I'm eager to get one and bash the Rustler...

my 5000's last like 30 minutes in my rusty and i run talons on mine

Originally Posted by rustlererad3

nano techs are amazing gens ace suck i will never buy them ever again buy the nano tech

Opinions seem to vary: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1798097

Originally Posted by rustlererad3

nano techs are amazing gens ace suck i will never buy them ever again buy the nano tech

Go read some battery tests on how the nano-techs perform under load, they're usually worse than the regular turnigy packs and definitely not worth the extra cost of plain turnigy packs.

A guy that goes by "Diesel6401" has done a couple really thorough tests on a whole pile of batteries and the nano-techs definitely didn't perform well at all.