Is A Higher C Rating Better? [2023 Guide]

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What is the C Rating?

While you are buying a lipo battery you will find a C rating on them. Basically, C rating on the lipo battery representing the maximum safe discharge rate of the battery. C-rating can be between 30C to 60C+.  Also, there are different C rating values available outside this range. It’s just an example value. You can notice a C rating mark on the front side of the battery pack. Hope you find the C rating on your expected lipo model.

Other C Rating

LiPo batteries typically contain other types of C rating but they do not highlight it. This additional C rating is also essential for charging the lipo battery correctly.

Charge rate C rating

There is some premier charger that supports a quick charging facility. As a result, it reduces your charging time. To make sure whether you can use a quick charger in your battery you must verify the charge rate. It is your charge rate that needs to verify it. Lipos traditional charge rate was 1c. Now the charge rate varies from 2C to 15C. The higher the charge rate indicates the more quickly you can charge. Typically I don’t suggest using a charger of more than 5C to avoid issues.

Peak discharge C rating

The liPo battery C rating also indicates the maximum peak discharge rate. While you are buying a battery is also essential to consider the maximum peak discharge rate. It is not displayed on the battery peak. Generally, peak ratings are between 50-100% greater than the maximum continuous discharge rate.

How to find maximum discharge rate using C Rating?

Actually, maximum discharge depends vastly on the battery capacity.  The higher the capacity on the battery increases the probability of a higher discharge rate. First, see your battery capacity & convert it mAh to Ah. Next it is time to take the maximum discharge rate. Now multiply the maximum discharge rate with the capacity to find the max continuous discharge ratio.

For example, here I consider the Hexfly lipo battery with 3600mAh capacity & 25C discharge rate.

Now, max discharge rate= 3.6 Ah * 25 C = 90 Amps.

Now, first, convert 3600mAh capacity into 3.6 Ah.

This indicates the Hexfly battery pack is capable of providing 90A continuously. So, the high discharge C rating means it can release more energy within a short duration. If you want high power loads for instance accelerating a car then a high C rating is essential.

What C rating is good for my battery?

A battery pack with the highest C rating is always good for your battery & power system. It helps to keep your battery healthy & ensure peak performance. The ideal discharge rate is over 30%. Suppose your maximum power discharge rate is 90 amps. Then your battery should deliver 30% more like 120 total amps.

Final Thought

Now you got your answer: is a higher c rating better or not. I try to explain why a high c rating is good for the battery. Besides, C rating you should consider battery sizes, price, and capacity to buy the best & right battery. If you follow the above tricks then you can buy a worthy battery pack for RC cars.

Don’t forget the best C rating value typically allows a 30% overhead discharge rate while buying a battery. A low discharge rate helps to extend your run time. Yet it is good to buy a high c rating but doesn’t cross the 30% limit as it reduces run time.