[eovnu87435ds]

as far as i have heard... you want to check to see that your cells are balanced often... if you aren't running it for a while, I would at least check once or twice a week... if you see that one a cell starts to drop lower and quicker than the others, it may be the sign of a pack going bad, and you wouldnt want it to take down your other cells... your hyperion chargers should have a discharge and storage discharge mode, so that should be pretty clear cut. I have heard that you do not need to discharge your lipo for long periods of time if you keep it in a place where the temperature barely/rarely changes, like a closet or some place indoors. other things that could help extend your life is to keep your lipo from being damaged. building/buying a protective battery tray, using some soft foam inserts, etc. while running will keep your lipo away from most damage. hard-cased lipos are great in the sence that they have more protection than just heatshrink. also, check Brian's speed calculator, and check your gearing. depending on the discharge rating of your lipo(C rating), it could be very easy to be pulling wayy more amperage than your lipo allows for. if overgearing doesn't kill your lipo, it certainly will shorten it's lifespan. hope this helps

Also, i havent tried any seperate balancers(i always balance while charging) but i heard the astro blinky is really good