1p A123 in my buggy... Enough?

The only thing that I see missing is accounting for the voltage drop of the A123s under load. Running them in a 1P configuration is going to drop the voltage to a point where you aren't going to realize the rated capacity of the A123 pack. I'm thinking that your runtime is going to be more like 6 or 7 minutes, but that's just a guesstimate. I'd go for the 2P setup. It's an extra 280 grams, but I think it would be worth it and you'd still reach your goal of a milder race setup.

[zeropointbug]

You know what, I think 5s setup would work for you better, just taking into account the voltage drop you will see, the voltage should be roughly 12 volts at a 80-90 amp burst. With my MAXX truck, I consistently get 135 amp bursts.

I never got a chance to do an Eagletree test with 5s1p compared to 5s2p. But I did run it, and I can say the punch was a lot less, particularly at speed, but I would be drawing 130 amps peaks, that's heavy duty for 2300mAh!

Maybe just make temporary 4s pack, see how it performs, if it needs a little more, then add the extra cell? :032:

HERE is a Eagletree of my truck with 5s2p A123, Quark/7XL, geared 18/51, and hard bashing.