Losing performance due to weight is virtually non-existent in 5 or 6 cell mods. My friends all have either 5 or 6 cell mods and handling accerlaration are all fine and the car isn't that much heavier (slightly with the 6 cell)
Where the issue of weight and performance comes into play is when people start going 7 or 8 cell....then you might as well just go with liths.
Imo 5 and 6 cell is a great intro mod
As far as battery life....it's not unreasonable for the batts to only last 20 mins or so. 20-30 mins is the most common range that I've heard.
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