Battery thread

i'm thinking about putting one of these in my miata.

http://www.ballisticparts.com/products/batteries/16cell.php

they weigh less than 4lbs. the AGM battery in there now weighs almost 25.

downsides?

And to crib on this one because I'm pontificating the same type of question...

What's the best dual-purpose battery? My car usually only goes out for autocrosses, but I like to drive it to work once a week and we tend to take it into the city for dinner, so the battery actually has to work every time. Best trade off between lighter weight (have a factory lead acid in there now) and still have regular performance?

I've been using this in my car since the summer.

Worked fine in sub zero degree C temps, and my car has 12-1 compression, so it doesn't start too easily.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/200538709020?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648#ht_2323wt_1165

Less than 2 lbs

I use this one in my bike

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/4S1P-13-2V2300mah-A123-original-Battery-RC-hobby-/200660241104?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item2eb8484ad0#ht_3141wt_1165

Approximately 1/2 a lb.

I run these batteries in all my cars.. they have to start summer (100+ degress) and winter (below freezing) and being daily drivers.. they have all the lights and stuff that such a car needs.

odyessy 680

Do any of these wonder batteries work in below-freezing conditions? What about hot-starting a heat-soaked car doing dual-driver runs in 100 * heat in the summer?

mad_machine wrote: I run these batteries in all my cars.. they have to start summer (100+ degress) and winter (below freezing) and being daily drivers.. they have all the lights and stuff that such a car needs. odyessy 680

but that battery weighs FOUR TIMES as much as the one I posted

I know it does.. but the output is similar. Just saying it works well in all temps

I recently purchased a pair of Deka AGM batteries... one ETX16 for the Merkur (17 lbs, $70 shipped), one ETX30L for the Mustang (21 lbs, $100 shipped). No, they're not the lightest batteries out there, but they're significantly lighter than the lead acid batteries that were in the cars. BTW, these are the exact same batteries that an oh-so-popular in GRM circles battery company rebrands as their own and sell for 2-3 times as much.

Now, I can see the value of a 3-4 lbs battery in hardcore ultra-lightweight race cars, but for a car that sees day to day driving, weekend auto-x/rally-x, letting the fans run to cool down the car, etc., I'm okay a bit more heft for less than 1/3 the price.

In reply to darkbuddha:

I hear you! That's what I'm looking for, that low-hanging fruit. IIRC, my battery weighs 38Lbs, so dropping 15Lbs for essentially the same price (and no drop in usability) would be a no-brainer, but spending $200 more dollars for the next 15Lbs seems a little ridiculous, especially when I still have A/C, a radio, power windows, glass, a roof, etc...

belteshazzar wrote: i'm thinking about putting one of these in my miata. http://www.ballisticparts.com/products/batteries/16cell.php they weigh less than 4lbs. the AGM battery in there now weighs almost 25. downsides?

I was about to try it out after my Odyssey 680 died prematurely but the Odyssey reps (PPS) sent me a new 680 for free so I'm good for 2 or 3 years, But pulling 30 lbs. out of a lighter car is good stuff, not to mention the extra room.

My PC680 died pretty early too. I got two years out of it. I'm convinced it was the cold.

^^^ this ^^^

I've had this in my CRX for as long as I've had the car ( it came in it ) I've had to charge it once when the car had sat too long in sub-freezing temps

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680series.htm

I have a PC680 in the Seven. It's been flawless for years. I do have a battery cut-off on the car so there's no drain, but even after the car's been sitting for a year I just flip the switch and it's alive.

I also had one in the Targa Miata for about three years. I pulled it when I installed the V8. No problems with the battery at all, but that's never been a winter car.

darkbuddha wrote: BTW, these are the exact same batteries that an oh-so-popular in GRM circles battery company rebrands as their own and sell for 2-3 times as much.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Braille Battery tool tip or whatever you call it caused a change in the way I looked at GRM.

wbjones and Keith, seems that a mild drain is a real killer. I have one of their little chargers but should have bought the one that can be left attached. Turns off and on when needed.

I think a mild drain and the brutal summers did the first one in. They told me the heat reduces life. Possibly leaving the hatch open every night increased the drain, not sure? The hatch light is turned off.

The Ballistic dealer said theirs are immune to the heat but sensitive to the cold.

Osterkraut wrote:

darkbuddha wrote: BTW, these are the exact same batteries that an oh-so-popular in GRM circles battery company rebrands as their own and sell for 2-3 times as much.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Braille Battery tool tip or whatever you call it caused a change in the way I looked at GRM.

What is the tip?

darkbuddha wrote: Now, I can see the value of a 3-4 lbs battery in hardcore ultra-lightweight race cars, but for a car that sees day to day driving, weekend auto-x/rally-x, letting the fans run to cool down the car, etc., I'm okay a bit more heft for less than 1/3 the price.

I DD my car, and it takes a beating, especially in the cooler weather, and you'd never know it has anything smaller than a stock sized battery.

I ran a lawnmower battery in my MR2 for a bit over a year without problems. $35 from Sears. No large stereo tho.

Those lighter-weight batteries can have trouble with current in the cold, however just triggering a current draw with a longer attempted crank will warm up the cells enough to provide starting amperage. I use a Shorai 18Ah -Pb-eq battery that weighs 2lbs in my Civic. Their amp-hour ratings aren't directly comparable to a lead acid battery, thus the Pb-eq ratings. Another thing is, most of the manufacturers recommend a battery disconnect as opposed to trickle charging these LiFePO4 batteries.

My 680 started my ZX2SR at -14F. Slow but it did it.

I didn't know canoes took batteries.

Found a solar powered one.. but no batteries

BTW, not that anyone cares, but I got the Deka installed in the XR using a couple framing brackets, piece of thick galvanized strapping, and a couple j-hooks... total cost $7. Cheaper than those very cool, but too expensive fancy aluminum mounts.

I also have the 14# DEKA (not sure of the model #) , it was about $70 mail order. Walmart has an excellent selection of AGM "power sport" batteries (meant for bikes, jet skis etc) in a variety of sizes for a reasonable price.

Regarding cranking, i can crank for 2 - 3 minutes at 40F (~5C) before the voltage starts to drop off measurably. I'm really surprised by how much juice these little dudes can give.

Here's a poor quality pic of my install. I bought the top plate from the FLAPS for about $6, and used threaded rod, a couple of washers and nuts to mount it. There is a small base plate welded from scrap angle iron. About $15 or so total. (pardon the wires, I've since redone them)

darkbuddha - where did you get the battery posts from? they look a lot better than the $3 Walmart ones I have.

fifty wrote: darkbuddha - where did you get the battery posts from? they look a lot better than the $3 Walmart ones I have.

Amazon, 100% brass, $8: http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Battery-Terminal-Odyssey-Batteries/dp/B0002ZR4UC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1329610829&sr=8-8 . They were on sale with free shipping when I bought them. I did press them out of the plastic bases the were mounted in. Braille, Shuriken, Odyssey, etc. all use the same kinda posts, but they all seem to want a whole heckuva lot more for 'em though.