Hey, been on the site for a while but can't seem to remember my user name and/or password since the new site went up (darn). Anyways....
I purchased a Braille 11.5lbs battery along with a snazzy aluminum mount to go in my Sentra. I want to mount it behind the passenger seat. I have been reading up on other forums about what cable to use and other parts I need but everyone says something different. I was hoping the GRM community could give me some advice.
So far I learned that I should run 2 gauge wire, ground it to the frame, and use a circuit breaker in the engine bay. What I don't know is where to get a good circuit breaker and how everything should finally come together. Or if I need that stuff to begin with. Any kind of safety parts needed int the passenger area around the battery? Any advice would be welcome. Thanks!
You'll need a vented battery box to put it in if you ever plan to compete and just as a good safety precaution. I think Summit sells some that should work for you.
The one from Summit is a huge eyesore. I'll shop around and find one that neatly fits around the Braille. Don't get me wrong, the Sentra isn't a show car, its just that the Braille is probably the nicest part I've ever bought for the car!
isn't that battery a drycell? Why would you need a vented box?
and yes, that summit box IS an eyesore.. especially when you consider how small the braille battery is
Some orginizations don't allow the battery in the passenger compartment.
SVreX
SuperDork
6/14/08 9:32 a.m.
IIRC there is only one battery box that technically meets the rules of both the SCCA and the NHRA. It is a poly box made by Moroso,
That probably doesn't matter unless you are competing in both.
Or if you want to do the Challenge completely legal.
SVreX
SuperDork
6/14/08 9:36 a.m.
I should add something...
You said safely.
Make sure the battery is properly bolted down. Just putting it IN a box isn't enough, and screwing the box to the floor isn't enough either. A bungee is definitely not good enough.
A battery is a pretty hefty projectile in a crash.
And for race-legelness,(NHRA at least) you need an external battery kill switch with a relocated battery
EPcivic
New Reader
6/14/08 10:50 a.m.
It's 11 lbs - why bother relocating it? You're going to add about 5lbs in cable and whatnot to put it in the back - is it really worth it? Mounting a battery inside the car is something that is rarely done in a safe way. The mount needs to be very sturdy, and the breaker or fusible link needs to be within a few inches of the battery, not under the hood. If the cable from the battery rubs through at the firewall or somehow gets pinched inside the car, you want the overload to operate
-Chris
Eventually the car will compete in Time Trials, however as of now its for back road adventures.
It will be bolted down quite securely with the aluminum mount I purchased and some extra hardware.
The reason I want it out of the engine bay is 1) Yeah, its 11.5 lbs but thats 11.5lbs on the nose. 2) I want to get rid of as much clutter as possible.
I figured the breaker needed to be close to the battery. I read an install that said otherwise that had me guessing though. So if I ever needed to jumpstart the battery I would do so off the alternator?
as for jumping it, I think the early stratus/breeze had remote mount batteries, so it had dedicated jumper points under the hood, Could be worth looking in to.
