hey guys most people know that cutting weight off a car makes it go faster. if you dont, well then maybe you need to get urself a barbie collection instead of a car.
i always try and think of ways to cut weight off our heavy ass pig cars. one big way is ditching the stock battery in favor of a smaller, lighter weight one right? from my findings most automotive batteries are around 30-40 pounds.
ive been hunting around for a lightweight battery but the ones i have found are still relatively heavy, have low cold cranking amp capability and are priced pretty high. having a lightweight battery is cool and beneficial sure but you've gotta be able to start the damn car!
now, i looked into lithium ion batteries and found the heaviest ones to be HALF, yes literally HALF the weight of the lightest lead type batteries. only problem was, WAYYYYY more expensive... til i ran across this battery company anyway. Shorai. they make lithium powersports (atv's, bike's, boats, etc.) batteries and are priced amazingly low compared to others i looked at. their most expensive one runs $350.00.
now, most of their's definitely wont work due to having such low cold cranking amp ability. however, i did find one that has 540 cca's. (still low i know but bare with me here). it's 12 volt and weighs an astonishing 5 pounds!!! (in comparison most lightweight lead odysee and braile batteries are 10-15 pounds)
i cant seem to find any reason why this battery will not work in a j-body... especially one like mine where its got no options and a lot of things deleted that draw power and require wiring. id still be running an alternator. i could see someone having trouble with high compression but that and other drawbacks are what id like to discuss here. if you have anything to add please do so.
so far i have...
pros:
saves around 30 pounds (mind you this is close to the weight you save deleting ur ac system)
smaller and easier to install
cons:
low cca rating
no factory waranty if used on a car (how they gonna prove it?)
Click here to go directly to the one i have in mind
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I would say that there are more companies out there that make these, can't remeber off the top of my head , but they are for automotive use.... haven't heard of this company yet....
Acutally come to think of it, this is an acid filled battery correct? Can't use it inside the car thats for sure... also if this is a powersports battery i used to sell them and max they put out like 240cca, no where near enough for the car and charging system... Will probley boil the acid at the amperage level you would run off a alternator.
jason norwood wrote:240cca, no where near enough for the car and charging system... Will probley boil the acid at the amperage level you would run off a alternator.
Not true, my odysee is only 220 cca's, ran my car fine for 4 years. i have since switched to the Braille no weight battery tho.
~2014 New Z under the knife, same heart different body~
______________________
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depends on the racing you are doing. I could have went race battery, but opted against it. Trying to keep as much weight up front as possible over the wheels, along with CCA's. Obviously the more you take off the front wheels the less traction you will get for drag racing anyway. Auto-x might make up the weight difference and use it to the advantage. But other than that I just have heard bad rumors about race batteries holding charges for only 3-4 days once they get a few months old. I mean I battery tend mine over winter which does help.
I looked into a company in Idaho I think it was that makes the capacitors for flashlights that go from 100% dead to fully charged in 90 seconds. I had briefly mentioned something to them about car batteries but not sure if it ever went any where. Its all done with ultracapacitors. would weigh nothing, fully charge in 90 seconds, take a charge a day for a lot of days.
Just some food for thought. the only issue I ran into with talking to them was charging it with the correct alternator and getting the voltage regulated out.
just got an email back....
Shorai wrote:Hi Brad,
We do not recommend using our batteries in automotive applications, as we have not yet certified them via testing. As such, there will be no warranty available, if you choose to use an LFX in an auto. FYI our LFX36 is only a 12Ah battery, and would not be an equivalent replacement for your application.
Thanks,
Shawn Higbee
Shorai Inc.
845 Stewart Dr. Suite D
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
what does he mean by "only a 12Ah".
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12 amp-hours.
I have no signiture
For a racecar, or mainly race use I say go for it, for a street car I do not see it worth it.
FU Tuning
You could always use two lightweight batteries together to get more cranking amps. You would still save a ton of weight, and start easily. Also might widen the search criteria to find one better suited for a car, vs using the powersport battery.
I know it works, i work on tractors mostly.. you can start most of them on one 12v battery, when conditions are in your favor. But if its slightly cold, forget about it. with the two 12's together its a world of difference.
lol mark read you fool i DID look into them. the equivilant braile battery to this one runs just shy of $1300 dollars. not kidding. it IS for an auto though... but no way im paying $1300 for a battery.
brian, ok.. elaborate? lol what does that mean exactly?
and yeah jordan i thought of doign two of their smaller even lighter ones in parellel also. they make some that go down to 1 pound each hahaha.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Friday, December 30, 2011 6:55 AM
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Ya Mark I agree, for me it would be a reliablity issue. I will stick with my orbital. Might weigh more but its reliable.
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:
brian, ok.. elaborate? lol what does that mean exactly?
If you are drawing a 12A load for 1 hour, the battery's usable charge will be depleted. In laymen terms, it's the capacity of the battery. By comparison, a little 9V lithium generally supports about 1200mAh (or 1.2 Ah).
If you're this desperate to lose the weight, either swiss cheese the chassis... or go on a diet.
I have no signiture
We have a lithium iron battery on the racecar. It weights 1.4 pounds, and it wired in poorly, yeah that 6 foot run of wire at 8 gauge was a good idea. It does only have to start a 500cc 2 cylinder, BUT it also has to turn the cvt AND get up to about 800 rpms for the thing to actually start. So I would think it would come close to starting the our car at least. They are about 150 irrc, and compatible with a normal charging system. Might have to wire 2 up in parallel but thats still lighter than the battery you're looking at, it was from turn tech but I dont see it on their site any more. Which is sad, it was in a delrin case, looked like their 2.5 Ah battery but bigger. BUT they also claim if you call them they will have 7.5 and 10 Ah batteries and stock and will make any custom battery you want. Cool thing about them, is that if they dont start on the first crank, each crank after that is stronger because the battery makes more voltage as it gets hotter, to a certain extent.
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2002 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport Coupe: In a Junk Yard
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-Z Yaaaa- wrote:lol ok so dont plan on cranking the starter for 61 minutes or more, gotcha! 
if you are pulling the max 540cca's, that's less than a minute and a half.
I have no signiture
Makes more power the more it warms up?? Interesting.. do you have a source for this I would like to read about it. I learned in a charging system class that the hotter the battery gets the lower the charge. This class was taught by Exide. Just wondering
Yes its quite odd isnt it? We were used to our normal lead acid batteries which would struggle to restart the car halfway through the race for the driver change because they would be over heated or even near melting the battery casing (I really want to give the team that decided to put the battery next to the turbo a piece of my mind). Here's the link to their faq,
http://www.turntechbattery.com/TurnTech%20Battery/FAQ.html
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Friday, December 30, 2011 4:42 PM
1994 Saturn SL2 Home Coming Edition: backup car
2002 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport Coupe: In a Junk Yard
1995 Mazda Miata R-package Class=STR
Sponsored by:
Kronos Performance
WPI Class of '12 Mechanical Engineering
WPI SAE Risk and Sustainability Management Officer
