Ironman88

Up to now I've not taken the time to educate myself on battery technology. Anytime I've needed a battery in the past, I've always just replaced with the standard lead-acid ones.

You've brought up a good point and I think the next time around I'll go with an AGM battery instead.

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/...s-the-big-deal

Petza914

I have them in all my cars, my boat, and even my dirtbike with electric start now. The one in my 997 I installed in 2013. The one in my wife's in 2014. When one of these finally dies, I'll buy the new yellow top H6 version. The Yellow Top is a hybrid between the red top starting battery and the blue top deep cycle battery so it handles being further depleted and recovering better. I now have a yellow top in my Mom's Infiniti, in my GMC Sierra with 200k miles, in my 914, and in the boat. I'll be putting one into my daughter's BMW X5 before winter too.

Here's the new H6 that I think will work in a 997.

Mike Murphy

Cost of jump start (battery or roadside assistance): $70-$150
Time lost/inconvenience: n/a
Weight savings: n/a
Cost of regular battery: $80-$150
15% off: $100-$200

So now the real cost of an AG battery is a $650.

It’s steep unless you factor in the weight savings, which is easily worth it. What’s a carbon fiber hood, lightweight seats, etc.?

lexhair

Good stuff right here.

Antigravity

We appreciate the dialog.... a few things to add...

1- We are totally understanding the expense thing. Lithium is not sold in the quantities of Lead/Acid, and it a newer technology that is more expensive to manufacture being it has a circuit board inside of the battery, as well as lithium cells that are expensive. But on another note we are 30% less on average than our competitors, but provide a much higher level of technology. So in this growing niche market we are lowing prices for this type of product.

2- We are not really $1000 dollars as you suggested unless you go with our largest model possible, but that would provide your with literally twice the energy density and usable capacity of your typical Lead/Acid Battery (or the Optima). Meaning you could let you car sit almost twice as long in storage without any charging.. But you do not need to go with our highest priced model by any means. We have Models from $650 upto $950, and you can get the average model around $650 and it will beat the pants off a Lead Battery.

3- I see you are stating you are getting 7-12 year from your batteries. That is truly fantastic and I would never change that. But in reality the modern AGM Battery, is designed to give about 3 to 4 years of lifespan in most cases, and that is actually based on the fact that they for the last several year the Lead Manufacturers started using less pure lead, and making the plates and interconnectors thinner. And Optima is NOT what an Optima used to be. But AGM or FLA are still a fine bargain for a battery... but it isn't really a 7-12 year battery in this day and age. Manufacturers don't operate like that anymore unfortunately, they want recurring revenue streams, so making 7 year batteries does not allow for that.

4- Value is in the eyes of the beholder absolutely. For some a battery is just a product that starts the Car. For others, and with our Lithium it becomes a safety feature that prevents being stranded, it also offers a lightweight performance benefit. I am willing to bet that 99% of the people on this forum have been in a position of being stranded by a dead battery, or having had to get assistance from someone after the battery died out on the road, or have even had their Car stuck in the Garage and been waiting for the Charger to recharge their lead/acid battery so they can go on their drive.

5- If you own a Porsche a battery is quite important because many of you have lost battery power and had to open the Frunk but couldn't. So you had to get a jump starter or battery and go to the fuse panel and jump the panel to open the frunk so you can get to your battery. With our Battery you don't even have to see the battery to start your car again, or to get in the Frunk since it has WIRELESS built in Jump STarting. That means you do not have to ask for assistance, nor even see the battery, you do not need to connect a Jump starter, or even know how to hook a jump starter up, and if you were in the rain you could start the car from inside the safety of the Car and not hassle getting wet. Simply press the keyfob that comes with the battery, start the Car and go. So as you can see those facts alone are justification for a more expensive battery. I would pay more for a Lead/Acid Battery could do that... most people would.

Anyway Lead is absolutely a fine choice of battery, there is no fighting here at all. We are simply a more modern alternative that from our perspective offers a much higher "value" than Lead does. For that extra cost you get built in WIRELESS Jump Starting so you will never be strand again or locked out of your frunk, you get longer life, more security, and then add the performance benefit of lighter weight. So its not about it being a more expensive battery than Lead/Acid, it about the actual value it offers. For most people Value is in comfort and security, such as having a better tire that won't get flats as easy, or a more comfortable shoe with better protections, or better performance from their Headers, or even Tennis Shoes. . But what I think is happening, is that people equate Batteries with a very boring commodity as Lead/Acid Batteries are.... So they have a notion that a Battery is a very basic part for a Car and it should be inexpensive. But that's not really accurate, a battery is exceptionally important part of a Car, if its bad you are stranded or wasting time. So with our modern technology we made something better by a long ways.... but yes it is more expensive.... just like that better pair of Tennis shoes would be. But buying a better product with more feature usually costs more..... you Porsche is more expensive than the some of the Cheap Japanese Cars that are actually faster, and more reliable.... as you know that just the way it goes. I chose a Porsche and paid more

lexhair

Scott...all really great points. I'm sold on the technology. Make no mistake. Just the idea of not having to hoist out and cantilever a 40 lb battery into place has appeal to me. I'm still not clear on what the expected life span of the Li-Ion battery is as compared to the AGM.

I keep coming back to your website @Antigravity for a H7 battery and come up with $830. If there's a better deal, I'm not seeing it in the website battery finder. I'm not interested in futzing around with the tie down for a H6 or other size. I want a OEM fitment.

Kevinchipmaster

For me it was worth it. With a 997.1 the cranking is always sluggish and sometimes after running around town, it would take two or three times to start on occasion. Alternator and starter are in great shape so I did some research and 997.1s have a parasitic drain when not running and are known for sluggish starts. I hated having a 911 that at start up sounded like an old lady trying to get out of bed!

I really didn’t want to be out somewhere and not have the car start and I didn’t want to feel the need to turn off the radio and AC prior to starting up so give more cranking capacity. I like to leave the radio On when the top is down in the garage and listed to the radio while puttering. With the old battery I always felt like the Sword of Damocles was hanging over my head.

Yes they are very pricing. I got the 60Ah battery (largest storage capacity), with a charger and the battery monitor all for $1,000. Ouch it hurt!! But the piece of mind it gave me is priceless. Wife knows I am cheap so for me to purchase this she knew it was worth it to me.

For the $1,000 I just have to cut back on a dinner or lunch here and there for awhile to feel like it all balances out. I guess thats how I justify a splurge like this.

Petza914

I'd recommend not doing this, no matter what battery is in your car. Get a decent Bluetooth speaker to leave in the garage instead.

Antigravity

To be clear..these are all OEM fitment in regards the H6, H7, and H8 sizes for Porsche so there is no futzing around and additional hardware needed. Your battery tray should look similar to the image below and you'll see multiple holes for the Porsche stock mounting cleat to be secured.
Most will just opt for the H6 as it's the smallest and easiest to maneuver when swapping it out. As lithium is a smaller construct in comparison to lead/acid the physical size of the housing is just a case so we can have the actual same battery in an H6 or H7 housing.
In regards to life span you're looking at 8-10 years out of the lithium battery...the chemistry make up itself is rated at 2500-3000 cycles vs the 1000-1500 on lead/acid options.
-Chad
chad@antigravitybatteries.com

Kevinchipmaster

Why is that?

Petza914

Because you're depleting the battery in the car when it's not running just to listen to music, which means it's also powering the amp and other components in the car unnecessarily, who h will just shorten their life. A battery lasts longest when maintained at full charge. The discharge / recharge cycles are what showten battery life and 997s are already sensitive to current and voltage deficiencies.

Petza914

That's a great life expectancy. If you offered a 6 year full replacement warranty, you'd probably capture a lot of converts with the other features.

lexhair

Great post. Thank you!!

mscott842

Optima site states that H6 doesn't not fit in a 997.2. Is that due to height of battery?

Petza914

With very little ingenuity, I'm sure you can make the H6 fit securely. It's not a height problem.

A 34R like I have currently installed in my 997.1s is 10.06" L x 6.88" W x 7.88" H. The H6 is 10.94" L x 6.89" W x 7.48" H so it's less than 1" longer but almost identical in width and height.