Hi,

I am trying to loose weight to get my car as competitive as possible in the class. I currently run a Optima Red Top 75/25 with 910 cranking amps and 720 cold cranking amps. I was wondering what others here have used with success. I would like to find a battery that has the SAE/GM terminals (males). My motor runs at 10.9/1 compressions. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Also the weight of the battery is 37.9 lbs

Thanks
Steve

 

Check out the Odyssey batteries, specifically the 680 (http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680series.htm). They're significantly smaller, and the 680 above only weighs 15 pounds.

See if you can get an accurate guess of what your battery requirements really are though. You'll notice the 680 only has 680 cranking amps, as opposed to the 910 of your current battery. However, for a lot of cars that's adequate to start the engine in warm conditions. Cold cranking amps probably don't matter in your application, as I assume you're probably not running the motor much when it's freezing out.

 

btw, with the Odyssey batteries, they don't come with SAE terminals by default. However you can get a kit for just a few bucks to convert the M6 bolt terminals to SAE terminals.

 

I've run the Odssey 680 for 1-1/2 years in my 996 without incident with one exception. I ran my cool suit on the grid for about 30 minutes waiting for a spill to be cleaned up and it barely started the motor. Outside of that incident, it works great and saves tons of weight....

 

I don't know your budget, but after a lot of trouble with lightweight conventional lead-acid batteries (Braille) , I bought a Li-ion one from Voltphreaks.

Model VPR-P6 weighs 5.5 pounds has amazing cranking power and includes a remote on/off switch.

John

 

Wow, they are nice batteries, but I'd have to think for $730 I can find other ways to loose the further 12.5 lbs. Perhaps the first place for me to look is to downsize the nut behind the wheel...

 

My Odyssey 680 was a lemon. If I didn't trip the kill switch when the car wasn't running, the battery would die. Eventually, between race weekends, I forgot to kill it, and it died an unrechargable death, just as I needed to load it onto the trailer. I went to the local auto parts store, bought a similar-sized ATV battery for less than the Odyssey, and it has been flawless. I don't have to constantly keep the kill switch engaged and it fires right up every time, even if it's been months since the last time I drove the car, and I have never used a trickle charger.

 

Thanks for all the replies

Chris,

What was the brand of the ATV battery and size. That might be worth a shot without a huge investment.

Thanks,
Steve

 

I've been running a Braille for the last 2 years and it has worked great. Even with the extra load of my electric fans and intercooler pump.

You can check those out on TireRack.

Ken

 

that usually is the fault of the car, not the battery. if the kill switch keeps the voltage up, you have a short somewhere.

I dont know what you did different with the "other" battery, but the oddessy is a fine battery providing all the cranking power to start up a high compression V8.

at 12.5Lbs, its a nice way to drop 30-40lbs for most folks

 

Internet rumor has it East Penn Manufacturing's "DEKA" is the contract manufacturer of Braille light weight batteries. Size and weight exact match. Price of DEKA is considerably lower.

http://www.dekabatteries.com/default.aspx?pageid=510

 

I am not sure and my car is not here so I can't check. I will do so next time I see the car. I can tell you that the size is almost identical to the Odyssey, because I installed it in the same Rennline mount that the Odyssey was in, and I didn't have to adjust the size much at all.

Yes I think the particular Odyssey I got was a lemon, not all of them. I bought the ATV battery on a whim because I needed to leave for the track and I needed to get my car on the trailer. It has performed far better so I'm sticking with it.

 

I have been using a PC- 680 for a 993 motor powered car without any issues.

Cranks and holds a charge just fine.

BTW there are far less battery makers than brands.

 

Chris, you likely have some accessory still hooked to the constant hot in the system. I had a similar issue with my Braile battery and once I went through and moved any needed hook ups I got rid of the draining issue. It does not take much. As example my timing beacon had been improperly attached to a constant battery source in the fuse box.

 

It is not a rumor. Braille will tell you directly that that is who makes their batteries. I've been running a "big crank etx14" for the last two years. East Penn manufacturing battery, same as the deka brand. The warranty is a little bit shorter than what Braille provides. Braille will also tell you that just because the weight/size is the same, that doesn't mean the battery is the same. Braille claims to have higher standards and better testing/service. You can find some very detailed testing on these batteries and they all seem to perform the same. They are usually way under rated for cold cranking amps. Available at most autoparts store as an ATV/powersports battery.

My big crank has been working fine and I can buy another battery with the money I saved by not getting a better warranty.

I also use a Battery Tender jr. when the car is parked in the garage to make sure the battery stays in good shape. If you let an AGM battery constantly go to a very low voltage state, it will eventually stop holding a charge. The battery tender was a good investment to make sure the battery runs as long as possible.