Z356

Folks:

Over at the gt Rennlist forum, there is a 'Group Buy' started today for the Voltphreaks Lithium Battery. It will be a 20% discount from list ($999) if they reach 8 buyers or more. Our Spyders and Cayman R's are set up (my understanding) to accept a Lithium Ion battery from factory, so it should be ready for a similar Voltphreaks unit without complications. Please correct me if that is not the case since I am not that technical.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...group-buy.html

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

"Due to interest in the Voltphreaks 5.25 pound lithium-iron batteries, we have been asked about doing a group buy, so here it is. We just signed on as a RL Sponsor, and are starting a new thread for the group buy, to keep things on topic. Ever since Porsche released an OEM lithium-ion battery, there is interest among Porsche users for this technology. This group buy is for the Voltphreaks lightweight lithium-iron batteries. They range from 5.25 pounds to 6.75 pounds, while being fully able to start the car, in addition to providing LVC protection (along with over-charge protection, etc). The battery will also last 3-5 times as long as a lead-acid battery. This group buy is for the following three models:

VPH750 ($999)
VPH900 ($1209)
VPR-P6 ($1399)

The VPH750 is our recommendation for Porsche's, and can be used on all standard Porsche's (lithium batteries may be incompatible with some GT2/GT3's, more info here).

If you want more power (for example, you use the car in extreme cold weather), or just want more power/capacity and don't mind slightly more weight, the VPH900 and VPR-P6 are a good choice.

One additional benefit of the VPR-P6 is that it is lighter on a performance/weight basis than the VPH batteries, and it is compatible with standard battery mounts, like these:

http://www.rennline.com/Lightweight-...nfo/EL36V3.38/

For the VPH750 and VPH900, you will have to come up with your own mount, but a standard J-hook type mount can easily be used. It is also easy to fabricate a mount if you want something more fancy, as these batteries are very light.

Comparison of the three models can be found here.

The group buy details are below. The discounts are only on the VPH750, VPH900, and VPR-P6. The group buy will close on June 8th, 2012.

1-3, 8% discount, free adapter
4-7, 14% discount, free adapter
8+, 20% discount, free adapter

To participate, send me a PM and/or post on this thread to indicate that you are in. I will update the thread with a list of participants. Once the closing date (June 8th, 2012), or 8 or more participants are reached, we will go ahead with the group buy, at which point I will email each user with instructions. If you want to purchase ahead of time, as long as it's before the closing date (June 8th), you will still get the discount, as a refund once the group buy is closed, but you still need to send me a PM and/or post on this thread to join the group buy.

For purchases after the closing date (June 8th, 2012) there will be no discounts. Let me know if there are any questions. Mods, let me know if I need to change or do something differently. Thanks! - Tony"

vph_tony

Tony from Voltphreaks here. Yes the Voltphreaks lithium battery is compatible with Porsche's, including Spyders and Cayman's. The only possible incompatibility is some GT2/GT3's:

"Lithium batteries could be incompatible with some (not all) Porsche GT cars. We have heard from some customers that their GT's alternator may not maintain the right voltage to charge a lithium battery. We are not aware of any other cars that show this behavior, including other Porsche's.

Almost all car alternators maintain 14V to 14.6V to properly charge the car's battery, and this is what the Voltphreaks battery expects. Some Porsche GT's undercharge their lead-acid batteries, this is not compatible with the more efficient lithium batteries. Below 13V, a lead-acid battery will be partially charged, but a lithium battery will be barely charged. If purchasing a Voltphreaks battery for a Porsche GT2 or GT3 (or if you suspect your car's voltage may be incompatible), measure the voltage first to insure compatibility. Voltage at idle with many accessories on (headlights, fan, etc) should be no lower than the low 13's (13.2 volts, etc), and while revving, voltage should be at least near 14V. Higher is better, but voltage should not be over 14.6V. If not compatible, an option is to increase the alternator's voltage, but do so only if you know what you are doing. This likely only applies to Porsche GT's, as we have not encountered this issue with other cars including other Porsches."

- Tony

wilber

I have it on my Spyder for most a year now. it is way better than any battery out there!
I love my Voltphreaks Lithium Battery!!!

bensf

Which model do you have?

Dave I

Does anybody know how much the stock battery weighs?

Z356

I was told by Rad (NJ-GT in Rennlist) in 2010 that the stock Cayman R / Spyder battery is already considered by Porsche 'light' for a standard battery but it still weights approx. 35 lbs.! Allegretto weighted his Spyder's and it came up to 42 lbs! So either way, this 5.25 lbs lithium battery is a critical weight savings at a particular desirable location in relation to the overall chassis center of mass, etc. Perhaps others can confirmed the actual weight of their PAG supplied factory standard battery.

We have had several conversations on this topic in our forum. I am reminded of Allegretto's thread a little over one year ago:

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-foru...ing-about.html

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

wilber

i have VPH900

Z356

To bensf, only1buck & steve colletti:

I see that you guys are all 'in' on the Voltphreaks group buy. What is the exact battery model that you are ordering? What kind of mounting kit are you thinking of using? How are you planning to instal the 'Remote Pushbutton Harness' so that you can access it from inside your cabin? Any other issues that you anticipate encountering when doing the switch from the factory battery to the Voltphreaks unit? Thanks in advance for your answers. I am not very technical and would appreciate your input.

Here is another recent discussion on Lithium batteries at the gt forum:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...ry-option.html

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

bensf

Thanks for pointing out the group buy. I'll be going with the VPR-P6 as I need the extra capacity. My engine fan comes on quite often coming off track on a warm to hot day. I'll use the Rennline battery mount and I'm not installing the Remote pushbutton harness as I'm not planning on routinely turning off the battery. This should be very easy, I'm not anticipating any problems.

Marine Blue

If we weren't in the middle of spending a bunch of money remodeling our home I would be all over this. For those that are picking up the battery, can you post some before/after pictures so we can all see the difference with the battery installed. I realize it is hidden, I mostly want to see how the mounting bracket looks.

Only1Buck

@ Eduardo I plan to go with the VPR-P6 as I want to be able to simple replace and not have to be concerned about the bracket

stevecolletti

VPR-P6 for me, too. I want to make sure that if the battery dies somewhere out of the way, it's a quick and easy swap back, though.

I'm not sure how you'd open the frunk to reset the battery (assuming it disables itself) without the harness... but I'm looking into that.

bensf

Great point, I hadn't thought of that. I guess I may be getting the remote pushbutton harness after all.

Z356

Gents:

I see all of you are going with the VPR-P6. Questions:

A) That is NOT a simple drop in, right? You still need a mounting kit like the Rennline for it, no?

http://www.rennline.com/Lightweight-...nfo/EL36V3.38/

B) If indeed you all also go with their Remote Remote Pushbutton Harness* [VPR-REMOTE] at $36.95 (minus 20% now!), how are you planning to access the main cabin to place that remote inside?
*Remote Pushbutton Harness allows the battery to be turned on and off remotely via a wired pushbutton. Sealed IP67 pushbutton is mounted via a lightweigh, tough, 8 foot high temperature wire to a plug that connects to the battery.

Mikymu posted a thread on his method of getting the remote inside his cabin, but he had a .1 gt3 RS. I might apply but I really don't know since I am far from an expert.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...o-battery.html

But let me know if you know the best way to bring that remote inside our Spyder/Cayman R cabins without making a huge mess or 'worse'.

Saludos,
Eduardo
Presently in Evanston, Wyoming on my way to Jackson Hole!
Remembering all our Veterans today!


Quote from Tony at other gt forum: "It was mentioned that you may not be able to get to the battery, in case the battery dies. If the battery dies (shuts off) because the LVC shuts off the battery (for example, after the car is parked for 3 weeks), you need to press the button on the battery to turn it back on.

This is because to access the battery, you may need to open the trunk/"frunk", which requires power (there may be no manual over-ride). Normally there is an access method where you connect another 12V battery, to give the car power to open the trunk/"frunk". This is how you would normally do it if you had a lead-acid battery, for example, and you can do this with the Voltphreaks battery also. But, if you want convenience, having the remote pushbutton harness and putting the pushbutton somewhere accessible will make it very convenient to turn back on the battery in this situation. So, you may want to consider the remote harness cable if you will be encountering this situation.

Someone with more knowledge, feel free to chime in. Found a link about using a "donor battery" to open the hood/trunk/"frunk":

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...th-jumper.html

With the remote cable, you wouldn't need to do this, which adds a layer of convenience in the situation of a dead battery."
__________________
www.voltphreaks.com

bensf

I was thinking of fabricating a mount but decided to go with the Rennline mount to avoid having to drill any holes and you can easily revert back to stock if necessary. Plus it looks very sturdy.

Routing the remote is going to be very simple. Not only do we have the same access to the interior via the plastic cover (just verified this) as in mikymu's excellent write up but we also have a rubberized cover that I prefer. It seems that in utilizing the plastic cover you're either going to crush the wires or not be able to tighten the cover all the way down.

Since the rubberized cover is very flexible, simply punch a small hole and stretch it to get the remote switch through. If there is a gap, some sealant on both sides should take care of it.

I can post more pictures after completing the installation if it would be helpful but I don't think it's going to be necessary.


Rubberized cover in battery compartment



Rubberized cover in driver's side footwell



Rubberized cover removed