Battery look in Z28

[LehmanZ06]

I don't think you would want to relocate the battery to under the passenger seat.

The trunk down low is the perfect place for weight distribution, as well as safety IMO.

[Zfatuated]

Originally Posted by brt3

Tempting. Expensive, but oh so tempting. New category: battery porn...

With a LiON battery you will get what you pay for. I'm not willing to save the weight and then sacrifice dependability and be stuck somewhere with a dead battery. A good one runs $1200-$1600. I've used LiON's since 2010.

[McRat]

Yeah, the underseat might be dangerous. I have a lot of lithium cells of various kinds.

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Zfatuated

With a LiON battery you will get what you pay for. I'm not willing to save the weight and then sacrifice dependability and be stuck somewhere with a dead battery. A good one runs $1200-$1600. I've used LiON's since 2010.

If you don't mind me asking, which brands of batteries and in which cars? Would love to hear more about your experience, as I'm very much opposed to adding anything to my Z/28 which adds one iota of hassle. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not lazy and take great care with my cars, but I am fed up with things that add complication to my life. That's one reason I went with the Z/28; I wanted great performance on-track without the hassle of having to trailer the car to the track. Yikes; that was a very long-winded way of asking whether the Lithium-Iron batteries require any special care and feeding...

[ThePopo]

With Lithium you want a balanced cell charger. Every few months you use a special cable that plugs into the battery and the charger will measure each cell and discharge/charge each one individually. Also for your first use it is always good to check cell loads and make sure they are balanced. I run a lithium battery on my Hayabusa and the start up power is amazing. Lithium does take longer to work in cold environments though.

[McRat]

The one on the left is a Fisker cell, A123 LiFePO4. Center is a 18650 LiFePO4 that is used in most automotive batteries, and Tesla's. Right is the LiMn Carbon LG/GM battery that is used in the Volt.

The one that pumps the most juice per pound and volume is the Volt cell.

[Zfatuated]

Originally Posted by brt3

If you don't mind me asking, which brands of batteries and in which cars? Would love to hear more about your experience, as I'm very much opposed to adding anything to my Z/28 which adds one iota of hassle. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not lazy and take great care with my cars, but I am fed up with things that add complication to my life. That's one reason I went with the Z/28; I wanted great performance on-track without the hassle of having to trailer the car to the track. Yikes; that was a very long-winded way of asking whether the Lithium-Iron batteries require any special care and feeding...

GT3's, Boxster Spyder. I'm with you on the complication, been there, done that, no thanks.

The LithiumPro you posted above looks to have excellent specs and features, I like it a lot and I'd personally not hesitate to invest in that battery. The two I have personal experience with are the Lithionics discussed here: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=16

And the Porsche LiON which you can sometimes find for sale on the forums for $1000-1400.

There is no special care and feeding of either of these, at all, period. Install, and forget it. Let me be crystal clear- nothing needs to be changed on the car, no special charging, NOTHING

The only drawback to a LiON as mentioned above is reduced initial power at temps below freezing. #1. You should'nt be driving your Z/28 then anyhow. #2. The "secret" fix for cold starting in freezing temps with a LiON is simple- load it, with the headlights turned on for about a minute. Turn off the lights. Whammo- that load warmed the LiON cells enough to give you plenty of starting power.

A cheap LiON will bring you hassle and frustration. A high-quality LiON is 100% dependable and the cheapest,easiest 30lbs you'll ever lose. Personally I would not touch a LiON for less than $1000 or less than 10 lbs because the compromises in those far outweigh the benefits.

[Zfatuated]

Originally Posted by brt3

Tempting. Expensive, but oh so tempting. New category: battery porn...

SEE DETAILS HERE

12V/40Ah Lithium Ion Battery with BMS - L4840 -- $1,683.16

That's a really great find and a perfect drop-in fit. I may get that one

I'll give them a ring on Tuesday and see if they want to support a Group-Buy. Do we have at least 5 people?

Zfat
brt3

[Skylane765]

Just do not put so much fuel in the car and save the weight. Or start with a remote battery and use a small motorcycle battery.

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Zfatuated

That's a really great find and a perfect drop-in fit. I may get that one

That's what I thought; it's always nice to have something that fits right the first time. Do you know if there's any special maintenance or charging required with this chemistry? If not -- and if they can give us a group discount -- I'm in. Tell 'em I'm happy to put their decals on my car during track events. Sad, huh? I'll do anything to save a buck...

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Zfatuated

GT3's, Boxster Spyder. I'm with you on the complication, been there, done that, no thanks.

The LithiumPro you posted above looks to have excellent specs and features, I like it a lot and I'd personally not hesitate to invest in that battery....

There is no special care and feeding of either of these, at all, period.[/I] Install, and forget it. Let me be crystal clear- nothing needs to be changed on the car, no special charging, NOTHING

The only drawback to a LiON as mentioned above is reduced initial power at temps below freezing. #1. You should'nt be driving your Z/28 then anyhow. #2. The "secret" fix for cold starting in freezing temps with a LiON is simple- load it, with the headlights turned on for about a minute. Turn off the lights. Whammo- that load warmed the LiON cells enough to give you plenty of starting power....

Thanks for posting that; between F1 and Indy races -- and washing my Z/28 -- I missed your post initially...

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Zfatuated

That's a really great find and a perfect drop-in fit. I may get that one

Just for reference, the Z/28 OEM battery specs are 278 x 175 x 190 -- which equals:

10.94 x 6.88 x 7.48 inches

The L4840 measures:

10.875 x 6.75 x 7.5 inches

Should be perfect since it's just a tiny bit smaller in each dimension...

[brt3]

Originally Posted by ThePopo

With Lithium you want a balanced cell charger. Every few months you use a special cable that plugs into the battery and the charger will measure each cell and discharge/charge each one individually. Also for your first use it is always good to check cell loads and make sure they are balanced....

I think the LithiumPros battery uses a dedicated circuit board that performs this function 100% of the time; they call it BPS or Battery Protection System...

[Zfatuated]

Would a Z/28 owner kindly put the OE battery on a scale? Trying to determine the value proposition (weight savings) of an aftermarket LiON battery. Thanks a bunch!