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another rcf member here Rjsimmons brought this up to my attention. weight savings nearly 40 lbs. thats huge IMO. i want to know more info on what the battery looks like. would be a great summer set up.
Well these look just like a Braille battery I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on because of the cost.
One thats "comparable" to oem specs are like almost $1k
So I guess if RR has a way to sell at 550, that's more tempting...
Well these look just like a Braille battery I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on because of the cost.
One thats "comparable" to oem specs are like almost $1k
So I guess if RR has a way to sell at 550, that's more tempting...
Our battery is equivalent to the Braille GU1R, except that the Braille retails for $579 for just the battery, and ours is 16Ah, vs 13Ah for the Braille.
Rafi
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We Engineer Track Proven Upgrades For Your Lexus! SUPERCHARGERS : ECU TUNING : SUSPENSION : EXHAUST : PPE MASTER DEALER
Glad to see you guys noticed the new race battery upgrade we just introduced.
Just to give you all some background. We were looking for a RELIABLE race battery for some time, but given our experience with the lightweight AGM batteries from Braille and Odyssey we gave up on the idea as we found them not to be reliable in the long run.
So we started hearing good things about the latest generation of lithium ion batteries and decided to give them a try. One of the main advantages they have over AGM, other than the stronger cranking amps and much lighter weight, is that they cycle well. So even if they discharge for whatever reason, they recover really well.
We have tested this battery in our shop ISF for nearly 5 months and its been flawless. By testing I mean, driving it, storing the car, and intentionally discharging it numerous times just to try to get it to fail.
Some other features:
Comes with our Lexus specific mounting hardware "box" and terminal posts.
Our standard box colors are blue and silver powder coat, but we can do other powder coat colors on request.
Saves about 37lbs over the stock battery, which is huge considering that short of gutting your car, there aren't many ways of getting this kind of weight savings. Also the weight is all coming from the front of the car, so this is excellent for improving F/R weight distribution.
Battery comes with a 2 year warranty from the manufacturer, and special protection circuitry that protects the battery from damage due to discharging or short circuit.
Rafi
__________________
We Engineer Track Proven Upgrades For Your Lexus! SUPERCHARGERS : ECU TUNING : SUSPENSION : EXHAUST : PPE MASTER DEALER
What chargers do you recommend to charge this battery with? Which ones have you tried? Keep in mind I am very familiar with this battery technology in a smaller form of R/C cars as I have been in that industry for over 20yrs. I have LiON and LiPO specific chargers that will/can charge this if necessary. Just wondering if you guys are using one "specific to the auto industry"......
I'd assume any battery would have to be on a trickle charger if only driven once or twice in every week or two. I leave mine on a low amp battery tender if it will sit for more than 5 days. I've been eyeing the ML30C from Braille and just heard that the RCF GT3 IMSA car runs it! I'm sure a lot of other cars if not all in the series use it. I think the life they claim the battery has and the weight savings is all worth it
In the car audio world, lithium became very popular 2 years back. XS Power introduced a few different lithium batteries and the weight saving over an AGM battery was CRAZY....Like an AGM (of the same size) would weigh 80 lbs and the lithium would weigh 12-15 lbs tops.
Performance wise, they would perform as good as 3 of the same sized AGM batteries, making them even more attractive because you're now saving weight AND space, which is always a plus in our business.
Price wise, these batteries were $1700-$3600 EACH.....A lot of people and companies still bought them.
BUT, alot of alternator companies will not warranty their alts since alot of lithium batteries have been responsible for killing their alts. They definitely need to stay on a charger when not in use.
Also, lithium batteries have been responsible for TONS of vehicle fires in our line of work....I have not gambled on them as I don't want the risk.
YES, you'll save 3-4 times the weight over an AGM, YES, they wayy out perform AGM batteries.....Bt you do indeed put your alternator and vehicle at risk and the pricing is SUPER high.
But very interested in what this battery from RR will be priced at.
Sounds Interesting. Gotta look into this. I know a guy that ordered for his GSF. Hopefully we will get more input from others soon.
Awesome! It will take months to years to test this thing. But for sure, he will get the weight savings instantly. By the way, what testing tools can we use to check battery charge while off? I saw it one time via shop when my other car died...
The problem is that we are talking about different applications here. Using a car battery as a deep cycle purpose for powering accessories when the engine is off is totally different to using a car battery for its main purpose, simply starting the car.
The reason lithium batteries are potentially harder on the alternator is that they charge much faster than a conventional battery and accept more current, so theoretically they can put more stress on an alternator. BUT, your car battery should not be getting discharged, except in rare circumstances. So the application of a battery for starting a car is totally different than folks using deep cycle lithium batteries for powering stereos, ovens, fridges,etc.
If you need a high capacity deep cycle battery because you are powering high power stereo equipment when your car is off, then this is not for you. But then again, if you are filling up your car with all kinds of heavy amps, subs, and other components, then you probably dont care about weight savings either
Is this battery for everyone? No, for example, if you like to sit in your car with high power accessories on for extended periods of time, this battery, or any other lightweight battery is not for you. I personally don't find myself doing these things, I'm either driving my car, or not driving my car, so I don't care about having high reserve capacity, and I don't do a deep drain on my battery, so more stress on the alternator is not an issue either.
As far as storing a car... the issue there is not reserve capacity, its how well the battery stores energy. Lithium batteries do not loose charge when not in use, unlike lead acid batteries. So if your car is not in use, it will do fine with a lithium battery provided that nothing in your car is drawing current when the ignition is off.
Rafi
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We Engineer Track Proven Upgrades For Your Lexus! SUPERCHARGERS : ECU TUNING : SUSPENSION : EXHAUST : PPE MASTER DEALER
I bought the battery. Will do a write up when I receive it. Hopefully I will get the battery by the weekend and have it installed. Keep everyone posted.
02-13-17, 11:33 AM
RR-Racing lightweight battery for the F
