INTRO

I installed my hawker genesis G16EP today, replacing my OE battery. It cost me ~85 bucks w/ SAE terminal posts @ http://www.gotbatteries.com. It weighs approximately 12 lbs (vs. 42 lbs for the OE FB battery).

INSTALL NOTES
I installed it in the stock location to keep it simple, knowing that a) the heat of the engine bay will significantly shorten the life of the battery (to about 1yr) and b) the front nose mounting position is less than ideal. Ideally, i'd want to install this unit in the trunk to increase life (to 5 years +) and for better weight balance. Though, at 12 lbs i'm not sure how much of a difference it would make in that department.

I used the stock battery tie down and some hook-end bolts from home cheapot. The stock holes on the tie down were too small to accept the bolt diameter so i used a 5/16" bit to drill out the holes some more. Using the loops on the OE battery tray, i hooked the bolts in and secured the tiedown on top, as much as i could. I could still move the battery, so i used a couple of zip ties to prevent it from sliding around by threading them through the holes in the tray and providing a buttress against the bottom of the battery. this is not ideal, and eventually i will come up with a method of a) laying the battery flat (fits perfectly in the tray, flat) and b) not using zip ties/duct tape/or other shady mechanics bandaids. I worry though that the connectors may not reach the battery if it is laid flat, as the positive connector may be a tad bit short. If anything i will come up with a semi malleable shim using a hard rubber piece or soft metal (hopefully a lightweight one, at that.)

PERFORMANCE NOTES

With an auto-x event coming on the 12th of this month, i am very excited by the newest modifications i have made to the car. Hopefully i will be able to get more empirical data to show how much of a difference they have made on the car. However, my initial impressions of the battery are: WOW. In brisk driving up the curvy parts of the 110 fwy (at reasonable speeds, though over the limit ) i noticed a very pleasant lightness. 30 lbs off the nose of the car apparently does help, and noticeably so, in lessening that plowing feel that is prevalent in our cars (esp ones on stock suspensions) during cornering. I didn't notice any improvement in straight line acceleration or braking per se, but didn't expect to.

With the new battery, and a new catback i am guessing i have taken off a good 40-50 lbs of weight on the car and it shows. the car is much more responsive and that much more fun to drive. a cheap and highly recommended mod that is allowed in a lot of scca auto-x classes with minor side effects.

FUTURE RESERVATIONS

The one thing that does worry me about the hawker is the fear that i may have dead batteries more often. Unlike the piggish deep cycle batteries that are found in most ludes, i feel that this battery will probably not tolerate very many careless engine-off headlights-on experiences and will die fairly quickly. Apparently according to other accounts, the battery has no problem powering your basic upgraded stereo systems.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bad-monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The one thing that does worry me about the hawker is the fear that i may have dead batteries more often. Unlike the piggish deep cycle batteries that are found in most ludes, i feel that this battery will probably not tolerate very many careless engine-off headlights-on experiences and will die fairly quickly.</TD></TR></TABLE>
It's a deep-cyle battery, though - isn't it? So killing it completely every now and then shouldn't affect performance and life like it does a normal battery. The only difference is that it has a lot less reserve capacity, so it will die faster if you leave things running with the engine off.

Any congrats on the upgrade . . . .

 

Just this past weekend I put my car on scales at a auto-x divisional and while the rear was perfectly in balance the front was heavier on the left and lighter on the right. Its my opinion that Honda designed the Prelude with the 40 lb battery on the right to achieve a balanced front end.

BTW I have a hawker ep 13 11 lb battery in the trunk.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RAB &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just this past weekend I put my car on scales at a auto-x divisional and while the rear was perfectly in balance the front was heavier on the left and lighter on the right. Its my opinion that Honda designed the Prelude with the 40 lb battery on the right to achieve a balanced front end.

BTW I have a hawker ep 13 11 lb battery in the trunk.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah the L-R weight balance is definitely different now. i'm hoping a cornerweighting can put everything back in balance in terms of X-weights at least.