ever since i posted about my small battery, i have been bombarded with questions regarding it. i will post all the information regarding them here.

first off, the battery... compared to stock size (10.8 lbs vs 30lbs)



second, the battery, as i have mounted it in my car


as you can see, i used the STOCK battery terminals. i did, however, have to purchase posts so as to bolt to battery in.

the posts you need to bolt the battery in (you can cut up your factory terminals to fit, but why not just spend $12.95 and bolt it in? you can easily revert back to stock size battery if needed)


also, i made a battery hold down out of scrap aluminum strap. this can be purchased anywhere, i got mine from home depot. in addition, what i did for a clean install, was to buy a new set of "J" bolts from the local honda dealer, and shorten them to fit the battery. basically, i cut the bottom off of the new J bolt, and rebent it to fit the battery tray.

the battery can be found numerous places, but the cheapest i found was here http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/batteries.htm it is $40, + an average of $5-$10 shipping. ask for Brian, and tell them Chris from New York sent you.

the battery posts can be purchased numerous places also, but i bought mine from http://www.batterymart.com/bat...-0006

EDIT: this is <U>NOT</U> the battery to have is you have a larger stereo system. it just cannot handle it. especially with the car not running. also, you have to be careful about leaving your headlights/interior light/radio on with the car off. i suggest you do not do that at all. in regards to winter driving, it will work. but to be safe, and to make sure the battery was good for next season, i put mine on a battery tender, in the warmth of my house. again, if you have a large stereo, you are obviously not concerned about lightweight, so get the battery that suits your needs.

the battery has 360 cca detailed information about the battery can be found on Hawker's parent website here. http://www.dmstech.co.uk/varleyredtop.htm the Hawker Genesis line is basically rebadged Varley Red Top batteries. in this case, it is the same as the Varley Red Top 20. a majority of batteries being sold (baker/hawker/ and a couple of other which seem to slip my mind (possibly spoon, although not 100% sure) are ALL DMS technology batteries.

well, there you guys go.... is this enough hand holding? now for some of you i probably need to dial the phone for you too...
NOTE: all of this info could be found in the roadracing/autocross forum, so remember "search" is your friend.



Modified by rodney at 10:39 AM 12/3/2003

 

Whats the CCA rating on the battery?
What is the CCA on your stock?
(Cold Cranking Amps)

 

whats the cold cranking amps on it? probably not good for someone with subs. small batt = small capacity.
looks nice tho. again i ask, whats the cold cranking amps on that?

 

damn you spade, you beat me with the question. damn you too 00si.
slow *** 56k.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by OOsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can that battery really produce the needed amps to start a civic on a cold morning, let alone power the car with ac and a small stereo? not that i have a stereo but i just have my doubts about how much power that thing can really put out...</TD></TR></TABLE>

you would be surprised with the battery. it started my car on colder mornings (30 degrees) with no problem. the battery has 360cca, very surprising of a battery of that size. i am in new york, and this morning it was 17 degrees. my car will start withthe battery, but why bother? i swap my battery for a stocker in the winter. i am not racing in the middle of dec/jan anyway.
again, i used this battery with no problems for a year in my race car. this included a few 20 hours trips.

EDIT: if you have a huge stereo, obviously you are not concerned with weight reduction, so get the appropriate battery for your needs. please do not im me asking " i have 2 subs with 2 400w amps, will this battery work for me...." thank you


Modified by rodney at 10:28 AM 12/3/2003

 

I have the same battery with 2 12's/ 450 Watts. The battery has no problem starting the car. I''ve had no problems with it pushing the amp, lights will dim when it's dark but mine dimmed with the stock battery too.

Only downside is it has a low reserve, meaning you can't sit in your car and blare the stereo for long without draining the battery. I've grown out of that anyway.

 

I took rodknee's advice many moons ago, and got the battery with a friend hondatwincam......and we both love our batteries, I took it out for the winter cold start up was a little iffy when the temperature drops....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMSir-G &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I took rodknee's advice many moons ago</TD></TR></TABLE>

your welcome my friend

 

This past weekend it was in the 20's and this battery had no troubles at all on my car. Mine is mounted in back too, so there is some voltage drop to deal with as well. I wouldn't hesitate to use this in the cold.
Just a note about stereos (my former obsession) and batteries- the battery is only used to power the system when the engine is off. Otherwise the alternator powers everything. Obviously this is not the battery for extended engine-off listening, but you can pretty much run any size system you want with this thing provided the car is running and your alternator is up to the task.

Ben

 

lol, rodney, my battery's BIGGER than your battery

 

damn thats a small little wiener battery... nice work

 

looks like you could use two of these things and still be under stock weight. Heck for all the stereo heads get this insted of a cap cheaper and better IMO. I have see batteries that look the same at wal-mart for lawn equipment.

If you were to get two of theese you would need to parrellel the batteries together and not series them

 

 

very cool.

cliff notes.... this $50 battery saves more weight than a carbon fiber hood will, in most cases... thats nice to know.

 

thanks for the info
this is my next mod

 

Something to remember, when the car is running the majority of the electrical current to the car is provided by the alternator, not the battery. So if its starting the car, your're good to go. Like he said though, avoiding running the stereo/lights when the car is off, would be advisable.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by owen_the_soyboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">cliff notes.... this $50 battery saves more weight than a carbon fiber hood will, in most cases... </TD></TR></TABLE>

with my hood and this battery, i save almost 40lbs off the nose of the car. combine that with my rqadiator re-swap, and fenders, i removed 55lbs off of the nose of the car. next mod is to remove the front lip for a stock lip....

 

Jesus Christ! You can run two of those batteries, be more powerful than stock and still save 10 pounds. Awesome .

 

I've been planning to buy one of these batterys when spring rolls around.

 

how are those batteries compared to an Optima one??? and also is there an Optima one that small??? or just a little bigger than that?? and whats the weight comparison?

 

hell yes.. good to know..

 

Good stuff Rodney. Just drive the Suburban when it's cold anyways.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93egsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how are those batteries compared to an Optima one??? </TD></TR></TABLE>

about a year ago i poored my heart into researching a lightweight, reliable small battery that was cheap. this is what i came up with. optima did not offer anything similiar (at the time at least) that even came close.

and ricey, damn right i am driving the suburban.... 700 lb spring rates and hoosiers don't mix well with a foot of snow....

 

i have this battery myself. if i remember correctly it weighs exactly 13.5 lbs. i have a scale that reads to the .001 lb. and is certified by the CA dept. of weights and measures. ive been using it for about a year w/o any problems. i left the lights on once for about 30 mins. and i couldnt start my car. but i jumped my battery and the alternator charged my battery back up.

 

what exactly does a smaller battery do? I do not feel anyone will be gaining any beneficial advantages with a smaller battery, especially if its a daily driver. Please enlighten me.