Well its about time this came along.

http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/ml9c/

Under 4 pounds. Comments? Thoughts? I put this here since I assume this battery is really only good for non daily-drivers/track cars. Anyone know how these compare to the standard ultralight battery in terms of holding charge past a week or a month?
If it wasn't for the price, I might pick one of these up.

 

+1 about the price, wow

 

This application is still in an infancy stage (reletively speaking). Lith. batts have always had a problem with expense and longevity (capacity loss) so I would imagine the 1 year warranty says it all. That's about what I would expect from the life cycle of this battery (when you calculate in their inherent 15-20% capacity loss per year). Unless your looking for the ultimate battery in race/track car application I'd steer away from this one.

 

Oh yeah, not to mention they explode violently when mis-treated or faulty.

 

I would also quedtion the 60F-120F operating temp.
It's easily double that under your hood.

 

Bumping this back from the grave to revisit the topic.
Looks like things have changed a bit. A few manufacturers are on board and prices are significantly dropping (last year over $1000 for a battery we could use, now down to $600 for the same model)

I was seriously thinking about buying a lithium instead of a small Braille since they claim to last up to 10 years! Considering the lightweight Braille's will run ya close to $150 to replace and I haven't seen one survive longer than 3 years, lithium is finally becoming a viable option.

Who is running them?
Anyone running any of the chinese no-name variety yet?
Anyone running a motorcycle battery? Some have more than enough CCA for our use.

Links for more info:
http://www.lithiumstart.com/12vstarting.htm
http://www.voltphreaks.com/ssl/catal...products_id=82
http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/ml9c#
http://www.shoraipower.com/c-1-batteries.aspx
http://www.ballisticparts.com/produc...ies/16cell.php

 

I use the thundersky lifepo4 batteries at work (banks of 3.6v 80-400ah cells) and ive noticed they now have a 12v car battery solution.
I was thinking of trying it out for my race car.
Only 7kg (about 15-16lbs)
40ah of capacity and not a bad price.
http://www.evworks.com.au/index.php?...=BAT-LP12V40AH

Edit: it's just a pitty they don't make one a bit smaller

 

Wow wonder how much shipping would be. That's only $250 for a pretty big battery.

 

I'm currently having 48v 100ah bank (16 cells) shipped from china for about 200 bucks but quite a wait.

These guys would be worth a try for those in the states. See if they can get the 12v versions.
http://www.alliancerenewableenergy.com
They area even cheaper

 

Tried one in a customer's race car at their insistence. Customer tripped the internal circuit breaker 1/2 hour before the green flag when he pulled the charging cables off the battery. Could not get it to reset. Pulled the lithium battery and replaced it with the battery out of my Kawasaki. He made the race with minutes to spare but had to start from the back. Customer was so pissed off after the race he threw the Lithium battery in the dumpster after I convinced him not to shoot it with his .45.

Careful about using the newest, "greatest" technology when things really count.

 

that would have been a nice fire/explosion if he shot it lmao

 

The point would be to thoroughly test it before u turn up to race with it, plenty of people I know locally race with lithium batteries without issue.
Same as anything else in racing, always have a back up plan

 

These are getting better and better with time but the tech is still ultra volatile. I use LiPo's all the time and if they get a simple short (that most people think is no big deal) they go nuts. Anything from exploding to not responding. They'll get the volatility worked out but until then, I'd stay away.

 

Supposedly the lifepo4 cells aren't as bad as normal li-ion
But i have not had an "accident" at work to find out

 

Yawnnnn

Bumping it back from the dead. My Braille is tired of being charged and needs a replacement. Anyone running lithiums yet?

 

Yes. I run the ~310CCA Shorai. Fine so far.

 

I picked up a lfx21a6-bs12 to replace the dead OEM. Hoping it's fine for a 2-3 commutes/races a week.

 

What's the minimum CCA that will start these cars throughout a trackway? 300s?

I'm eyeing their 270CCA battery. Would it last me all day?

 

Any updates? Need a new battery and can't find the min starter needs for the Z. A guy in my region will use a Shorai 210CCA battery to start his 2016 mustang 5.0.

I only use my car for Autox and trying to determine best bang for the $ and not buy more then I need. I'm leaning towards the Shorai, just don't know which version.

 

I haven't put mine in yet. I finally got the OEM to hold a charge after putting it on the charger overnight and just been too busy with other prep. I'll probably wait until after my 1st race this weekend, so as not to mess with too much and not have time to test it or fix any issues.

My main concern is that I don't drive the car enough. Maybe once a week if the stars align with my commute and weather and picking up/dropping off the kiddo.