Lightweight battery

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jimbo
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Lightweight battery

Post by jimbo » Fri Jul 20, 2018 4:25 pm

I see the Elise cup comes with an Odyssey lithium ion battery as part of the weight saving measures. How reliable is this in day to day use compared to a normal battery, and is it a viable option for say my S1?

Cheers

James
S1 Elise 111s

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BiggestNizzy
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by BiggestNizzy » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:23 pm

I will be looking for a new battery for my S1 soon and I hate wrestling the 063 battery into the front.
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jimbo
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by jimbo » Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:32 pm

Yeah likewise. Think I'll check with Craig when I pick up my car
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Bobby
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Bobby » Wed Aug 01, 2018 6:27 pm

I've spoken to Craig about lightweight batteries and he advised against on reliability. I'm still tempted though!
"Bug" 2015 Elise 220 Cup, Toxic Green (2bular)
2009 Audi S3 (Milltek, MTM, VW Racing), Velvet Purple
Previously: 2004 Elise 111S, Aubergine Purple

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jimbo
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by jimbo » Thu Aug 02, 2018 10:28 pm

Yeah likewise! I think the new Elise comes with an isolator of some description, wondered if that was to kill the battery on demand to keep it charged? I'll chat with Craig when my car is ready
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BiggestNizzy
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by BiggestNizzy » Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:52 pm

I'm not that fussed about weight, I just hate having to squeeze the b'stard in the hole. Normally I cut tge bottom lip off an 063 but it's still a nightmare.
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campbell
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by campbell » Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:03 am

I had a slightly smaller one installed for years but can't remember the brand / model ref, sadly
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Bobby
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Bobby » Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:47 pm

Been looking into this again. Despite hearing they are troublesome, I think I may still give it a go.

I’ve been looking at the Super-B ones, where I think the 15P one may fit the bill, if I understand the spec correctly:

http://www.super-b.com/en/automotive/sl ... b12v15p-ec
Or
http://www.super-b.com/en/automotive/sl ... b12v15p-sc

Those two look the same spec as far as I can tell, just the different form factor. Not sure which would be easiest to fit and secure.

Anyone looked at options?
"Bug" 2015 Elise 220 Cup, Toxic Green (2bular)
2009 Audi S3 (Milltek, MTM, VW Racing), Velvet Purple
Previously: 2004 Elise 111S, Aubergine Purple

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Sanjøy
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Sanjøy » Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:56 pm

Be really careful with using a normal charger on these little batteries. I killed a couple of oddessey batteries using a dumb charger rather than a bike conditioner.
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Bobby
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Bobby » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:06 am

Not sure about the lightweight Odyssey ones (which are *not* lithium), but for lithium you def need a specialised charger or you'll trash them.

I contacted Super-B on compatibility and pros/cons for their lithium, but got very confused feedback (they were unclear on charge current spec and what this meant), so won't be going with them.

I've ordered a Varley Li-16 after speaking to them (very helpful). They recommend their own charger, but I've order an Optimate lithium charger, which seems to be equivalent, but comes with a leave-on eyelet connector.

Got the Varley bracket, but think I'll still have to fabricate something to fit that, but I have some ideas!

Will let you know how I get on...
"Bug" 2015 Elise 220 Cup, Toxic Green (2bular)
2009 Audi S3 (Milltek, MTM, VW Racing), Velvet Purple
Previously: 2004 Elise 111S, Aubergine Purple

Rosssco
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Rosssco » Tue Aug 21, 2018 12:02 pm

Lightweight battery in a S2 / S3 Toyota would make some sense as the battery is in the rear and relatively high.

Battery in the S1 (and VX220) is in the front and located about as low as you can get, so other than saving a few kilos in total vehicle mass, there seemed little benefit (and perhaps some negative in increase front / rear wedge) in a lighter battery IMO..
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Bobby
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Bobby » Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:18 pm

Battery now fitted and even stayed in place through the SLS final!

Here's what I built, which is basically a custom laser-cut baseplate for the Varley battery cage. It bolts to one of the pre-existing battery fittings, then pushing up against the other on the inside of the wheel arch.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robert_an ... 3386716588

I found it difficult to get a good freeware CAD package, but eventually came across LibreCAD, which is more than capable for stuff like this and I would recommend:

https://librecad.org/

Loads of places seem to do laser cutting online now, but I found LaserMaster to be fine and were excellent in terms of customer service:

https://www.lasermaster.co.uk

If anyone is doing similar and wants a copy of the .dfx CAD file, let me know.
"Bug" 2015 Elise 220 Cup, Toxic Green (2bular)
2009 Audi S3 (Milltek, MTM, VW Racing), Velvet Purple
Previously: 2004 Elise 111S, Aubergine Purple

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Shug
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Shug » Fri Sep 14, 2018 1:01 pm

Top mod and info :thumbsup
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Bobby
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by Bobby » Fri Sep 14, 2018 2:25 pm

Thanks! If I was doing it again, I'd used a slightly heavier gauge aluminium so the bolts could be countersunk, but it's fine with some padding underneath. Actually, seeing how easy it is to get stuff fabricated online these days, might have been better to ignore the manufacturer's bracket and build the whole thing; could have used both pre-existing fitting points to make it more secure with a bit more ingenuity!
"Bug" 2015 Elise 220 Cup, Toxic Green (2bular)
2009 Audi S3 (Milltek, MTM, VW Racing), Velvet Purple
Previously: 2004 Elise 111S, Aubergine Purple

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jimbo
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Re: Lightweight battery

Post by jimbo » Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:58 pm

Let us know how you get on with it day to day, particularly starting after some days without use :thumbsup
S1 Elise 111s

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