I'll be shelling out on a suitable battery soon so I'm looking at my options. My middy is a 2.5 litre V6 Duratec with very little current load other than an aftermarket ECU with fuel injection. All lights are LED jobbies so quite a saving there. Size is not a problem as it will be mounted behind the passenger seat in a custom made box.

So do I go for a conventional lead acid battery or a more specialised one like the DMS red top?

Any ideas and suggestions are welcome

After a bit of searching I have come up with Varley, Optima & Odyssey - all racing batteries so very light but capable (at least on paper)
Is it worth paying £100+ or should I go with a £50 conventional battery?

Any views?

Depends on whether the weight loss is worth the £50+ quid you're spending on the redtop or whatever...

i only paid about £70 for my odyssey battery - inc delivered. if you're gonna spend £50 on a normal battery then there's no contest imho. its a pc625 or something, i did post about it recently i'm sure and there's a pic in my archive under build march 06 folder.

cheers,

Ned.

Steve, any weight saved is offset by my 17 stones anyway

Ned, I remember seeing Odessey at Stoneleigh last year and I was suprised that such a small battery would turn my V6 over - my motorbike battery was bigger! Their PS680 is £89.95 and the PS925 is £124.95. Did you get yours direct or through a distributor?

*edit* Just found the thread here - it was Powervamp. Their site doesn't list any car type batteries so maybe I need to give them a ring tomorrow.


[Edited on 21-3-06 by RazMan]

**Update**

I just placed an order with Powervamp.
The battery I ordered is the Odyssey PC680 - price was an amazing £65.85 delivered! That is a saving of over £30 when compared to other stockists!!



Thanks for the tip Ned - I would buy you a beer but it's too early


[Edited on 22-3-06 by RazMan]

Ordered yesterday and delivered this morning - that's what I call service

I have just got to come to terms with the fact that this ickle thing is going to start my V6. It is so small I can hold it in one hand!

Rescued attachment Odyssey Battery.jpg

cool init

That's WAY too small . Does it have the same capacity as all the generic halfords batteries?

The PC680, as the name suggests, has a cranking current of 680 Amps which is higher than most conventional batteries several times the size. As I understand it, only the Ampere/hour capacity is less (18) which basically means that you might run flat a little quicker if you leave the headlights on after switching the engine off - but normal use is unaffected.

As a guide, Ultima fit a smaller battery than mine to power their 5 litre Chevvy V8!

Looks f***ing cool!

How big is it, the battery that is... can you measure it for me?

Thanks.

Chris

Full spec here

Most excellent - thank you ....

I'll be adding one of those to the 'need to get' list.... will make much more space on the battery shelf!

Chris

so ill be able to have one of them in my vortx to power my Zetec???

well if so ill order one, i was looking at getting a red top but they are too expensive, so its a PC680 and do you have there number cause that page is impossible to read its so small!

[Edited on 25/3/06 by Krismc]

You won't need a battery as big as the PS680 for a Zetec - go for the PS525 which is smaller, lighter and cheaper

The details for contacts are in the links above or the thread here

here is my pc625, hope pic gives some idea of scale...
Rescued attachment IMG_1878b.jpg

cheers RazMan

and ned....shouldnt that be in your car or is that a security device

Which one should I be looking at for an R1 bec?

quote:

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Originally posted by chockymonster
Which one should I be looking at for an R1 bec?

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We used original ZX12R battery - extra load is pretty much insignificant. When will I have the hazard lights on?

We used original ZX12R battery - extra load is pretty much insignificant. When will I have the hazard lights on?

Normally you wouldn't need to use a bigger battery in a BEC. The only extra load will be the extra lights (two of everything) and the alternator should handle this without too much trouble. You certainly dont need extra cranking power so just stick with the standard battery.
The only advantage would be that you can run the hazards for longer if you break down ...... but you built your car well and you won't break down ...... will you