What battery and layout

[veilside180sx]

Monty and I are discussing swapping my battery for a PC680 and this brought up a few questions.

What is everyone else currently doing for theirs, and where is it located.

I have an Optima currently. It's heavy but gets the job done with 2 10" subs/2 amps that are currently in the B14. Over the next year I'll be stripping out the interior and caging the car. In addition I'm obviously not going to continue use of the overly heavy battery for such an occassion.

My thoughts currently are to place it in low in the chassis behind the passenger seat on it's side since it's a sealed core. There is less cabling, and hassle this way, from what i see.

The other option is to just keep it under the hood because it's considerably smaller and would be easier to get to.

Any other feelings?

[McCoy]

In the sentra, I had mine right behind the drivers seat, I used 4 gauge wiring (not enough, had starting issues at times), 120amp breaker, PC680, and prefabbed tiedown box. For the sentra this was a good setup. For the 240, I prefer the factory location.

http://www.prmsg.org/albums/album45/PC680_battery_mount.sized.jpg

[a_ahmed]

Braile auto sells the lightest/smallest batteries with the most cca for the size but its kind of pricey...

About the odyssey its sort of cheap but... not adequate?... I don't have radio/cd/etc... anything in the car except engine and computer requiring it lol... I wonder if it'll be fine.

Did you try with thicker guage cable?

I've thought about placing as much of things including battery in center/rear center on top of where the tires are to make the weight shifted further back/on wheels...

Edit: http://www.brailleauto.com/

The one I was looking at: http://www.brailleauto.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=17&idproduct=2

http://www.brailleauto.com/productcart/pc/catalog/brailleauto_b106_l_1927_detail.jpg

[McCoy]

I'm on my 2nd PC680 battery now, the first one lasted 3 years and only died because I let it sit drained one time to many. I'm currently on my 2nd one (3 years now) and it started my sentra all last winter when it was -17F outside for 2 weeks straight... I think it's more than adaquate.

As for price, I think I paid around $70 shipped off ebay back 3 years ago... the braille is not a cheap battery.

[2Fass240us]

Nothing wrong with the PC680. It's made my Hawker, and close to being military-grade IIRC.

Here are some pix of where I mounted mine, including the positive wiring:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_01.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_02.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_03.jpg

[2Fass240us]

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_04.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_05.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o20/2Fass240us/Project_240/battrelo_06.jpg

Not being able to post >4 pictures FTL.

[veilside180sx]

I'll get that fixed=) The battery won't fit there after you get some aftermarket seats mounted properly.

[Invisible_Saddle]

2Fass what tabs did you use to hold the ECU there? Around how much actual wiring do you have running into the engine bay, since I see the ignitier and positive battery lead in your final pic?

[Wiisass]

If you want to spend a lot of money and get the lightest battery, take a look at voltphreaks.com.

https://s.p10.hostingprod.com/@www.voltphreaks.com/ssl/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=33&osCsid=0ab63c6a2f09dace068d96f1f64d7b26

4.5lbs for $500. I think they even have a smaller one but it might not be enough.

[Blair]

My thoughts currently are to place it in low in the chassis behind the passenger seat on it's side since it's a sealed core. There is less cabling, and hassle this way, from what i see.

The other option is to just keep it under the hood because it's considerably smaller and would be easier to get to.



I'm nervous about relocating batteries inside the pass compartment.

http://www.sr20forum.com/road-racing/96182-warning-all-racers-about-car-construction.html

[veilside180sx]

I hear where you are coming from there though. I'm not convinced it was mounted quite right though. I never really like most of those "battery boxes" though.

For mine i will weld large washers underneath the car where the posts go through to reinforce it from pulling through.

[Wiisass]

http://www.theoryinpracticeengineering.com/gallery/d/1625-1/DSC00620.JPG

http://www.theoryinpracticeengineering.com/gallery/d/1629-1/DSC00621.JPG

This is a battery mount setup that I threw together for a friend's S14 a while back. With proper hardware the battery would be going nowhere.

Tim

[2Fass240us]

The battery won't fit there after you get some aftermarket seats mounted properly.
I figured as much, considering how high the stock seats are. No biggie though...I am keeping the stock seats until the front half of the cage is installed, which probably won't be for another year+.

2Fass what tabs did you use to hold the ECU there?
The ECU has tabs on it already, and I just used those and some screws to attach to the A/C core. The ECU is so light that I doubt it'd come loose even in a collision.

Around how much actual wiring do you have running into the engine bay, since I see the ignitier and positive battery lead in your final pic?
The only wiring I have in the bay is what's necessary for this engine to run: MAF, CAS, injectors, sensors, coilpacks, alternator, and starter. I'm probably forgetting a couple of things here, but you get the picture.

IMO the best way to secure the battery is either the way Wiisass has shown, or a complete aluminum box made from thicker stock (.25 - .375").

[bullfrg]

I installed my small battery under the hood, here is a pic:

http://www.utahnissans.com/forums/gallery/data/502/Battery.JPG

[McCoy]

Jeremy, what battery is that... looks like the typical PC680/Hawker battery, but not 100% sure.

[bullfrg]

I believe it is a pc680 just in black, was from the buschur Evo small battery kit.

[McCoy]

I believe it is a pc680 just in black, was from the buschur Evo small battery kit.
I see it now, it looks like they just removed the plastic piece from the top that typically has the logo and products info on it.

Did the tie-down come from the Evo kit also?

[a_ahmed]

If anyone is interested brailleauto massively dropped their prices like 50-70 off each product lol... and there was a sale on zilvia:


http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=173003

[bullfrg]

I see it now, it looks like they just removed the plastic piece from the top that typically has the logo and products info on it.

Did the tie-down come from the Evo kit also?

Yep, I just drilled a couple of holes in the stock tray and inserted them in. Painted the white plastic tray black to look better.

[rockdrummer027]

Would the PC680 be adequate for a stereo with a JBL 6 Channel amp sending 60w to 4 speakers and 300 to a 10" sub?

[McCoy]

Probably not... but there's always one way to find out :)

If you have that much stereo equipment in your car, you really shouldn't be looking at a small battery, just my thought on it.

[Def]

Probably not... but there's always one way to find out :)

If you have that much stereo equipment in your car, you really shouldn't be looking at a small battery, just my thought on it.

Do $15 clearance 6.5" Jensen speakers from Target on a '95 Altima tape deck procured for free from a former roommate count as a system? Crap... no wonder my PC680 can't keep up!

[McCoy]

Do $15 clearance 6.5" Jensen speakers from Target on a '95 Altima tape deck procured for free from a former roommate count as a system? Crap... no wonder my PC680 can't keep up!
Seeing as how I'm using some old Alpine 6.5" speakers with an 01 Altima CD player from ebay on my PC680, I'd say you are ok ;)

[Epstein]

The old stereo debate is always interesting. You've got about 540W max, which is probably about half of what it'll actually make (or you'll use constant). That'll cancel out the 50% efficiency of the class-AB car amp. So 540W/12V is 45A. That's quite a bit. Conversely, if the car is on, the alternator will be sourcing all the power. I can tell you from experience if you pull 45A with the engine off on an PC680, it'll be flat dead in about 10 minutes.

Once my PC680 bites the big one, I'm going for a Miata battery. I'm running the 680 in the stock location with the stock cables. I've run a full-sized battery remotely and you really need 2ga battery cable to do it right. Plus, you'll have to run a fuse or breaker between your battery and starter. The factory system has no such device. Honestly, I don't like the idea of 12-15ft of cable with nearly infinite current capacity running through my car where it can chafe. I used to be into big car audio setups and I've seen people arc holes into their cars.

[Def]

Yea, I'm still running the PC680 in the stock location. I've really thought about moving it back, but the thought of big cables running by gas lines and whatnot does have me slightly concerned.

[SoSideways]

Can't you run the cable down the middle of the car, kind of where the center console is? There's not much chance of it chafing there, unless things move around a lot, and the line gets caught somewhere and starts to rub back and forth on an edge of some sort, like a bracket?

[2Fass240us]

And isn't chafing only a problem if you don't properly secure the cable?

[SoSideways]

And isn't chafing only a problem if you don't properly secure the cable?

Some whitie tighties should do the trick ;):D

[Epstein]

And what about under the dash? Do you trust that $0.50 grommet that you used in the firewall? Just a bit of info: Nissan doesn't run the stock battery cable within 2" of the chassis on the S13.

[2Fass240us]

And what about under the dash? Do you trust that $0.50 grommet that you used in the firewall? Just a bit of info: Nissan doesn't run the stock battery cable within 2" of the chassis on the S13.
Nevar thought about that. What do you propose? A different type of grommet?

[ecugrad]

Nevar thought about that. What do you propose? A different type of grommet?

Most stereo shops have hard plastic snap in grommets for really, really large wire

I have a few lying around from my stereo days if you are interested Andy, I could give 'em to Aaron the next time I see him.

[Epstein]

Exactly. There are large, sturdy grommets to be had from higher-end car stereo shops. I think they're a bit more than 50c though, and they can be a pain to install deep under the dash. Also watch the jacket diameter on the cable versus the hole in the plastic grommet.

I'd run the cable down the passenger side frame rail. The only real issue there is getting past the passenger seat crossbrace. Just be sure to secure it there and it'll be fine. Add your nice grommet near where the ECU harness goes through the firewall, then run the cable directly to the starter. Now you can run your old battery cable back to the starter as well. Done. If you still have AC, watch how the cable runs near the components under the dash. The grommet will force the cable to go through the firewall at a 90* angle, plus that cable doesn't bend very tightly. There's a lot of pointy raw edges under there that make me nervous.

[2Fass240us]

Most stereo shops have hard plastic snap in grommets for really, really large wire

I have a few lying around from my stereo days if you are interested Andy, I could give 'em to Aaron the next time I see him.
Sounds good, I'll take em.

[rockdrummer027]

When I ran my amps power cable through my firewall I accidentally drilled through a part of the sheet metal that curved enough so that I couldn't get a rubber grommet in it. I ended up just using gutter sealant all the way around the cable and it worked great.

[racepar1]

I still have the stock battery for now, but I plan to upgrade to a buddy club racing spec battery soon. From the research that I have done it has the best combination of weight, cca, and price. It is mounted in a taylor "sealed" battery box behind the passenger's seat.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj283/racepar1/bigwillow018.jpg