Lightweight battery

terryc101 · Mar 7, 2016

What do people use? Just been looking around and there are so many different ones. Any bad experiences with a brand etc?

This seems very cheap, for a reason? https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/161962416595

JP83 · Mar 7, 2016

I'm using the Odyssey PC680 battery in mine. Or at least will be when the car is built up!

JP83 · Mar 7, 2016

http://www.cliosport.net/threads/race-battery.766593/#post-10623084

terryc101 · Mar 7, 2016

JP83 said:
http://www.cliosport.net/threads/race-battery.766593/#post-10623084

Not sure how I didnt find that thread in the search, thanks!

alistairolsen · Mar 7, 2016

A friend has been using one of these: https://www.tayna.co.uk/22Ah-Mobility-Batteries-G460.html for two seasons now with no hassle.

Fletcher · Mar 7, 2016

Varley 25 in my Clio.

stonejedi · Mar 7, 2016

JP83 said:
I'm using the Odyssey PC680 battery in mine. Or at least will be when the car is built up!

THIS!!!

eon172 · Mar 7, 2016

stonejedi said:
THIS!!!

Me too!

stonejedi · Mar 7, 2016

I have the bigger brother Odyssey in my Subaru its still lite but not as lite as the PC680,it has been superb though :up:if ordering one just make sure that you order the MJ version of the Odyssey battery,as they manufacture two versions of each model,the MJ stands for metal jacket meaning it can still be fitted in the engine bay if required as they are designed to take engine heat,saying that though if you are looking to install it in the cab for example under the drivers seat or in the boot the standard version will be fine,metal jacket version's are usually "RED" all over and the normal versions are "RED"with "BLACK" sides,one more thing if buying a PC680 you have to buy the battery terminals separately as they do not come with the battery.SJ.

stonejedi · Mar 7, 2016

Here is a picture of when I was relocating an Odyssey battery to my boot...

Its a recommended mod especially if you are looking to shave more weight from your car,you would be surprised how much weight a standard battery is:fearscream:.SJ.

RS Charlie · Mar 7, 2016

alistairolsen said:
A friend has been using one of these: https://www.tayna.co.uk/22Ah-Mobility-Batteries-G460.html for two seasons now with no hassle.

So does a friend of mine in the Lucas flavour

. He reckoned there was little difference between these and most lightweight batteries bar the price tag.

Jamie86 · Mar 7, 2016

I use the golf trolley one as wel

Gus · Mar 7, 2016

As well as 25mm red cable going from the engine bay through the car do you have to armor the cable at all in braiding or ducting or anything.

stonejedi · Mar 8, 2016

Those Golf trolley batteries are OK,but they can not be compared with the Odyssey offering specifications,and that's coming from a previous user of both,as the saying goes "you get what you pay for".SJ.

stonejedi · Mar 8, 2016

optical said:
As well as 25mm red cable going from the engine bay through the car do you have to armor the cable at all in braiding or ducting or anything.

No mate,unless you choose too,I have not and have never had any problems,just make sure that its fed through safely and the earth lead is short and close to the battery.SJ.

Jamie86 · Mar 8, 2016

stonejedi said:
Those Golf trolley batteries are OK,but they can not be compared with the Odyssey offering specifications,and that's coming from a previous user of both,as the saying goes "you get what you pay for".SJ.

Maybe, I do have a varley redtop as well just never needed to use it, 4years on golf battery still going strong. Even jump started a friends Fiat coupe 20VT with it the other day!

stonejedi · Mar 8, 2016

Jamie86 said:
Maybe, I do have a varley redtop as well just never needed to use it, 4years on golf battery still going strong. Even jump started a friends Fiat coupe 20VT with it the other day!

Is it on a daily runner?.SJ.

terryc101 · Mar 8, 2016

Thanks for the replies people.

It'll be mounted in the rear of the car most likely and I'd like a cut off switch on the dash. Are they all much of muchness? Anything to look out for?

alistairolsen · Mar 8, 2016

There are two main manual types, one is just a 2 contact switch to cut the main battery feed, the other is normally sold as an FIA switch and isolates the alternator etc as well (better). Beyond that there are things like the discarnect which goes near the battery, and some solid state electronic ones which perform the same function as the FIA switches I understand.

Personally I'd fit a manual FIA switch for about £20 as per the blue book and that way anyone can add the external pull cable if they want to compete with it at any point.

http://www.cliosport.net/threads/fia-battery-kill-switch.785205/#post-10940420

RS Charlie · Mar 8, 2016

stonejedi said:
No mate,unless you choose too,I have not and have never had any problems,just make sure that its fed through safely and the earth lead is short and close to the battery.SJ.

What did you notice?

My friend with the golf car battery did say that if the car had a drain on it like a CD player or immobilser it would require a recharge after a week.

stonejedi · Mar 8, 2016

RS Charlie said:
What did you notice?

My friend with the golf car battery did say that if the car had a drain on it like a CD player or immobilser it would require a recharge after a week.

Similar to your mates problem,my one was that my car was just a weekend toy,so when it was put away ("parked up") it would loose its charge in a few days of no use as it was still powering the alarm,but the Odyssey that I upgraded up to could last a good few weeks without being started and still have enough cranking power to start the car until the alternator could replenish its cells back up.When fitting a light weight battery I recommend installing a battery cut off which can help with charge issues as well as picking up a ctek charger,especially if the car is not going to be driven everyday.SJ.

cs_dave · Mar 8, 2016

Can a race battety like a odyssey be used on a daily?

stonejedi · Mar 8, 2016

cs_dave said:
Can a race battety like a odyssey be used on a daily?

Yes no problem on a daily,the only problems you can have is if your car is full of amps incar entertainment DVD etc.... that can start to put a drain on them,but if used as they were intended to be used it will be fine.SJ.

Jamie86 · Mar 10, 2016

stonejedi said:
Is it on a daily runner?.SJ.

It was a weekend toy/ track slag mostly

alistairolsen · Mar 11, 2016

cs_dave said:
Can a race battety like a odyssey be used on a daily?

Also consider the draw when the car is off such as alarms, clock etc. In most track applications they come off the track fully charged, the car is shut off and then isolated

eon172 · Mar 11, 2016

....exactly what I find, I use an electronic solid state cut off with a PC680 but still use a CTEK charger which does a great job at looking after the battery whilst it's locked up for days/weeks.

alistairolsen · Mar 11, 2016

Indeed, can it be used in a car driven daily, yes. Can you just bolt one into your standard car and expect it to perform just like the bigger one? No.

eon172 · Oct 7, 2018

So my Odyssey PC680 has given up, it wasn't charging/holding charge so took it out today to find it bulging badly, therefore = dead!

Anyhow, sod the expensive makes I'm going to give one of the cheaper alternatives a shot. I see Powervamp are not selling the PVR22 on ebay anymore, so any tips on a good alternative of the same or smaller dimensions anyone?

Mertin · Oct 7, 2018

Is it for a daily or track car only? Looked into lithium ion ones?
Im still just running the odyssey pc680

stonejedi · Oct 7, 2018

eon172 said:
So my Odyssey PC680 has given up, it wasn't charging/holding charge so took it out today to find it bulging badly, therefore = dead!

I have had a similar experience to you and tmakes I'm going to give one of the cheaper alternatives a shot. I see Powervamp are not selling the PVR22 on ebay anymore, so any tips on a good alternative of the same or smaller dimensions anyone?

In all honesty mate I have done exactly what you done tried another AGM battery just to be fully let down Odyssey batteries are the best but need taking care of and never letting them fully discharge no matter what their blurb says they like to be regularly topped up if left for longer then a week or so and not driven they start to swell and collapse

eon172 said:
So my Odyssey PC680 has given up, it wasn't charging/holding charge so took it out today to find it bulging badly, therefore = dead!

Anyhow, sod the expensive makes I'm going to give one of the cheaper alternatives a shot. I see Powervamp are not selling the PVR22 on ebay anymore, so any tips on a good alternative of the same or smaller dimensions anyone?

Odyssey make the best AGM batteries that I have used,the problem with a race battery is if you don't drive the car everyday the plates start to lose their charge as no matter what the blurb says about being able to charge from flat numerous times,you need to keep the battery charged up at all-time,They do require more maintenance but they are much more forgiving then a acid battery in the long run,the one that is fitted in my Subaru has been spot on for the last 4 years...
A good battery charger designed for "AGM" batteries is a definite and a cut off switch helps as well.SJ.

eon172 · Oct 7, 2018

Mertin said:
Is it for a daily or track car only? Looked into lithium ion ones?
Im still just running the odyssey pc680

Track/sprint car at the moment, maybe a bit of racing in the future. Apart from an emergency portable battery pack nope, I haven't looked at lithium as a main battery tbh, but I imagine they're not cheap.

eon172 · Oct 7, 2018

stonejedi said:
In all honesty mate I have done exactly what you done tried another AGM battery just to be fully let down Odyssey batteries are the best but need taking care of and never letting them fully discharge no matter what their blurb says they like to be regularly topped up if left for longer then a week or so and not driven they start to swell and collapse

Odyssey make the best AGM batteries that I have used,the problem with a race battery is if you don't drive the car everyday the plates start to lose their charge as no matter what the blurb says about being able to charge from flat numerous times,you need to keep the battery charged up at all-time,They do require more maintenance but they are much more forgiving then a acid battery in the long run,the one that is fitted in my Subaru has been spot on for the last 4 years...
A good battery charger designed for "AGM" batteries is a definite and a cut off switch helps as well.SJ.

Yeah, I pretty much blame myself for letting it sit there and discharge too many times after use, plus use the wrong charge cycle on my ctek charger and expect it to recover it. Plus, I use a solid state cut-off switch, so it's not fully disconnected and I expect there is a tiny pull on current - might have to look at this solution again. Just in case I do risk it, which make let you down?

Mertin · Oct 7, 2018

Their not as expensive as you think!
This is a well known sprint / hillclimb competitor who supplies batteries. PS09 is reccomended for Clio

bashracing · Oct 7, 2018

I use a 22ah golf cart battery, do the job perfectly and they're cheap

eon172 · Oct 7, 2018

Mertin said:
Their not as expensive as you think!
This is a well known sprint / hillclimb competitor who supplies batteries. PS09 is reccomended for Clio

Christ, that's tiny and weighs nothing compared to a PC680

eon172 · Oct 7, 2018

bashracing said:
I use a 22ah golf cart battery, do the job perfectly and they're cheap

Thanks, similar dimensions to the existing cage too. How long has yours lasted so far and do you use a battery optimiser of sorts?

stonejedi · Oct 8, 2018

bashracing said:
I use a 22ah golf cart battery, do the job perfectly and they're cheapView attachment 1389354

? I’ve had both of those makes of batteries and they both died on me,cheap to buy but the tech involved is simpler compared to The Odyssey,and I had reliability issues after letting the battery fully discharge just the once....SJ.

bashracing · Oct 8, 2018

I use the c-tek charger that came with my old Odyssey battery,

I've had one for 18 months on a car that doesn't get used from October til March other than a couple of start ups, But as stonejedi says try not to let it run dead flat as it's a sure fire way to kill a battery

green · Oct 8, 2018

The odyssey battery’s are great as long as they are never fully discharged as they can’t recover. I’m on my second one now as i didn’t realise how quickly they discharge while powering the alarm/ immobiliser and central locking.
I try not to leave my car more than a week with out a drive so it can have a charge off the alternator. I also do a 6 monthly charge off the c-tek charger. I’ve had the second battery 3 years now and it’s been perfect! Just needs looking after more than a lead acid one and a proper gel charger ?

Mertin · Oct 8, 2018

I just added in a simple isolator under the bonnet while I was doing the wiring for battery relocation

Lightweight battery

South Central-Oxfordshire

South Central-Oxfordshire

West Midlands

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