Front battery ----part deux

[FieroBUZZ]

We've all seen the front mounted battery under the passenger light.  Since Dan has not spun off the road in a fiery wreck as yet, I'll assume it doesn't terminally bother handling.

I'm sure that some folks are reluctant to try this due to the additional weight in the very front of one side of the car.  I was reading a hot rod mag the other day and came across a solution.

They were trying to add a trunk mounted battery into a f'glass roadster body.  The chief objection was that it caused a significant loss of luggage space in an already tiny trunk.  They had several odd shaped voids in the body, but none large enough  to mount a battery.

They ended up using two 6 volt (720 amp) Interstate Batteries spiral technology (round cell) jobbies.   By connecting the pos of one with the neg of they other they end up with a 12 volt (720 amp) system with half mounted on each side of the car. Basically, a 12 volt size battery cut in half on each side of the car.

By putting one under each light in a Fiero, the added weight way up front would be spread out evenly side to side.  May also help those who are seriously interested in balancing the weight of the car as evenly as possible at the four corners.

[GoFast88]

Givin the size of the 6 volt compared to the same sized 12 volt, it might be better to put 2 -12 volts in. With the sound systems using lots of juice, this might be a better solution to the problem. I am asssuming that 2-12's would give you more amps than 2-6's would. As usual the costs of 2 batteries is extra, but easier finding 12 volt batteries of the proper physical size.

[FieroBUZZ]

As usual you missed the point completely.....you powermad fool!!!!   

The object was to even out the weight penalty of a stock 12 volt battery.  half on each side.

I mentioned it because I recall Don was toying with the thought of a motorcycle battery to save weight.

[dguy]

Givin the size of the 6 volt compared to the same sized 12 volt, it might be better to put 2 -12 volts in. With the sound systems using lots of juice, this might be a better solution to the problem.

You're almost talking apples and oranges though.  Gary's talking cranking amps, you're talking reserve capacity in a parking lot.  Unless your entertainment system + other accessories draws more current than your alternator provides, the battery's capacity matters little once the engine is running.

I mentioned it because I recall Don was toying with the thought of a motorcycle battery to save weight.

Close, but not quite. 

I tried for a brief amount of time, a high current lawn tractor battery; its physical size was about 2/3 of an OEM-sized battery.  While it was plenty capable of starting the car when fully charged, it was unuseably slow to recharge.  Not only would it not have recovered enough to start after a 30 minute drive with minimal accessories running, but feeding it anything much over 2 amps with a wall charger and it would vent excessively.

[2ML67]

Seeing as this is a mid engine car wouldn't weight up front help equilize the front to rear weight ratio. I have two batteries up front one under each headlight and both are full size batteries. Then again I am more interested in strength and use fullness than I am in weight. Dan

[GoFast88]

The object was to even out the weight penalty of a stock 12 volt battery.  half on each side.

   But doesn't 2 -6 volt batteries weigh more than 1 - 12 volt.
True ,you can distribute the 2 batteries evenly but the difference in total weight between 2-6 and 2-12 of equal cranking amps would be maybe 5 lbs?? A little extra just got to keep that front end down at them upper speeds 
I think that I am talking cranking amps as well, there dguy. When it is -30 and am boosting a dead car, I try to get 2 or 3 buddies vehicles and put on 2 or 3 booster cables, so that I am drawing cranking amps of off all the batteries to start the dead one.   

[dguy]

I think that I am talking cranking amps as well, there dguy. When it is -30 and am boosting a dead car, I try to get 2 or 3 buddies vehicles and put on 2 or 3 booster cables, so that I am drawing cranking amps of off all the batteries to start the dead one.   

No fair changing the lyrics in mid tune, cheater. 

First you talk about power-sucking stereos, now you switch to starting.  Big difference in the current draw of each.  One is high load, short duration.  The other is low-to-medium load, long duration.

[2ML67]

Come on now Don the poor guy just got back from some tropical island getting his man hood fixed and is only able to think about the next tropical lady I mean island. So you can't really expect any kind of sensible thought from him now can you. Dan

[aaron88]

It can be argued that keeping a lower polar moment of inertia is more beneficial than evening out the weight distribution.  It all depends on what you are looking for in the end.

Most people have no idea what they really want or what the difference is.

Personally I’d go with one battery.   Put it where the scale says you should.

Do you want your car to turn, stop or accelerate better?   By how much?


Aaron

PS. I still have an old battery tray in my trunk.

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