LiFePO4 Batteries

[boardkat]

Anybody have experience running a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery in their car, Mustang or otherwise? Specifically, I'm wondering about this one:

Battery Tender Lithium Battery 480CCA

Weighing in at only 3.75lbs and priced at just over $200 on Amazon, it seemed like a relatively inexpensive way to replace the stock battery and drop about 30lbs off the front, so I picked one up today.

Caveat: I AutoX competitively, so weight is always on my mind, and I'm willing to take tradeoffs with longevity and reliability. That said, I understand that I may be posting a comedic follow-up sometime in the future about how I got stranded in a parking lot on a cold morning when my car wouldn't start :lol:

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[Anthony@HTM]

I just ordered that one, should do just fine.

I'll update soon

 

[Bmw675]

I ran one in my motorcycle (Alien Motion brand). It was amazing how much weight savings there was on even a smaller setup.

The downfall was that it was very unreliable if the temp was under 40F outside. I didn't ride my bike when it was that cold, so it didn't bother me. But I'm not sure I would put one in my car, just because of that reason.

 

[smokinzx14r]

Also had a Alien Motion battery in my bike ( Kawasaki zx14r )I spun over much faster than the stock battery... Started great even in 30 deg temps ...Saved me 10 pounds and that is lot for a bike ... I had it 3 years and still going strong ..

 

[Anthony@HTM]

Just installed it

Fit great, and installed easily. You'll need a screw on terminal for the positive side.

28lb weight savings.


Car drives perfectly and starts the same


The mounting situation is temporary until I fab something up.

 

[boardkat]

finally got around to making a mount and getting it installed last night:

wanted a reversible solution for the offseason, so i don't have to keep a tender on it for those long & cold periods of time. sits nice and flush against the stock box. ran out of nuts and bolts, but even without ones on the bottom, the top strap ensures no movement - thrashed it around at an autox today to be sure

one other note: i had the car in the shop to get a defective headlight replaced, and after a couple cold starts and no runtime over a period of two days, there was no juice to crank when i picked it up. that said, it got going fine with a jump, and the trickle charger brought it back to full capacity over night. and it had no problems handling 12 starts between runs today at the event; had my trusty AGM jumpstarter with me just in case though!

 

[CooterK]

If you're going to go this route, I would highly advise carrying a jump starter of some sort, which kind of kills the whole weight savings thing... The lithium batteries work great in most situations, but just outside of optimal conditions will cause problems. The technology is still fledgling and not exactly perfect. While great for track use, I'd stick with the stock or a smaller AGM size battery for daily driver use, as random failures are still pretty common, ESPECIALLY if you live in a cold temperature enviroment. A slightly discharged/cold battery combined with a cold engine and starter can some times result in not being able to start your car. I own a store that sells these (Skyrich and Shorai brands) and am basing my experience off of actual real world experience not just speculation.

 

[boardkat]

quick update: i've been running my battery all season, both in competition and for my daily drive. i killed it once - was flashing my ECU (SCT, uggh), and left a door open for about a half an hour - meaning both interior and exterior lights were on, as well as everything else powered by auxiliary. that said, i did bring it back to life with the trickle charger. won't make that mistake again!

aside from my own stupidity, it's worked flawlessly. it's sat in my garage no longer than 3 days without running only once, and it hard started, so i'd recommend putting it on a trickle if you go on vacation. i was pleasantly surprised on a road trip that saw me spend a night at altitude - the next morning, with the temperature near 32, it started without any issue. i may leave my battery in this offseason after all, since it rarely gets that cold where i live. i carry one of these around just in case my luck runs out though (much lighter than a traditional jump starter, and just as effective, if not more so):

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