madmatt9471

POST #30 Has pics of the Battery Terminal Adapter Protectors


I purchased a Light Weight BRAILLE Battery B2317 - I was in need, and in need very soon for a new one, so I decided to pick-up a light weight one instead.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....teries/b2317r/

My Testamonial:
This battery works perfect, no electrical issues, it had a very "STRONG" start-up, a perfect drive to work and start-up at the end of the day, bright lights, a constant Volt rating on the gauge, no flickering when other accesories were used etc. Best benefit is that it is over 20lb's lighter than my stock size one and has a stronger rating!

Overall Rating: A++++

Big thanks to Jesse @ Scoggin Dicky:
I got this from Scoggin Dicky Parts Center (SDPC) from 1-800-456-0211 Jesse at Ext 358, one of our Forum Vendors and they "BEAT" Summit Racing's price by a sizeable chunk, he sent tracking number immediately on the same day and the battery showed up UPS right on time!

I made a bracket from 1 1/2" Aluminum to keep it in place, and I picked up some $5.00 adapters at WalMart along with Corrosion Inhibiter Spray for $4.00 too. (You'll see the RED color on the terminals)!

**At the bottom of this POST I have pics of the Electrical information between the stock size, and the BRAILLE Battery (W/the Braille coming out on top!!!)**

Here is a shot of the stock size battery with my BATTERY TENDER on the top (From Harbor Freight) -




Picture of the Shipping BOX (one went inside the other):


Here you will notice on the bench the BRASS Terminal Post at the bottom of the picture, these attatch on the top of the battery (I did not get a shot of them on before I installed the side post adapters):



Attatch the BRASS Posts right here on the top holes, (The stock terminal bolt are too large and do not thread into the smaller holes on the battery)


Size Difference between the two, Stock is 39lb's and the BRAILLE is 17lb's:






Set in place:




PIC with the Terminal Adapters on, and sprayed with Corrosion Spray, You'll notice the Brass Posts installed and the adapters attached to them:


Adapter package from WalMart:


Battery Tender Set in place with Velcro on Firewall:


Bracket, I made it out of a piece of 1 1/2" Aluminum, you'll notice one side is a little lower than the other, the lower side goes under the tab at the back of the battery tray - I put black "FOAM" tape under the bottom section that touches the battery:




Drilled a 21/64 Hole in the Bracket to use the factory bolt, short side uses the bolt:




You'll see the TAB that sticks out at the back of the Factory Battery TRAY, the long side of the Bracket tucks under here:


Dropped in place with the Bracket attatched and snugged up:










Difference in Ratings:

Stock: Cranking Amps 825 / Cold Cranking Amps @ 32* 660


BRAILLE:











Technical Info from BRAILLE:

Model Number:Braille SKU #B2317

Model Name:17lb Racing Battery - Right Side Positive

Length:6.88" / Width:4.0" / Height (without posts):6.12" / Minimum Weight:17 lbs

Voltage: 12 Volts / Full Charge Voltage:13.8 Volts /

Short Circuit Current (Max Cranking Amps):2700 est.
Pulse Cranking Amps (PCA) 5 sec @ 80F: [?]1191
Pulse Cranking Amps (PCA) 10 sec @ 80F:1041
Pulse Cranking Amps 20 sec @ 80F:920
Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 80F:770
Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 32F:641
Cold Cranking Amps 30 sec @ 0F: 475
Reserve Capacity: 45 minutes
Capacity (C/20 rate): 23 amp hr
Internal Resistance:4.25 miliohms (.00425 ohms)
Life Cycle @ 10% DOD: 3100 cycles est.

I hope this helps some out with deciding whether to purchase one or not. You can call me with any questions you may have 661-406-7516 Cell or Email me madmatt9471@sbcglobal.net

And as always I appreciate all your thoughts on my project and write-up

Thanks,Matt

tlc0706

WOW...That thing looks like a battery for my lawnmower..... Kinda lost way down there in that hole.....Very nice writeup / well documented.......excellent example for others to follow, just wish I had seen it last summer.... Thanks Matt

lucky131969

Not to pick, but you are not consistent with your post....depending on what pic you look at ( or versus the spec).

Cranking amps is at 32 degrees F.
Cold cranking amps is a 0 degrees F.

Interesting that the test card shows cranking amps at 831. Obviously that can't be at 32 degrees F. The tech specs for this battery only show 770 cranking amps at 80 degrees F......I wonder why the disparity? Since you live in Cali, this will not be near as important compared to someone where temps dip below freezing.

madmatt9471

No problem - I probably missed it, it was a lot to write-up and I am getting tired - I'll fix it!

Can you suggest the correction, that'll help me out on what you see and where I need to correct it

Thanks for the catch

Thanks,Matt

lucky131969

Cold cranking amps are at 0

cold cranking above should be "cranking amps", while cold cranking is at 0 degree F. Still do not understand about the 831.

Y2Kvert4me

Nice write up and pics.

I've been looking at these too, and will probably install the smaller 11.5 lb model.

My cam has enough overlap that cranking compression is a non-issue, and it doesn't ever get started in cold weather, so I'm sure it'll do just fine.

vettenuts

What is the chemistry of this battery, is it still lead-acid?

Cybermind

Nice write up.

Maybe I'm missing something but what are the advantages of having such a small battery? Ok, I understand the weight savings involved but it surely makes no difference for a DD. Furthermore, you had to go to the troube of making a bracket to hold it down and converting it to side posts. Wouldn't it have been much easier to just have gone with a standard sized AGM and be done with it? Just my two cents.

ssmith512

AGM. You can get the EXACT same battery for half the price elsewhere. It just doesnt have the BRAILLE sticker on it.

To the OP, nice write up, one suggestion, I would wrap that positve terninal and post with some insulating material. Having that huge surface area exposed scares me. Anything metal that touches that and a ground and you have one big problem.

jrmotorsports55

Just curious, I remember reading somewhere that you could not use a battery tender with some types of lightweight batteries (might have been the oddysey brand). Will that be a problem with this battery?

Jason

torkman15

Great writeup, I was going to wait till my batt gave me trouble but now I'm ordering one so I dont have to put myself on a diet.

lubranjo

The Braille Batteries are the best I have to say... I am on my third 11 1/2 lb battery in over 7 years on the 03Z... With under 6K in mileage the battery spends alot of time on a trickle but always fires !! I AM SOLD !

1999_TRC

Are you saying you have replaced two(now on a third) 11.5 lb braille batteries in 7 years?

hotwheels57

That's not a BATTERY TENDER from DELTRON CORPORATION. The model "BATTERY TENDER" is specific to that manufacturer. It might be a float maintenance charger though (?).

You mentioned it's from HARBOR FREIGHT. Maybe you were using the name generically?

I also don't understand the need for such a battery on a daily driver. But it's your car. Make sure you protect and insure those terminal adapters/connections stay tight to avoid electrical gremlins.

At a minimum, use some type of protective cover over the terminals. Products can be found here...

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...ed=0CDAQsAQwBg

lubranjo

Yes, actually 8 years in May... remember the car "sits" and to be clear each battery is lasting just over 3 1/2 years... Remember it is the 11.5 lb battery which by requirements on paper does not meet what is "required" for a V8....

1999_TRC

I'm certainly no battery expert, but what is the advantage to buying a battery that lasts half as long as a delco battery(or equiv), for a car that does not get driven?

SDPC

Nice Writeup Matt



To those wondering why anyone would do this mod: Weight is a HUGE thing to a very large portion of our racing community and this is one of the cheaper ways to drop a significant amount of weight off of the nose of the car. With a higher quality battery (like the Braille) you can do so without tradeoff of dependability.

As far as the 11.5 pound, 17 pound etc goes, this 17 pound battery is a good option for the original poster because of the climate he is in along with his driving habits. In consistently warm areas without cold weather driving the 17 pound will be great. For most areas in our country the recommended battery would be the 21 pound version. It will provide more power and is better rated for colder weather than Matt will see. The 11.5 pound battery is race only and shouldn't be used in a driver car or even a V8 application at all. Many people use it without a problem, but outside for a racecar there are tradeoffs(including shorter life). That can not be used as a point against the line as a whole, because that battery is being used outside of it's intended purpose and rating whileas some of the other batteries are fully intended for use in your daily driver and when used in a driver there is no negative tradeoff to a full size heavy battery.

A 2amp tender is ok to use on these batteries. Braille even offers one for use with these batteries on cars such as the Corvette where it is known that the car will drain the battery if it sits for an extended period of time. The battery itself should require no extra care over what you would do with a standard battery though.

The 831 cranking amps is at 80 degrees, it is the amount shown on that particular battery when it was tested before it left Braille. The disparity is that it actually tested higher than the blanket rating. Ratings are based on minimum performance, whileas actual performance may exceed that number.

hotwheels57

If people used it for the intended racing only purpose and within warmer climates, I can see the value. But, I could see more benefit to using the stock weight battery in the trunk.

I tend to think many users would more than likely use it in a daily driver because they believe anything to do with racing will benefit their daily driver. We know that's not necessarily the case.

madmatt9471

Jason,

Yes! You can use a Trickle charger or a Rapid charger on them - BRAILLE Sells them on their site (Wouldn't buy that one since I've got one already)
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....ickle_charger/

So this is good for all who keep saying you cannot use a Battery charger on them

Thanks,Matt

madmatt9471

Why use an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery?
An AGM battery utilizes a fine fiber glass material separator between the lead plates within the battery. The AGM design is also highly resistant to vibration deterioration. AGM batteries, are also called starved electrolyte they operate with no maintenance and can be installed in various ways (except upside down) without spill and provide outstanding power per dollar invested. AGM batteries are commonly interchanged with traditional flooded lead acid batteries as the charge/discharge profile of these batteries are similar. AGM batteries have low internal resistance and a very low self-discharge rate (from 1% to 3% per month). So they can sit unused for much longer periods without charging.

From the FAQ section:
http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/faq/

Thanks,Matt