dizwiz24

Need a new battery. 93 vert.

whats everyone using?

is there some kind of lighter weight battery technology i should be looking into ?

don hall

If you are a Costco member, they offer the Interstate battery made by Johnson Controls for a good price.

hcbph

Walmart has a reasonably priced battery also. Don't know if the weight is more or less than others but it works for me.

slow_zo6

fake

I use Delco never a problem and i am helping GM to survive. What are they placing in the new C7?

dizwiz24

Interesting! Is that a weight savings ?

can you trickle charge it (just like any other batt) in winter / storage?

Is it more tempermental (drains quicker) ?

do they make it in side mount terminals? Thats driving me nutz how you show it mounted sideways...

i feel like acid iis gonna leak out

c4cruiser

I had to get a new battery for my C5 3 weeks ago. Went to Costco for an Interstate and got the replacement for $77. I think it weighed about 31 lbs.

The old Interstate battery that was in the car had lasted for 10 years!!

383vett

I've been running Odyssey batteries for years. When my car was a street/strip car, I ran the PC 925. Now that it is a race car, I am running the PC1200 for extra umph. The 680 has only 170cca so I'm not sure how that works for a street car. These are glass mat AGM batteries and can be mounted upside down.

dizwiz24

Yeah the closer I look at those batteries- the less benefit I see.

the PC925 is a 330 CCA battery - and still weighs 26 lbs

Never been a fan of AGM. Screwed around with stupid Optima batteries in my C4. Never got one to work or last real long.


i think my current lead acid battery (sears die hard - which i know arent what they used to be) is 30 lbs and has 540 CCA.

I mean is there (for example) a ‘ lithium ion’ battery or something out there that weighs 15 lbs and will be reliable ?

DGXR

I don't think the battery is an area to focus on for weight reduction, unless you have already done the rest (wheels, soundproofing & carpet, lexan windows, etc). Otherwise I am really curious what kind of gains you expect from a lightweight battery? Or maybe you have difficulty lifting heavy stuff? Not sure your reasons.

0Antigravity

Hi guys. Chad w/Antigravity Batteries here. There are definitely some Lithium Options you can explore. What you'll want to be mindful of is that you'll have options with and without protections built in and that in turn can play a part in how that battery needs to be maintained. For example, we have our automotive batteries that have a full BMS (battery management system) built in that monitors the battery and protects it from being over discharged with built in jump starting so you're never left stranded with a dead battery. That one will vary in weight depending on capacity size but you'd be between 10-15 lbs. With a 93 we might have to get a little creative with the mounting but we can usually find a solution with the space provided. Besides the weight aspect you're also getting a battery with much stronger performance and cranking and rated at twice as many cycles in comparison to a typical lead/acid option.

slow_zo6

Yes I keep mine on a charger made by odyssey. The side mount terminals can be purchased separately.
its an AGM battery-no fluid to leak out.

sedgwick24

I was going to say something about Antigravity cause I was eye balling some for my motorcycle. Only issue I ran into was price. I am willing to spend $70 for a Napa Special battery versus the $260-$320 range. And that is for a smaller motorcycle battery. Automotive ones are $600-$700

ctmccloskey

Your Corvette was designed to use a Flooded Lead Acid battery. The charging set-points are different for the different battery technologies and no one alternator can charge all the different batteries out there. Someday they might ask you in a setup screen which type of battery technology you are using, for now it is a flooded lead acid battery.

Absorbed Glass Mat batteries have their own charging issues and I personally avoid them. I would put a lead calcium battery in any position as they usually don't care. An AGM battery needs to be able to use capillary action to get the electrolyte to all the surfaces inside the battery so you need to have it in a position that works for the battery. AGM batteries are also likely to vent when being charged by a standard automobile charging system and that can cause irreversible damage to the battery. In extreme cold or heat is when the charger is not suited for the AGM battery. The AGM does have a very low self discharge rate which is a plus for Corvettes that sit for extended periods. I have one in my RV where it is used infrequently and it works great.

I too have had the "Optima Urge" (thinking that "more expensive" translates to "better battery)" and found them incompatible with my Cadillac STS or my 1988 C4. The people who make the Optima batteries even make their own special chargers for their Optima products, you need to ask why?..... The Optima batteries don't like noise on the charging current, a cheap charger will frequently not work properly with an Optima product.

I spent many years testing batteries for a Westinghouse Solar PV Company and I have learned a lot from the manufacturers. Nobody tests their batteries the same way, the CCA number is a joke and I buy batteries based on capacity from quality companies. I still like to verify the products that I use and am very disappointed with the newer Flooded batteries. A lot of new FLA batteries will say they are maintenance-free and that is a joke. I also never buy a battery for its warranty. I have had tremendous success with Interstate Batteries and use them almost exclusively. They last the longest in my vehicles but I also service them at least every 12 months. Electrolyte does get used regularly so it needs to be replenished regularly.

I have one of the real light 12 volt batteries in my motorcycle and it is great and very powerful, it just has to be removed and charged completely regularly as the vehicles charging system does not supply the proper voltage for this battery. It keeps my turn signals from dimming my headlight while idling and works okay for my Motorcycle. Too much of a hassle for using it in a car for me.

There are lots of choices in the FLA category, there are many brands to choose from. One should "fit the bill" for your Corvette and if taken care of it will last many years. The reason they cost more is the manufacturer decided if the battery has to be recycled "Who" gets to pay for it?

Good Luck,

Chris

Joe C

not sure it applies to street driven cars, but about 10 years ago, I was at an exotic car show in Sarasota florida. there was a vendor there setup for some sort of ultra light weight batteries. not sure if they were for racing applications or what, but I do remember they were in the neighborhood of $1500. I guess when you have a million dollar ride, 15-hundred is chump change.

RetroGuy

I just replaced my 4 year old battery with a Bosch purchased at Pep Boys. It has a reserve rating of 100 compared to that Odyssey's tiny 24 rating. Unless you're racing, don't get caught with a dead battery at 2AM, in the middle of nowhere running a dry cell light weight battery!

0Antigravity

Just wanted to point out to you that a Lithium Battery is the most cost effective weight loss by far for Car, or Motorcycle. Of course this will depend on the year of your care and size of the battery. But for example latter year Coverttes used an H6 size battery.... that is a 46 lbs battery.
Our H6 Lithium Version is 13.5 lbs. and also has WIRELESS built in jump-starting. So that is a 33 lbs weight savings and takes a few moments to do.

Wheels are an awesome change out too.. and rotating mass is probably the best weight lose. But it can be very expensive. Now I don't know how much even removing all the other stuff weighs like the sound proofing but 35lbs in one swoop is crazy. especailly when people are doing little Carbon Fiber things that loose a gram.

Then if you talking for Racing purposes only you can get one of our 5lbs Lithium Batteries that will rip start a Vette.... So Lithium is bar far the most cost effective weight loss when you are seeking big reductions of weight.

slow_zo6

What’s the price on one of these lithium battery’s for a c4?
😳

0Antigravity

Yes the price is quite a bit more expensive than Lead/Acid its the cost of the materials actually. Lead is very cost efficient and is over 100 years old...

But there are significant benefits to lithium for those who desire it...

1-Exceptional weight loss about 70% lighter than Lead

2- Our batteries have built in Jump Starting and also they will not allow themselves to be over-discharged and damaged. They have short -circuit protection and much more.

3- And they also offer a longer lifecycle but almost twice that of lead/acid. And don't need a special Charging profile in the Car.

But absolutely it is not for everyone, its just and option if you want those features. Just like many of the other Hi-Performance parts there are one you want or don't. From our perspective having the WIRELESS built-in jump starting is such a great benefit , and combine that with the 2x longer life and it arguably a better value than Lead/Acid.... it just a higher up-front cost.

RetroGuy

Doesn't seem like your battery's low weight is worth the high price it sells for for non racing cars.