Dlauth

Just wondering what peoples opinions are on Lithium batteries.

I was looking into something like these:


http://www.lithiummoto.com/

Thank you

Seadawg

I'm still watching them, wanting to try it, but will let others be the testers for now.

Dano523

the Downfall of the Lithium battery is that is has a short life span (time from new), hence in the matter of just a year, it already falling off the mark of what is can be charged back up to.

So great from making lots of power is a small light package, but for a car battery that needs to last years and charge back up to it max charge time and time again for years on end, not so great instead.

So on that note, should be just reserved to laptops as of now, where you want light weight, and don't mind having to replace the battery every few years instead. Also makes sense in a race bike, since you have less weight, and even with standard batteries that are not put on a tender of the winter season, they have to be replaced every year or two as well.

Dlauth

That 30lb weight savings though....

I thought lithium was better for sitting around? I was specifically looking into lithium-iron (yes iron)
http://www.lithiummoto.com/

Thoughts and what would you recommend?

glass slipper

The battery in the link in your post above says it's a lithium-ion, not a lithium-iron.
The Shorai battery in this link: is the lithium-iron battery you're looking at. It's also the exact battery I run in my ZR-1 and I love it. The comment above about a short battery life may apply to the lithium-ion batteries but not the lithium-iron...they will last longer than regular batteries if you take care of them. My first Shorai battery worked fantastic, never had a problem with it even when autocrossing where I would stop and start the engine multiple times (4 or 5) while in line for my next run. I never allowed time for the battery to recharge after each start and the last start would be just as strong as the first start. As an every day driver, the battery works perfectly. If you let the car sit, you'll need to get the special charger Shoria sells that has a special maintenance mode to keep the battery at its optimum charge for longest life. If you let if sit for the whole winter, take the battery out and store it in the refrigerator...the instructions that come with the battery and charger has all of these details.

Now for the bad...there's only one bad thing about these batteries but it's a biggie. First, don't allow the battery to go below 12.866V (80% discharged) as it will affect battery life. Second, NEVER allow the battery to fully discharge...if this happens, just throw it away. I can vouch for that one first hand as my wife left the interior lights on and when I went back 3 weeks later the battery was at 0V. No amount of coaxing by any of my three different battery chargers would bring that battery back to life, not even the Shorai battery charger...a very expensive mistake.

However, I liked the battery so much that I bought another one to replace it. One year later I moved to Spain so I bought a regular battery to ship the car over because I didn't want it to arrive with a dead Shorai battery. If the car doesn't start when it arrives (not unusal), they have to buy a new battery...but it wouldn't be a Shorai battery. It was supposed to take less than 30 days to ship it and I knew the battery could handle it, especially knowing there would be several starts/runs along the way...but I got nervous if there were delays. As it turns out, it took two months to get here. It was started at least four times during that period so it probably would've been ok, I just didn't feel like making that gamble.

A lead acid battery isn't much better, typically about 3 fully discharged events will ruin it. The difference is the lead acid battery is about half the cost of the Shorai battery so it doesn't hurt so bad. If you do any racing, it's the easiest 30 LBs you'll ever get rid of from your car. If worrying about it getting fully discharged is going to bother you too much, it may not be the battery for you.

A few more things. Mounting was easy...I turned the battery on it's side (terminals up) and was able to use the factory battery hold-down. Cold starting is different since the current flow is reduced as temperature decreases, but there is an easy solution. You may have to turn on the headlights to warm up the battery first...it may be as little as 30 seconds at 40°F or as much as 4-5 minutes at 0°F. I lived in Florida before so I never experienced any problems, their website says most people will experience a start on the first attempt down to 20°F without warming up the battery and if not, the first attempt will have warmed up the battery enough and give a stronger second start. With a lead acid battery, a failed first start in cold weather means it isn't starting. Not many people drive their Corvette at 0°F or even 20°F so this would be a very minor issue for the very few times it would happen.

Sorry this got so long, I just wanted to relate my whole experience good and bad.

timd38

30 pounds is a bunch, but for most people 30 pounds really doesn't matter. I had a lithium iron in my car and it worked fine. The issue is with charging, jumping and discharge. Plus when they blow up, they really go bang.

In my opinion, a cycling battery in a Corvette makes more sense. The alternator capacity is marginal,and if you live in the north, you may not drive it for several months. I bought my car new in 2006 and installed a Yellow Optima. Took it out in 2011 to dismantle (I worked for the company that owns Optima), put in another Yellow Optima. Retired at the end of 2013, and since I did not work for a battery company anymore, I put the same lithium iron battery in as described above. It worked fine, but the reserve capacity is an issue and need the special charger to balance the cells isn't always available. I took it back out, put the Optima back in and went on a diet to take the 30 pounds out of the car.

If you use your car as a daily driver, a good old fashion lead acid flooded works fine. If you have a big stereo, underdrive pulley, low usage vehicle, etc, I would put a Yellow Optima or other type of cycling AGM battery in it.

Just my opinion.

PDsVettes

.

Go to the F.A.Q. section, #17, and it states the battery is a LiFePO4 type, iron phosphate.

glass slipper

Thank you very much, I stand corrected. When I went back to look, LiFePO4 is on the home page too...I have no idea how I missed that.

I'm glad you directed me back to their website as they talked about Shorai being a Chinese company building cheap batteries. LithiumMoto is a US company close to where I was living in Florida...I'll definitely give them my business on the next battery. I particularly like their battery rundown protection option. Thanks again.