[Mjollnir]

I heard back from the folks in Taiwan regarding the label "No Use Lead Acid
Battery Charger". This is purpose built for automotive use. If the battery is to
be removed from the vehicle it's to be charged using a lithium battery charger
and not a battery charger you have lying around the garage. Meaning it must
use the correct charging profile for that battery. While the battery is installed
it's to use the cars charging system.

Something that I was not aware of, the button on the top when depressed
displays the voltage is actually for a different purpose. It's to be left off, but in
the event the battery runs down and can't start the vehicle you push that
button which provides a reserve to get the the car started.

I know I've been fore warned and appreciate everyone's input, but proceeding
to permanently relocate the battery.

[NickyRacerBoy]

Originally Posted by Mjollnir

I heard back from the folks in Twain regarding the label "No Use Lead Acid
Battery Charger". This is purpose built for automotive use. If the battery is to
be removed from the vehicle it's to be charged using a lithium battery charger
and not a battery charger you have lying around the garage. Meaning it must
use the correct charging profile for that battery. While the battery is installed
it's to use the cars charging system.

Something that I was not aware of, the button on the top when depressed
displays the voltage is actually for a different purpose. It's to be left off, but in
the event the battery runs down and can't start the vehicle you push that
button which provides a reserve to get the the car started.

I know I've been fore warned and appreciate everyone's input, but proceeding
to permanently relocate the battery.

Please keep us updated with long term testing.

[Ryephile]

LiFePO4 batteries' failure mode is not fire, unlike Lithium-polymer's that are in laptops/phones. The chemistry is different.

It's correct their charging methods are different, so trickle chargers need to be different. LiFePO4's need constant voltage charging whereas lead-acids prefer constant current. LiFePO4's low-self discharge also means they don't need to be kept on a tender unless the vehicle quiescent current is significant.

The only hesitation here is the unknown of the Camaros' "smart charging" profile, as it's designed for lead-acid. It's possible it will never fully charge a LiFePO4, but given how much functional capacity they have over lead-acid it may not be of significant concern.


As an anecdote, I've been running LiFePO4 batteries with top-down balancers in my track cars since 2012, however those cars used traditional voltage regulated alternators, which are perfectly acceptable for LiFePO4's chemistry.

[Mjollnir]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

LiFePO4 batteries' failure mode is not fire, unlike Lithium-polymer's that are in laptops/phones. The chemistry is different.

It's correct their charging methods are different, so trickle chargers need to be different. LiFePO4's need constant voltage charging whereas lead-acids prefer constant current. LiFePO4's low-self discharge also means they don't need to be kept on a tender unless the vehicle quiescent current is significant.

The only hesitation here is the unknown of the Camaros' "smart charging" profile, as it's designed for lead-acid. It's possible it will never fully charge a LiFePO4, but given how much functional capacity they have over lead-acid it may not be of significant concern.


As an anecdote, I've been running LiFePO4 batteries with top-down balancers in my track cars since 2012, however those cars used traditional voltage regulated alternators, which are perfectly acceptable for LiFePO4's chemistry.

I couldn't of said this better myself...

Thanks Ryephile for the information and taking the time to post this.
Very much appreciated!

[glamcem]

What do you guys think of this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Shorai-LFX36L.../dp/B005FIUMOG

Many people were using these batteries on the BRZ/FRS cars and I was planning to get one before I sold my car. Shorai batteries are fairly known brand and this particular one has 540 CCA and only weighs 5 lbs !!

Do you think it should be fine for track/summer use only? I am planning to put the OEM back when the season is over and use this for summer/track only.
I believe OEM is 720 CCA

[dannykao]

FWIW, I ran a Braille 21 for a few months and had to abandon it. It just doesn't generate enough juice to keep all the computers running, especially with the variable charging feature of the alternator. It all come to a head at the Pro Finale at Lincoln this year. I was doing practice launch and the car ran horrible and I was getting 2.5 sec/60' and 5 seconds 200' time. Eventually car stopped running altogether and I can't restart it. I went to O'Reilly and bought a stock battery (left my stock one at home) and instantly went back to 2.0/60' and 4.0/200' again.

I also looked into tuning the variable alternator charging and tried to disable it to make sure the battery is always fully charged. The best we can do there is to lower the voltage limit for each of the car components in the tune, but not able to turn off the variable charging feature.

After speaking with several tuners/experts, I have abandon the idea of running any battery other than stockers. I would at least recommend holding on to the stock battery and carry it if you are going to keep the lighter one for long trips just in case. JMHO.

P.S. The stock suitcase exhaust is about 35 lbs depends on where you chop it off. We made a 5 lbs aluminum 3.5" inlet muffler in its place and it's lasted the entire season. However, at the last day of ProSolo Finale at Nats, my sound reading was exactly 100.0. (It normally register between high 97 and mid 98s). Muffler delete with any header with high flow cats will go over 100 db, with stock cat and stock header you might be able to get away with a muffler delete. Just sharing what I know.