Simplify and add lightness

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
01/03/2014 at 20:17 • Filed to: FR-S

Added a super lightweight battery to the 86 today. Lost a total of 25lb off of the front end and opened up quite a bit of room where the OEM battery went.

Here is the OEM brick and brackets

And here is the lightweight unit and tray I installed

So now with the battery exhaust and wheels upgraded, I should be sitting at about 75lb under the stock weight. Removing the spare tire and toolset should put me at comfortably under 2650lb for track days.

DISCUSSION (21)

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:20

How light can you get it while remaining a DD car? Is that the goal or what?

DollaMoneyAve > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:22

Awesome, nice to see that 86 is in good hands

PowderHound > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:22

What kind of battery and how does it work for a DD? These lightweight ones are more expensive but other than that, what are the cons?

Decay buys too many beaters > PowderHound
01/03/2014 at 20:27

The cons are that it stores less total energy, I think by around 40%. This means that if you are one of those that likes to listen to a radio with your car off of forgets to turn off lights, it will be empty approximately 40% faster. This one however has far more CCA than the stock battery (500 vs 320 stock)

I'm not really sure how it works as a daily driver because, I have a beater that I DD. It should actually work quite well is used daily though.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:28

I would also like to know how good these batteries are for a daily.

Decay buys too many beaters > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
01/03/2014 at 20:31

Well mine is not a DD (have my winter beater VW for that). Goal is to get it as light as possible while still being relatively comfortable for the frequent long drives on back-roads. It's more of a weekend/fun car right now.

PowderHound > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:35

That doesn't seem too bad for being 25lbs less in the front, my battery is wayy in front so that would be nice. I only really listen to the radio with my car off every now and then when putting boots on in the parking lot of a ski resort. Even then, I always have jumper cables tucked away.

Decay buys too many beaters > PowderHound
01/03/2014 at 20:37

And it is a Ballistic Evo 2 HD battery. Technically it is a motorcycle battery, but the specs were pretty similar to the OEM battery.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:38

Ahh I see.

Are coils out of the question. Cause those might save a bit of weight.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you
01/03/2014 at 20:38

It would depend a lot on how often you drive. I'll be monitoring the parasitic draw on the system over the next few weeks to see how long the battery takes to discharge in a car that is not driven often.

Decay buys too many beaters > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
01/03/2014 at 20:43

Maybe? Although the coils are really tough to get at on this engine, I'm pretty sure it involves lifting the engine out of the car slightly.

Also I'm not sure if anyone has made aftermarket coils yet.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 20:44

I meant the suspension haha.

Aftermarket coils would add some potential tuning or power depending how much more powerful the spark can be though..

Decay buys too many beaters > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
01/03/2014 at 21:11

lol, my bad

From what I've seen the potential weight difference between the stock suspension and upgraded coilovers is 1 lb max. The stock stuff is pretty light.

Right now the areas I'm considering for further weight reduction are the driveshaft (-10lb), brakes (-20lb, but way too expensive right now), back seat removal (-20lb), and apparently there is about 10lb to be lost in the engine compartment by replacing a lot of the stamped steel brackets with aluminum.

Unfortunately I'll also be adding about 30lb in the near future with the addition of an oil cooler, and some underbody bracing.

shinsen > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 21:26

oh nice, is it daily drivable with the performance battery?!

shinsen > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 21:27

oh noice

Decay buys too many beaters > shinsen
01/03/2014 at 21:38

Even if there are issues, I have experience with motorcycles (and thus own a trickle charger). I know how to keep small batteries healthy & happy.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 21:45

Oil cooler and bracing is definitely worth it, though. between the weight savings and the additional handling, you'll have what's essentially a..... TRD? Edition...? Whatever.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Decay buys too many beaters
01/03/2014 at 22:43

Removing back seats?

Decay buys too many beaters > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
01/04/2014 at 00:37

Yes, probably. Not like they are really useful for anything. Unfortunately the entire rear seat assembly is only about 20lbs.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
01/04/2014 at 00:51

At least you hit the 90 lb mark

Decay buys too many beaters > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
01/04/2014 at 17:19

Well with the spare tire and toolkit, gone I'm at approximately the -110 mark. Also I'm pretty sure seat removal would bump me up an class