Lightweight battery, odyssey, braille, etc. Information:

[sparky]

TURBO2Go or phyrxis, exactly which Shorai model code have you chosen, is it the LFX36A3-BS12? (note those Australian prices!)
or maybe it's the LFX36L3-BS12 which appears to be same specs, just the polarity swapped.
Also what are the physical dimensions (L x W x H) excluding the posts?

 

[phryxis]

TURBO2Go or phyrxis, exactly which Shorai model code have you chosen, is it the LFX36A3-BS12? (note those Australian prices!)
or maybe it's the LFX36L3-BS12 which appears to be same specs, just the polarity swapped.
Also what are the physical dimensions (L x W x H) excluding the posts?

TURBO2GO and I both have the L3 versions which yes, is the same as the A3, but with swapped polarity.

Physical dimensions of the battery:Length 6.55" Width 3.39" Height 6.10"

And I'll be testing out the battery drain sometime in the near future.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Well I've left mine for 5 days now and it's been ok.

 

[TURBO2GO]

I just tried the car after 16 days of sitting. Started right up. This Shorai is AMAZING.

 

[Hrant]

TURBO2GO and I both have the L3 versions which yes, is the same as the A3, but with swapped polarity.

Physical dimensions of the battery:Length 6.55" Width 3.39" Height 6.10"

And I'll be testing out the battery drain sometime in the near future.

Please test the CCA and battery voltage readings when you do your longevity/drain test. These reading would be quite interesting. Yes it's good news that it starts after 2+ weeks; most basic batteries do too but the NSX has this notorious drain issue .... Thx.

 

[sparky]

following this keenly !

 

[TURBO2GO]

My voltage read 13.6

 

[Hrant]

My voltage read 13.6

At the battery before cranking or after you crank it and readings from the OEM gauge? And this after 16 days?

 

[sparky]

13.6 is quite high (not suggesting that's bad).
Is that just after charging, or after sitting for 16 days?

 

[TURBO2GO]

That's what it read after sitting. Before starting. Engine off. Lithium tends to stay high in voltage until it suddenly drops off. I was surprised of that reading. Here are some photos with my mount from ohryxis:

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

That looks great. People with aftermarket battery terminals will have to switch out though right?

 

[TURBO2GO]

I don't think so if you use the 90 degree posts that phrixys sells. I used the standard odyssey brass posts. It is a tight fit as you can see, you can just barely get the terminals to fit within the tight space around the post and battery. The odyssey posts are threaded. My terminals were just slightly loose around the posts. So that is why I installed 2 washers and bolts on top of the terminals and into the posts. (You can see in the pic). But I kept the OEM upright configuration whereas phryxis essentially moved the terminals to the front of the battery. My setup is very tight and secure. It ain't comin' off and the connections are solid.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyway I think with the 90 degree posts you can use any terminal.

 

[sparky]

I would mount it lying down, for lower COG :smile:

will a lead-acid charger work with lithium?

 

[TURBO2GO]

I would mount it lying down, for lower COG :smile:

will a lead-acid charger work with lithium?

There is no liquid in this battery so yeah it can be mounted any way. Even inside the car. There is a list of chargers on Shoraipower site that tells you what works and what doesn't. The gray tab between the terminals I broke the corner of is the input for their own charger. Plus right in. No need to attach anything to the posts.

- - - Updated - - -

I called shorai and I said "how about car use?" and they said they didn't think it was strong enough but I could try. Little do they know. This thing will kick the ass of most Odyssey's. I am so happy with it.

 

[sparky]

their own specs are 540 CCA for the LFX36A3-BS12 = plenty strong enough for an NSX

 

[DRIFTER]

My voltage read 13.6

13.6 is quite high (not suggesting that's bad).
Is that just after charging, or after sitting for 16 days?

This is normal for dry cell batteries.

 

[sparky]

I recommend anyone thinking about these have a good read of the Shorai FAQ and Specs (attached) and Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries on Wikipedia (that's Lithium Iron not Lithium-Ion).

These are an impressive battery technology, I especially like it's longevity and durability.

FYI the FAQ explains that the charge of these batteries can be determined by measuring the open circuit voltage:
100% charge: 14.340 volts
90% charge: 13.300 volts
50% charge: 13.116 volts
20% charge: 12.866 volts (minimum)
10% charge: 12.730 volts
0% charge: 9.2 volts

So TURBO2GO has plenty of juice left in his battery. In my experience a SLA or GEL battery is at best 13.2 - 13.4 open circuit volts after fully charging, and 12.4 volts o/c is considered the discharge minimum (without damaging the battery)

 

[phryxis]

Please test the CCA and battery voltage readings when you do your longevity/drain test. These reading would be quite interesting. Yes it's good news that it starts after 2+ weeks; most basic batteries do too but the NSX has this notorious drain issue .... Thx.

Sorry about lagging on the battery drain issues, I killed the batteries in my volt meter. That, and cold weather testing are on the list.

That's what it read after sitting. Before starting. Engine off. Lithium tends to stay high in voltage until it suddenly drops off. I was surprised of that reading. Here are some photos with my mount from ohryxis:

Awesome Dave, thanks for the pics and the feedback!

That looks great. People with aftermarket battery terminals will have to switch out though right?

As Dave was saying, using the Shorai supplied 90 degree connectors, I am confident that any battery terminals will fit fine.

I would mount it lying down, for lower COG :smile:

will a lead-acid charger work with lithium?

Honestly, laying the battery down would have an almost negligible effect on the COG, the battery is that light. And, for us (and you), it would cost significantly more because the stock that we'd have to use for that orientation would be basically 2x the amount of metal.

As long as the charger doesn't have a desulfate mode, it will work. That means the Battery Tender brand tenders WILL work, it's confirmed by Shorai and by my personal testing.

 

[TURBO2GO]

What do you mean shorai supplied 90 degree connectors? I didn't get anything with mine.

 

[phryxis]

What do you mean shorai supplied 90 degree connectors? I didn't get anything with mine.

They are supposed to come with the 90 degree brackets, call up Shorai and see if they will send you a set.

I just opened up one of the boxes on the latest batteries that I bought and it now even comes with brackets to offset the posts.

Just took this pic right now:

 

[RYU]

w/o those 90* connectors there no way we could have fit them in the BRZ (unless we extended the poles taller)

 

[TURBO2GO]

Interesting I got neither of those

 

[sparky]

As a matter of interest I just measured max amps while starting my 91 NA1 cold. My engine is almost standard and my battery : a fairly tired Odyssey PC680, about to be replaced, but the car almost always starts instantly. I did three starts (with cold engine, ambient 15 deg C), clamp meter showed I pulled 214, 275 then 260 Amps. Not sure why the first value was low, but I expect these values are probably quite normal: The 91 workshop manual (p23-79) says it should not exceed 350A or pull volts down below 8.5. For interest I'll measure voltage drop and a hot start later.

 

[phryxis]

That's awesome, I did a bit of battery testing myself.

I tested for at rest battery drain and it was very small at .01 amps.

 

[sparky]

Shorai performance

I decided to do some testing of my new Shorai LFX36A3-BS-12 battery. It starts the car just fine but I've found this battery does not have much capacity. Shorai market these as 36 "Pb Eq" amp-hours, and they justify this double-speak on basis it has the CCA starting capacity of a 36Ah lead-acid battery. From my testing through a 2 ohm power resistor, which draws around 6amps, I managed to get just 6 amp-hours. See the graphs attached.

So the Shorai pros: it is very light, will easily start the car, will probably live longer than a SLA or GEL if I look after it.

Cons: I'll have to connect the Shorai charger every overnight, and I'd better not leave the lights on by accident one day because it will probably be ruined in less than 2 hours.

Basically a good battery for a track car, not really enough reserve capacity for street use.