Battery choices

[blue2000s]

JackG doesn't really need my help, but he's 100% right.

[Jaxonalden]

Then why does the OEM use the battery it does? Being the sports cars these are they should have a lawnmower battery under the hood.

[JackG]

Originally Posted by Jaxonalden

Then why does the OEM use the battery it does? Being the sports cars these are they should have a lawnmower battery under the hood.

Because Porsche designs the cars to suit 90% of the buyers. Most people buying Boxsters don't want to eek out the last 1% of performance that a lightweight battery would provide. They'd rather have a battery that will last through a week or two of non-use and still start the car; a battery that will start the car when it is negative 18 degrees out; a battery that will last more than 15 minutes of leaving the lights on before it's dead.

If you replace the OEM battery with a lawnmower battery, those are the kind of issues you'll have to look forward to. And Porsche, along with the vast majority of the buyers, just don't want that.

[Lil bastard]

Well, it seems that in terms of losing weight for ax, it's not all or nothing.

Dedicated ax'ers regularly spend time prepping their cars for an ax or track event, swapping wheels/tires, brake pads, some even pulling the passenger seat. Why not add a battery swap to this regimen if the results warrant it?

Instead of removing the battery terminals, you could just as easily remove the cables at their other ends (still a single nut) and install a pair with terminals dedicated to the smaller battery. Even a lawn mower battery would be sufficient for the day and could then be removed and kept on a tender until needed again. It's not a lot of $ or effort, if you're dedicated enough.

[edevlin]

Just as a point of information, my 1.5 year old Braille 15 lb battery popped the engine right over this morning no problem. It was 18 degrees when I started the car. Battery did great, but boy the suspension felt hard, dont know if it is the tires or coilovers, but I could really feel the road. Hey the other thing I noticed for the first time this year is the "innercooler" effect of cold weather. Feels like I have picked up 10 hp or so when its cold outside. This thing really scoots when its cold out.

Ed