Red Top battery change...?

son of solo

son of solo

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i noticed a guy on RS with a 197 posting details of a battery change he had done...
hes fitted a "red top" racing battery in his 197 an looks like hes saved a load of weight in doing so...
so it got me wondering...i havent heard of this being done before and wondered what if any the negative aspects were ?
 
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Ossie87

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all I know with those is you gotta make sure they can provide 14 volts for your alternator to run because they supply 8v versions for race cars with no alternator. not really sure about any other problems.
 
Cue

Cue

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i'm going to be changing mine when it needs doing to a red top - you can get the correct voltage ones and yes, they're a lot lighter and smaller than the oem ones.

Plus they'll fit under the passenger seat to offset the weight distribution, lower it and create more space in the engine bay.
 
Berty

Berty

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If it's the one I'm thinking it's kev off the RS forum as well as 197 forum. He's said it's got more cells than the standard battery, as well as being smaller and lighter so it seems a win win situation. Also approved by someone called icarus on rs forum who has a lot to do with motorsport and seems to know what he's talking about.
 
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George K

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They are very good batteries - lightweight and because they use gel do not need to be upright. They are intended for competition, so whether they have sufficient capacity for cold starts, being left for say two weeks, or running around in town with all the accessories on (heated rear window etc), would need checking first.

Cue, if you mount under the passenger seat it will need to be in a sealed box to pass MSA scrutineering - hence why people fit in the boot in a purpose made box (Demon Tweeks etc).
 
Tullyvernon

Tullyvernon

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Im intending on fitting one soon, that lad saved a load of weight in his 197 by it! somthing like 10kgs i think!!
quote from cs

"Redtop will hold a charge for longer than a L/A battery. They have a 5 year stand by life as they are military batteries really then have been commericalised."

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=388399
 
hoolio

hoolio

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10kg's, ten bags of sugar, is it really that much?
May have to give this some thought, mine has been a little sad just recently in this cold weather.
 
hoolio

hoolio

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Considering they recommend the smallest for reno's rated @15Ah and most normal batteries are about 60ah what effect will this have day to day?

Am i correct in thinking that this correlates to charge life?
 
Cue

Cue

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that one doesn't look suitable - it's lists applications as being snowmobiles and motorbikes..... not sure it would run the electrical requirements of a car.
 
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PPTom

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Applications listed all depends on who is selling them, I thought that link gave a pretty good overview of the battery, see this link for more applications:
http://www.hot-lap.com/#/batteries/4529909065
Westfield, Caterham, Elise......
and this one:
http://cliosupercup.blogspot.com/
The specs of the two are actually pretty similar, one is a bit lighter, one gives more peak cranking current, dimensions are within mm of each other. Saying that though, the redtop seems to be used much more frequently, so I'd say its more proven. However I'm still a little concearned about their life, i think batteries like this are designed to be trickle charged - used for a race weekend, removed from car and plugged into a charger for a matter of days. I may be wrong, but I dont think in day to day use, they will last as long as a normal car battery, still, 10KG!
 
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