Quote:
Originally Posted by Kane
Can we use an optima instead if we wanted to?
I have a brand new Red Top, so I'd rather save the $$$ and still get the rest of the kit.
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Here's the deal with full sized batteries:
First and foremost. Why? you really don't need a battery with two hours of reserve capacity unless you actually use the electronics in the vehicle while it is not running for extended periods of time. Why carry around a 50lb battery when a 20lb battery can do the same job? I'm not saying you made a bad purchase the Optima batteries are great batteries, there is nothing inherently wrong with them.
It will fit in the box but you will have to do what most do and that is to just drill holes in the side of the box inline with the posts and obviously the holes in the box will have to be large enough for the cable ends to pass through. Then you can unhook them at the terminal like a reular battery. And there's nothing wrong with that at all besides that the box is not technically a sealed box at that point. Unless you pull the cables in and RTV the gap around the cable to the box. Personally I think it looks terrible and for your car Kane it would be unthinkable to do. The battery is just too big to fit and have the posts in there as well. I could never bring myself to do that to anyones car.
This brings up a lot of questions since a sealed box is needed for almost every sanctioning body of racing. How do these guys get away with that? Same goes for sheet metal boxes. It makes no sense right? The box is all sealed up and then the cable holes are bigger than the cables. Then you see there's a vent tube running to the chassis from the box which is also required. Ask yourself this.....How does the dangerous gas that all batteries release know that it's suppose to go down the vent tube and not come out the cable holes??? I guess they are counting on the suction of the vent tube due to the pressure differential to pull it out. What happens when the vehicle is stopped?
I'm not picking on you Kane but your question is common. It's the first thing my buddy John asked me last night when we were diagnosing his Renesis engine (No compression on the front rotor btw).
My personal opinion is if you go to the trouble to have a sealed box then it should be sealed. Except the vent tube of course. You don't want to store up a bunch of hydrogen gas in the box then have something bad happen.
Is the amount of gas released by an AGM battery (Very low amount) even worth worrying about? That can only be answered by the person that drives the vehicle. It also depends on if the use of the vehicle. Racing a car even at a local autocross depending on the tech person could require it to be in a sealed box.
The main thing to always consider is "What do I actually need for my vehicle to be able to do what I want to do with it" Basically what rules do you have to comply with. There is no law prohibiting you from putting the battery in the passenger seat and locking it in with a seat belt and driving around wherever you want. Smart? No! But not illegal......
So to answer your question. No it won't fit in the manner I have described above. Yes it will probably fit if you don't mind the above described senario minus the RTV of course. I'd have to get an overall height measurement of the battery floor to post to be sure. Once again Kane I'm not picking on you and I'm glad you asked the question so I would have an opprotunity to answer it here.