motor bike battery?
Turbo Mini Forums

i was watching a dvd i got for crimbo "a racing car is born" lol. any how he uses a motorbike battery on his zetec caterham. do people rekon this would be ok for a turbo mini? im thinking i could mount it under the bonnet as at the moment the batterys going to be behind the seat. which will be a real pain to remove.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

if it turns over a cateram (ford engine) it should turn over a min methinks, i would get as high a capacity as poss though. not sure i would want it in the engine bay though with the heat

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MikeRace, Mini13

i was thinking bracket under inner wing maybe. might just get a red one.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

My neighbours Elise uses a motorbike battery. It works fine but he said they only last a couple years before needing replacement.

Carl, are you sure it was a bike battery? There are some very small sealed batteries made specifically for racing cars, Varley & Oddesy are a couple of manufacturers that spring to mind. They cost a fortune and are a bit marginal on a cold damp monday morning on your way to work. If you decide to fit one I would suggest you keep a set of jump leads handy.
An alternative and what Iam doing with my car is to buy one of these cheapo portable car starters, the sort with the two short jump leads coming out of the plastic case. Knock it to bits and use the battery out of that. It's leak proof and will fit inside the car and not spread nasty fumes everywhere. It will cost you a fraction of the price of a varley. If you then extend two leads to an external socket on your car you can then still carry a set of jump leads with a plug on the end just in case.
It's a lightweight cheap solution to what you are after.
The jump lead plug and socket should be available from Rally Design or Demon Thieves
HTH
Regards
Dave

Hi,
It'll depend on the type of starter motor. The standard Mini types aren't the lowest current draw. You'll need a gear reduction permanent magnet type, if you're not going to kill off your small battery on the first crank.
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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he said it were a bike battery. i was gonna do the jump lead idea and cold damp morni ngs shouldnt matter more a track car than a road car although minis vs beetles is normally pretty cold.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

A mate bought a small battery as part of a FMIC kit for his Nissan 200.

Battery was red, and really not that big. I'll get the model no tomorrow.

Brand new, out of the box I tried it on my car ( V8 ) and it started first time.
Pretty damn good I thought !!!!

But.
Leave his car sitting for 2 weeks, and the car wont start.

I was fitting a big brake to the car one day, and had the brake pedal depressed throughout the 90 mins or so so no fluid would pass through the MC.

The battery was totally flat after that, with only the brake lights on.

Small batteries are all good and well, and for racing can be great ( assuming your car does start first time )

For a road car, I personally wouldnt take the risk. I like a big battery, that will start my car, run my radio, and do it anytime I ask.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

my mates had nothing but trouble with small gel batteries, they alone are responsible for more than one unfinished event...

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

I have to agree. For a track car yes, wouldn't trust one on the daily driver.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

ive managed to lay my hands on one of those red top batteries for next year

im going to steal my dads peak charger from his bike and leave it plugged into that when the beast is sat in the garage

with a little bit of care they'll be fine

I used to use a bike battery on the hillclimber and it worked fine, but without an alternater it did need charging a lot.

I now use a red top 25 (18Ah iirc) and thats fab, but they're not cheap.

I'd give it a go and see how it goes.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

I use one of these on the Metro and have used one on the Mini before..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Energy-22-Ah-Gel-Pro...VQQcmdZViewItem

There are plenty on Ebay and the prices have gone down since i bought mine early last year, better than any bike battery IMO.

JF.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Hi,
Says on there dual purpose starting and deep cycle....
Ideally a Cold Cranking Amps output would be helpful, but JF seems happy enough with his...
However mounting it outside the car would mean lower performance when its cold....
Cheers,
Gavin :)

Edited by Bat on 31st Dec, 2006.

VEMs Authorised Installer / Re-seller. K head kits now available!

WB/EGT gauges. Click here for customers write-up

Visit www.doyouneedabrain.co.uk

My Mini build diary