DIY: 5lb Shorai Battery Install

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by Breadman

positive terminals are a little bigger than the negative terminal. these are the same size. i thought "fuck it, ill try it anyway" but with the positive terminal clamp screwed all the way down it didnt even remotely clamp. looks like vendor is pulling a bait and switch. i got out my calipers and they are the exact same size unlike the oem battery

Yeah, that's fucky. My order had differently sized terminals. Here's photos of my setup to help guide you on your journey:

[Breadman]

This is how i did mine. it seemed pretty snug but i probably should get an actual holder. i guess ill look around for one while im looking for terminals

[Mr_Eyo]

Originally Posted by Breadman

This is how i did mine. it seemed pretty snug but i probably should get an actual holder. i guess ill look around for one while im looking for terminals

Dude... unless the bottom is glued to that cardboard that thing is going to slide around on hard braking. +1 for the redneck engineering though.

[Breadman]

Originally Posted by Mr_Eyo

Dude... unless the bottom is glued to that cardboard that thing is going to slide around on hard braking. +1 for the redneck engineering though.

the cardboard is on top the stock tray. i just put it there for more grip. its like a battery gasket. i think im going to swap it with 3m tape but its not going anywhere unless i crash. i tried to pry it out and couldnt. the stock tie down isnt totally flat so the wood gets slightly dented by it but it shouldnt matter since it spreads out the load

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by Breadman

the cardboard is on top the stock tray. i just put it there for more grip. its like a battery gasket. i think im going to swap it with 3m tape but its not going anywhere unless i crash. i tried to pry it out and couldnt. the stock tie down isnt totally flat so the wood gets slightly dented by it but it shouldnt matter since it spreads out the load

Invest in the PTuning billet tray and tie, it's really nice and fits perfectly.

[86TOYO2k17]

go to home depot, get some metal corner brackets, some nuts/bolts, (optional) high temp spray paint. and and make a cheap lightweight bracket for around 20$

[SuperTom]

Originally Posted by Breadman

This is how i did mine. it seemed pretty snug but i probably should get an actual holder. i guess ill look around for one while im looking for terminals

Here is the link to make my cheap home depot cradle. With the cradle handling forces on the sides , the stock bar has no problem holding it down plus its light


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120937

[Breadman]

i thought this was pretty janky and bought the ft86sf small battery kit holder

[Breadman]

just a heads up to anyone reading this DO NOT get a ft86speedfactory light weight battery holder, it does not in fact "allows you to mount a lightweight battery of your own choosing." the shorai batter is about 1/4" too long and does not fit in the base and the tiedown is therefore too short. it was my dumb mistake. i have modified the base and used a piece of plywood to make it work tho

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by Breadman

just a heads up to anyone reading this DO NOT get a ft86speedfactory light weight battery holder, it does not in fact "allows you to mount a lightweight battery of your own choosing." the shorai batter is about 1/4" too long and does not fit in the base and the tiedown is therefore too short. it was my dumb mistake. i have modified the base and used a piece of plywood to make it work tho

I'm not sure what they state on the website, but the kit that FT86SF makes is focused on lightweight car batteries. The Shorai batteries are technically not car batteries, but powersports batteries for motorcycles and the like and as such have different dimensions. I believe the primary target battery for their bracket is the 11lb Braille batteries.

Last I knew their tray was made by OLM under license and they listed the dimensions of the battery which fits.

There used to be a fantastic battery tray made by a guy in Kansas City (I think), but it's not made anymore. The best option available on the market right now is the trays from PTuning if you want to use powersports batteries like the Shorai, you can see photos earlier in the thread as this is the one I'm using.

[new2subaru]

Here's what I ended up doing. I ordered these taller battery terminals. As you can see in the pic below they ended up shorter than the ones in the OP



https://www.amazon.ca/XS-Power-586-A.../dp/B004XH69MY


I ended making a 3/4" spacer and buying new bolts. The bolts are 6mm x 45mm and were only a couple of bucks. I'm happy with the end result. I wanted to avoid the "Z" brackets and have a single connection.

[new2subaru]

Oh FFS lol 1/2 are upside down

[Clutch Dog]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

Oh FFS lol 1/2 are upside down

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGyQarhoz8E"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGyQarhoz8E[/ame]

[Mr_Eyo]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

Here's what I ended up doing. I ordered these taller battery terminals. As you can see in the pic below they ended up shorter than the ones in the OP



https://www.amazon.ca/XS-Power-586-A.../dp/B004XH69MY


I ended making a 3/4" spacer and buying new bolts. The bolts are 6mm x 45mm and were only a couple of bucks. I'm happy with the end result. I wanted to avoid the "Z" brackets and have a single connection.

How'd you make the spacers? Me likey.