From Lotus Exige to GT86

[wbradley]

MMMmmmmmmmmm. Nice car!

[Tor]

Originally Posted by MaximeT

Less than 220€

It's easy to find in France on Amazon.

12C16A-3B-0007 https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00F95QD3O/..._bTWRxbDHTB0P9

A friend got it already on the 86 and it works fine.

Is a 7 Amps battery really sufficient or is it an error in the Amazon description?

What is the durability of Lithium batteries nowadays? How long will it last?

[MaximeT]

Originally Posted by Tor

Is a 7 Amps battery really sufficient or is it an error in the Amazon description?

What is the durability of Lithium batteries nowadays? How long will it last?

This is this one :

http://www.skyrichbattery.com/p505/H...duct_info.html


I just konw that it got enough CCA to start the car with no problem.

It's supposed to last longer than normal one.
But it may not like engine heat and power regulation.

Some friends had great succes with it, so I give it a try.

[nikitopo]

I would use such batteries only if I was trailing the car. Issue is not the CCA which is more than enough. You can start the car without problem even with a CCA of 306A. This is the CCA spec of Panasonic 34B19R used in BRZ RA JDM spec. Issue is the battery capacity of 16Ah which is very low. I think this lithium-ion battery spec is for motorcycles and not for cars.

[Tor]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I would use such batteries only if I was trailing the car. Issue is not the CCA which is more than enough. You can start the car without problem even with a CCA of 306A. This is the CCA spec of Panasonic 34B19R used in BRZ RA JDM spec. Issue is the battery capacity of 16Ah which is very low. I think this lithium-ion battery spec is for motorcycles and not for cars.

It appears to be 16 Ah "lead acid equivalent" too, which probably means the individual cells are only 4Ah. Lithium cells are normally 4.2 volts when fully charged, which means they need 3 cells to give 12.6 volts. But since all 3 will be discharged at the same time to provide the 12.6 volts it's quite deceiving of the manufacturer to claim 16 Ah. You can fully discharge a Lithium battery (as opposed to lead acid), but the voltage will drop off to 3.7 volts (11.1 volts for 3 cells in series), so that isn't really practically useful for car purposes. In reality you might only have 2-3 Ah.

Lithium batteries are capable of delivering large continuous output. This is the "C" rating of a battery cell. If the cell is 4Ah and e.g. 50C, you can pull 200A from the cell (4 x 50). So that part would not be the problem. The problem is for how long, or rather in this case for how many start attempts in a row.

I would be careful not to do short stops without allowing sufficient time to charge in between or using any power without the engine running. And certainly not do any ECU flashing without the stock battery connected.

I'm not saying that it won't work for you. On the contrary, I hope you will keep us updated on how it works in everyday use. I just surprised at the low capacity. However, "what is enough?". The lead acid batteries do not have such a high C-rating, which at least partly account for the need for a relatively big size. Do you drive the car any besides going to and from the track?

Edit: replaced "parallel" with "in series".

[MaximeT]

Nop, from home to track only.
I always have a booster in the car anyway

[MaximeT]

hop

[funwheeldrive]

Since you have previous track experience with more expensive cars, what is your overall opinion on the 86 platform so far?

[MaximeT]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

Since you have previous track experience with more expensive cars, what is your overall opinion on the 86 platform so far?

It's the best possible road going track car money can buy.

The Lotus is total garbage compared to it.

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by MaximeT

It's the best possible road going track car money can buy.

Are you including cars no longer in production, like the s2000? I knew this car was good for amateurs, but I hear people frequently complaining that the chassis isn't double wishbone like the s2000, making me think the platform is relatively limited compared to more expensive cars.

Originally Posted by MaximeT

The Lotus is total garbage compared to it.

As someone who has always toyed with the idea of owning an Elise, can you expand on that a little more? Not trying to derail your awesome thread BTW.

[ap5512]

^^ wow...here I was considering getting a Lotus down the line...

[MaximeT]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

As someone who has always toyed with the idea of owning an Elise, can you expand on that a little more? Not trying to derail your awesome thread BTW.

No problem that's the point of this thread.

You buy a Lotus for steering feel. Everything else is nothing special.

Having a transversally mounted engine is an inferior design (yes NSX too). You'll be stuck with a poor weight distribution.
Driving on track you feel like running with a backpack.

The 86 engine is still too much in front thanks to the boxer thing, but it's immensely better than the Lotus.

The Lotus build quality is painful, even by track car standard.

Lotus aero is 100% marketing bullshit.

Tire choice is non existent for the front.

Both cars are the same price if you want the same track speed.

[MaximeT]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

Are you including cars no longer in production, like the s2000? I knew this car was good for amateurs, but I hear people frequently complaining that the chassis isn't double wishbone like the s2000, making me think the platform is relatively limited compared to more expensive cars.







As someone who has always toyed with the idea of owning an Elise, can you expand on that a little more? Not trying to derail your awesome thread BTW.

The s2000 is the other option. But for my local weather, the cargo space makes the 86 better with the possibility of putting a set of track wheels inside.

The s2000 is 10000€ more out there too.

[MaximeT]

Originally Posted by ap5512

^^ wow...here I was considering getting a Lotus down the line...

If you want turn key fast. The Lotus is pretty good.

And resale value too. The car is mostly free to own.