WARNING - Ballistic Evo 2 battery users

[Tcoat]

In fairness to the OP the warning not to use in street cars does not include the fact the battery may burst into flame. That does not excuse the fact that it does say NOT too in several places. They make it very clear that this battery is for starting purposes and is not designed for any kind of high demand draw.
A quick Google search showed MANY poor reviews for this battery and had I been doing research I am pretty sure I would not have picked it for my bike (which it is actually made for) much less my car.
It is actually pretty telling that they will not warranty the battery even for race car use which they claim it is good for.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Decay107

I run the same battery (16 Cell HD EVO2) and have for over a year with no issues, so I believe that this is a clear case of a defective battery. I also felt a noticeable difference in front end feel after removing 25lbs of dead weight from the giant OEM cinderblock.

You can feel a 25 pound difference! WOW you must have to adjust your driving radically after getting a tank of gas.

[Decay107]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

You can feel a 25 pound difference! WOW you must have to adjust your driving radically after getting a tank of gas.

You mean you can't feel the difference when removing the spare tire? Because the battery is basically the same weight over the front axle where weight removal is pretty desirable. My car currently sits 160lbs under the stock weight (yes, with a FULL tank) and every little bit helps.

And yes, I do change my driving style (albeit slightly) between the first and last runs of the day based on fuel weight.

[steveoexige]

I know Toyota lost its way for a few years but I didn't appreciate just how badly its customer base was made up of SUV and Prius owners.

Yes weight savings are really felt, especially on track. I run 7kg 720form.com alloys, a lightweight battery (ahem), lighter than oem brakes, etc, etc and the sum of those parts makes a huge difference to the performance of the car.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Decay107

You mean you can't feel the difference when removing the spare tire? Because the battery is basically the same weight over the front axle where weight removal is pretty desirable. My car currently sits 160lbs under the stock weight (yes, with a FULL tank) and every little bit helps.

And yes, I do change my driving style (albeit slightly) between the first and last runs of the day based on fuel weight.

OK I can see feeling 160 pounds but could not tell any difference at all when I pulled the spare and tools.

[steveoexige]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Okay, I'll concede the point about the interior. But the weight savings is still less than 1% of the weight of the car. It's not a significant factor, which makes it more likely it's just chasing a fad.

Fitting a light weight battery is not chasing a fad - loosing 16kgs in a car you want to be competitive is nothing short of a miracle........oh dear next you'll be saying Colin Chapman had it all wrong.

Originally Posted by extrashaky

So it's a one-off until they won't give you another one, then it's a terrible product all around, then it's a one-off again when someone points out that wanting a terrible product in your car doesn't make any sense. Meanwhile it's a terrible product because other people have had fires, but then it's not a terrible product because you can't trust the internet reviews where people have had fires. But we should trust your internet review that it's a rubbish product, which you want to put back into your car.

• The product is terrible because it caught fire. Yes
• This is probably a one off. Yes
• Should you trust my well meaning thread to let others know. Yes.
• Are you in anyway helping the rest of the community with your fountain of knowledge in improving your car. No

[Griever423]

You guys defending the battery company saying there should have been clear warnings are insane. "Not for use in street cars" is as clear as day andcomparing it to "for offroad use only" is asinine.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by steveoexige

I know Toyota lost its way for a few years but I didn't appreciate just how badly its customer base was made up of SUV and Prius owners.

Yes weight savings are really felt, especially on track. I run 7kg 720form.com alloys, a lightweight battery (ahem), lighter than oem brakes, etc, etc and the sum of those parts makes a huge difference to the performance of the car.

Yes the SUM of! Not one thing that (as pointed out) is 1% of the car's total weight!
If you really think you can tell the difference with a 1% change you should be on the pro circuit by now not trying to burn up your car with improper parts!
And to think I tried to come to your defense earlier just to get accused of SUV driving.
Hey I hear this stuff called NOS is pretty cool. Why don't you try running that without reading the instructions. Come to think of it in your original post you said you had your "garage" put in the battery. A garage to install a battery? Really? Did you have them remove your spare tire as well?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Griever423

You guys defending the battery company saying there should have been clear warnings are insane. "Not for use in street cars" is as clear as day andcomparing it to "for offroad use only" is asinine.

AMEN!!!!!! NOT FOR means don't!

[steveoexige]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Yes the SUM of! Not one thing that (as pointed out) is 1% of the car's total weight!
If you really think you can tell the difference with a 1% change you should be on the pro circuit by now not trying to burn up your car with improper parts!
And to think I tried to come to your defense earlier just to get accused of SUV driving.
Hey I hear this stuff called NOS is pretty cool. Why don't you try running that without reading the instructions. Come to think of it in your original post you said you had your "garage" put in the battery. A garage to install a battery? Really? Did you have them remove your spare tire as well?

No I'm not a pro driver but thanks for thinking I must be to feel the difference.

Nearly all the modern light weight batteries require different terminals to the OEM kit and a bespoke battery bracket/tray to keep it in place. Although you wouldn't have a clue about that as it stating the obvious for anyone that knows anything about tuning.

I give up. I'm off to drive my car instead of wasting time with trolls who probably dont even own a car.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by steveoexige

No I'm not a pro driver but thanks for thinking I must be to feel the difference.

Nearly all the modern light weight batteries require different terminals to the OEM kit and a bespoke battery bracket/tray to keep it in place. Although you wouldn't have a clue about that as it stating the obvious for anyone that knows anything about tuning.

I give up. I'm off to drive my car instead of wasting time with trolls who probably dont even own a car.

Perfectly aware of what it takes thank you and would be able to do myself in the laneway in about an hour.
My car is also just fine thank you although you are sort of correct in the fact the bank owns more of it than I do at this point.

I do apologize however as I did certainly get carried away with the sarcasm! We all have our pet peeves and mine is people using wrong or incorrectly installed parts or hammering them till they break then blaming the manufacturer, dealer, shop, etc,etc, for everything! Sometimes I just don't know when to walk away from a "debate"!!!!!!!!!

[stugray]

WTF!?!? - Over.


Since WHEN is shedding the kind of weight that is being discussed here A BAD IDEA??

Isnt this the same group who swears by shedding 4 lbs of weight by switching to a billet crankshaft pulley?
Or wasnt there just a discussion about spending thousands of dollars to get rid of a few pounds of wheel weight.
Someone has a thread where they removed the High Pressure fuel line GUARDS to shed a couple of pounds for Christ's sake!

You guys bashing the OP for buying a lightweight battery are childish.
The OEM battery is a HULK of a battery and sits very high in the engine compartment.
I dont track my BRZ but the battery was the FIRST Thing I EVER noticed when opening the hood.
"Holy FUC|< that's huge!" were my first words when I opened the hood.

I actually HAVE a track car, and guess what one of the first things I replaced was THE OEM BATTERY with a lightweight Braille.

FACT! The OP can shed weight any way he wants and doesnt need to justify it to us.
FACT! The OP had a battery catch fire and nearly destroy his car
FACT! Regardless of IF the battery was used in a way not recommended by the manufacturer - IT SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUGHT FIRE.

Now Grow UP & Take a Midol.

[Griever423]

Originally Posted by stugray

FACT! The OP can shed weight any way he wants and doesnt need to justify it to us.
FACT! The OP had a battery catch fire and nearly destroy his car
FACT! Regardless of IF the battery was used in a way not recommended by the manufacturer - IT SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUGHT FIRE.

Now Grow UP & Take a Midol.

Who are you to say what should happen to something when used improperly? It shouldn't have caught fire because it shouldn't have been used improperly. End of story. There is no justification.

Also, you're talking about a Braille battery and the OP doesn't have a Braille battery. Not the same thing. Just because your brand was ok to use IN A RACE CAR (non street car) doesn't mean OP's is.

[stugray]

Originally Posted by Griever423

Who are you to say what should happen to something when used improperly? It shouldn't have caught fire because it shouldn't have been used improperly. End of story. There is no justification.

What I am saying is:
The EXPECTED failure mode of using this battery in the unintended use is that it goes dead, becomes useless, is rendered a paperweight.

The EXPECTED failure mode is NOT = catch fire.

If this battery was in good working order, the user should have experienced the following:
Car start just fine. Battery charges just fine.
IF you use the battery without the engine running, the battery will discharge almost fully in under ~45 minutes.
BUT BEFORE it discharges to the point of causing any damage, the voltage will fall rapidly and the car systems will shutdown or the operator might TAKE NOTE of the stereo blinking on & off and the lights getting very dim.

The battery should NOT burst into flames UNLESS IT IS OVERCHARGED.

So this is a fact: "You should not use one of these batteries on a street car because the battery does not have sufficient capacity. IF you choose to use this battery under these conditions you should expect to quickly ruin the battery"

I call your "End of Story" and raise you a "The battery was faulty" . Period.


Using your logic is kind of like saying it was fine that my floor jack burned my house down because I overloaded it by a few pounds.