Light Weight Battery Mod

The current battery in Keira was out of the Silvia (Megan) so one day it would have to go back in. Considering I do plan on driving both these cars it doesn't make sense swapping the battery back and forth. Perfect excuse for a performance oriented mod.

I started out comparing light weight battery manufacturers specifically between Braille and Odyssey, the bigger brand being Braille. With Braille they offered more exotic designs with carbon fiber cases and larger product ranges, however far more expensive and difficult to source. Odyssey offered an excellent alternative simpler in design, price, and with a slight compromise on Cold Cranking Amps which didn't really apply so it was a perfect choice. I picked up a PC545 off Ebay for about $150.

The battery weighed in at 11.5 pounds compared to my Optima Redtop that weighed in at 40lbs. After install a total weight savings of  27lbs.

 The install didn't require much modification. I removed the insulation and fasteners on the stock battery ring terminals and used the bolts included with the battery with a washer to fasten it to the battery. I then bent an aluminum bracket into a top hat shape which was bolted down on the wheel side and then used the original battery bolt and retainer to clamp down on the other side. The mount is extremely solid and when I try moving it I'm really just shaking the entire car.