Audio Experts Please View, Lenny Requires Sound Advise

[FOCA]

Getting back to the battery relocation and difference between light weight ones etc.

I've found a company in the uk called fensport,

http://www.fensport.co.uk/Parts/Model_92/Category_6/4148

The supply various parts for the Levin, one perticular being a light weight battery, says there 300 exc. Vat but considering the spec, if it was 100% capable of performing just like a standard battery I'd purchase one.

Here's what they say:

Evo 2, Racecar Battery 1.6 kgs

16 Cell, Lithium Ion

Up to 80% smaller than the stock battery

Up to 35 lbs Lighter than the stock battery you are replacing!

Weight 1.6kg (3.5 lbs)

Service life of over twice a lead acid in similar conditions

Designed, developed, and assembled in the USA

Completely dry technology so batteries can be mounted

in any direction

Non-toxic, recyclable, and can be air shipped

Applications for powersports vehicles from 50cc - 2300cc

Tested extensively by professional race teams

Impact and water resistant

Works with the original equipment charging system

No trickle charger required, loses only 10% of charge over a year of static use

Specifications:-

Dimensions : 122MM (L) x 86MM (W) x 148MM (H)

Negative Terminal Location: Left

Terminals 6mm female:- (Optional terminals in accessories)

Weight: 1611 grams (3.5 lb)

Voltage (Charged): 13.6V

Amperage:- 28 Pb-eq A/H

Pulse Cranking Amps: 500 CCA

Operating Environment: -18°C (0°F) to 60°C (140°F)

Charger Time: 15 minutes at 2A

Warranty: Covered by an industry leading 3 year warranty.

The racing battery is very light but is it powerful enough for a road car - at 28AH its fine for a stripped out race car (no stereo or accessories) - it might be borderline for getting you through the winter (you must include the extra load of the ICE system and any other additional loads on the electrical system- so it may neen a (slightly) higher capacity than the stock battery)

The one i was looking at was about 40Ah (36AH), it was a (little) bit heavier at (just over) 2kgs, but cost about the same at £300 (350 dollars) - i will see if i can find links/ pictures data for it - it uses the same technology as that one (L-lion) so its sealed/ does not need vented etc - apart from the cost i have a problem on the Ford - the high voltage of the smart charge system exeeds the max votage the battery can take - this may not be a problem on your Levin

36AH 540 cold cranking amps (same cca as the one fitted to my 2.0L diesel Mondeo)

charging requires 13.2v at idle and maximum of 15.2v (not to be exeeded)

2.25kgs - 350 dollars -

http://shoraipower.com/lfx36a3-bs12-p126

[Lenny]

The racing battery is very light but is it powerful enough for a road car - at 28AH its fine for a stripped out race car (no stereo or accessories) - it might be borderline for getting you through the winter (you must include the extra load of the ICE system and any other additional loads on the electrical system- so it may neen a (slightly) higher capacity than the stock battery)

The one i was looking at was about 40AH, it was a (little) bit heavier at 2kgs, but cost about the same (£300) - i will see if i can find links/ pictures data for it - it uses the same technology as that one (L-lion) so its sealed/ does not need vented etc - apart from the cost i have a problem on the Ford - the high voltage of the smart charge system exeeds the max votage the battery can take - this may not be a problem on your Levin

Thanks mate,

Sorry to read of the difficulty's and hopefully there is a way around this for both of us,

I'm off to work now, I'll catch up later lol

Joys of purchasing car working 6 days a week until purchase date

[FOCA]

Thanks mate,

Sorry to read of the difficulty's and hopefully there is a way around this for both of us,

I'm off to work now, I'll catch up later lol

Joys of purchasing car working 6 days a week until purchase date

350 dollars works out at just about 220 pounds GPB (approx 260 euros ) so the Shorai 2.2kg battery is more affordable than i expected

The 15.2v may may not be a problem on the Levin if it does not have a smart charge system, im working on fixing this on the Ford

When would you like the 8" speaker?

[Lenny]

350 dollars works out at just about 220 pounds GPB (approx 260 euros ) so the Shorai 2.2kg battery is more affordable than i expected

The 15.2v may may not be a problem on the Levin if it does not have a smart charge system, im working on fixing this on the Ford

When would you like the 8" speaker?

Say the 14th November I'll purchase the sub from you mate,

How much

And check out parcel2go.com for a range of prices on shipping,

How would I know if Levin has smart charge?

I doubt it does though as it was built before the ozone cracked and the world became eco

[FOCA]

Say the 14th November I'll purchase the sub from you mate,

How much

And check out parcel2go.com for a range of prices on shipping,

How would I know if Levin has smart charge?

I doubt it does though as it was built before the ozone cracked and the world became eco

Will get the speaker/ shipping costs sorted - ive found some acoustic foam will sort the rest out soon

Update on the smart charge/ lithium battery -

Iv'e been swatting up on the Ford smart charge system and basically the ECU controls the output of the alternator, boosting the voltage when the car is warming up, (using the IAT and engine temp) - it can boost the voltage as high as 16v - this is bad for the lithium battery (or for non silver calcium/ smart charge batteries) as it cant exeed 15.1v im working on a way round this as thats a big weight saving on the (my) car

Im confident the Levin will not have a smart-charge system, as it does not have an OBD port, it probably pre-dates this, so i recon you can fit the lightweight battery ok

[Lenny]

Will get the speaker/ shipping costs sorted - ive found some acoustic foam will sort the rest out soon

Update on the smart charge/ lithium battery -

Iv'e been swatting up on the Ford smart charge system and basically the ECU controls the output of the alternator, boosting the voltage when the car is warming up, (using the IAT and engine temp) - it can boost the voltage as high as 16v - this is bad for the lithium battery (or for non silver calcium/ smart charge batteries) as it cant exeed 15.1v im working on a way round this as thats a big weight saving on the (my) car

Im confident the Levin will not have a smart-charge system, as it does not have an OBD port, it probably pre-dates this, so i recon you can fit the lightweight battery ok

Thanks mate,

Hopefully its an easy fix to sort the regulator of current,

Would it be possible to remap out the smart charge feature?

[Lenny]

Foca,

I've found a created and seller of fibre glass side fenders for the Levin,

Weight of original fender is 2.4kg

Weight of fibreglass fender is 1.2kg

Is it worth 240 euro including delivery to reduce the front end by 2.4kg overall?

Mixed with battery relocation I suppose it would be significant,

But as a stand alone mod do you reckon it would benefit?

.

http://s15.zetaboards.com/AE111_Forum/topic/7258542/1/?x=50

[Lenny]

https://www.facebook.com/ae111

[FOCA]

Foca,

I've found a created and seller of fibre glass side fenders for the Levin,

Weight of original fender is 2.4kg

Weight of fibreglass fender is 1.2kg

Is it worth 240 euro including delivery to reduce the front end by 2.4kg overall?

Mixed with battery relocation I suppose it would be significant,

But as a stand alone mod do you reckon it would benefit?

.

http://s15.zetaboards.com/AE111_Forum/topic/7258542/1/?x=50

Thats a difficult question to answer, its quite a lot of money for a small weight saving, (eg, the lighter battery is 4x the weight saving of the wings for a similar outlay) but when i removed my AC radiator (approx 4kgs) on my car i was surprised at how big a difference it made (a noticable difference to the steering) but that 4kgs was in front of the front wheels on a front-heavy car

i would be surprised if you noticed any difference

[Lenny]

Thats a difficult question to answer, its quite a lot of money for a small weight saving, (eg, the lighter battery is 4x the weight saving of the wings for a similar outlay) but when i removed my AC radiator (approx 4kgs) on my car i was surprised at how big a difference it made (a noticable difference to the steering) but that 4kgs was in front of the front wheels on a front-heavy car

i would be surprised if you noticed any difference

Thanks mate,

Sorry I explained badly that's 240euro including delivery for a pair of fenders,

So the total weight saving overall is 2.4kg

But as you say mate its removing weight that rests on the axle so it won't be felt on driving,

Its only things sitting beyond the axles that improve when removed,

The battery and bonnet will be the big changers,

battery is 25kg

Relocated to the boot with a lithium battery saves 21kg

Stock bonnet weighs 22kg

Replaced with a carbon bonnet at 7 kg saves 15kg

So by relocating and replacing the battery,

Replacing bonnet with carbon one if I can find on for sale.

Will be a total saving of 36kg off the nose

38.2kg if I was to fit fenders,

Estimated 42kg if I removed A/C aswell but I like to have it lol

[georgen]

You will catch the loose weight bug Lenny be warned, I know someone with a mk2 golf with a 20v Turbo engine in, the windscreen is the only glass in it, the rest is polycarb, the strengthening struts from under the bonnet have gone, the inside skins and window mechs have gone, the inside of the hatch have gone, the box section on the floor the seats used to attach too have gone, it has two light weight bucket seats no carpets head liner nothing, no dashboard or heater and its taxed tested and on the road and goes like stink.

[Lenny]

You will catch the loose weight bug Lenny be warned, I know someone with a mk2 golf with a 20v Turbo engine in, the windscreen is the only glass in it, the rest is polycarb, the strengthening struts from under the bonnet have gone, the inside skins and window mechs have gone, the inside of the hatch have gone, the box section on the floor the seats used to attach too have gone, it has two light weight bucket seats no carpets head liner nothing, no dashboard or heater and its taxed tested and on the road and goes like stink.

No that's a bit extreeme for me mate,

Most I would go without on the interior is tax and mot ;)

[Turvey]

No that's a bit extreeme for me mate,

Most I would go without on the interior is tax and mot ;)

Not much weight in a tax-disc and MOT certificate :)

[Lenny]

Not much weight in a tax-disc and MOT certificate :)

They carry heavy fine,

Wha, wha, wha,

[georgen]

LOL

[FOCA]

Has the car got a spare tyre? - that can often be the heaviest thing

Often its not the "traditional" or obvious things that are the heaviest - things like door skins are light,

you cannot touch the chassis now and still pass an MOT

The AC is a biggie because part of it is always connected/ turning, removing it is like lightening the flywheel, the AC pump & radiator is 11kgs on the Mondeo

The mechanical waterpump also puts an extra parasitic load on the engine - the electric one removes this

the wheels are part of the rotating mass so fitting the lightest ones makes a bigger difference than removing the same weight off the cahassis

Ive removed 150kgs from my car, it still has all original steel panels, glass, etc, stock front seats, all original trim forward of the rear seats, including all 4 door cards, and electric window lifters, and the stock stereo and 4 Speakers

ive kept the weight on some parts of the car to help traction

Ive was speaking to the MOT tester about the exhaust and i have already removed several extra bends and 3.3kgs(behind the rear wheels, so helping traction) off the exhaust but its going to be shorter, fatter, lighter and completely heatwrapped in the furure

its very difficult to remove weight without putting it back on again - like if you put the glass-fiber wings on, then if you fit the reinforcement stays, it makes them just as heavy as the stock wings

Same with "carbon fiber" bonnet, often they are acrually glass-fiber, and are often almost as heavy as the stock bonnet - i emailed a lot of "carbon fiber" bonnet manufacturers and they would not give a straight answer from most of them, the ones that did, said they could do a 7kg bonnet for £500, the stock Mondeo (mk3) weighs 18.4kgs, so saving 11.4 kgs, the "carbon" bonnet flexes a lot more than the steel one, so people often add a strut brace, probably negating the advantage - and £500 is a lot of money for a 11.4 (probably closer to 10) kgs saving

same with the door cards - rear (Mondeo) ones weigh 2kgs, if you made some out of carbon fiber they would probably weigh as much, and not be as practical, if you rivetted aluminium panels in they would probably weigh more than the stock ones

The (massive) stock Mondeo battery weighs 19kgs, i would be surprised if the stock Levin one was as much as that - i swapped the 19kgs one first for a 16.4kgs one, then a 12.4kgs one, its very powerful for its size/ weight, was bought direct and only cost £50

Sometimes the only way is to weigh everything and do a lot of research - its a lot of hard work and can become expensive

[Hassen]

Lenny, you will have to update me how the boom mats work out as I was tempted to get them once I have fund to get my Focal PS165 component Speakers.

Foca, all the information you put up was great to read. I think I understood and learnt a thing or two from it. Gonna try to apply that to my own sound project. Thanks :)