Battery Time...

BAS said:

So I agree with your point in part. A new lightweight hood would not have the weight savings but would cost a few thousand dollars to upgrade

I’m thinking 10kg/ 25lb weight off the front end would make a significant difference in inertia when cornering etc. better on tyres, fuel and fun!

Also, the weight balance would be better on the car too/ easer than relocating the battery to the trunk and possibly help with corner weighting the car

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I was just thinking that if you replaced the hood, or anything else on these cars for weight savings, that would be there forever, but something like a battery? that would be an ongoing expense to keep that weight savings, and quite expensive if the light weight battery craps out a 3-6 years.

and I do agree that weight savings is nice on there cars.

BTW - Most are probably unaware, but the common BXT 96 R shown above in my photo is not the only battery that was installed in the earlier GT500's, the BXT 40 was also installed on the assy. line, it was a heavier battery (which tells me it has more lead plates) and had a higher CCA. The external dimensions are nearly the same the BXT 96.

R

Here is a picture of my original 2013 battery, CCA 590. Still going strong at 6+ years.

BAS said:

I was looking at the ATX-30 and the YTX12-24. The CCA is 800+ and the warranty is 3 years

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^^^^That is the $300-$400 Lion battery? The 800+ CCA is great, I have never had a problem with the 500-600CCA starting my 725HP Super Snake, but I do live in steamy/hot Florida, and that 3 year warranty?........Wow!!, if that is the $300-$400 battery, it could be extremely expensive to save that amount of weight over time..........

R

Snoopy49 said:

Here is a picture of my original 2013 battery, CCA 590. Still going strong at 6+ years.

View attachment 1567765

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^^That is also interesting..........Still used the BXT 96 R, even though the battery was turned around in 2010 or 2011. Originally the posts faced the firewall, as they do on my 2008. At some point the battery was turned around and the posts face the front. I am pretty sure the battery boxes with engraving were 2007-2010 and then 2011-2014, but it could have been 2010 was the change, I don't remember.

R

The Shelby battery covers were large enough (inner dimensions) to keep the heat shield blanket in place on the battery.......



Even the newer version that I believe was made for Shelby by MOROSO?



R

Robert M said:

^^^^That is the $300-$400 Lion battery? The 800+ CCA is great, I have never had a problem with the 500-600CCA starting my 725HP Super Snake, but I do live in steamy/hot Florida, and that 3 year warranty?........Wow!!, if that is the $300-$400 battery, it could be extremely expensive to save that amount of weight over time..........

R

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So I have the BXT-96R. Warranty of two years and it lasted six years. The BXT-96R is $150. (Side note: I’m in Australia so I will never get an equivalent battery). The CCA is 625 (at 32’F). Weight is 32lb

The YTX12-24 has a three year warranty - not equivalent to how long it will last but would hope more than three given my demands. The YTX12-24 is $400. The CCA is 720. Weight is 5lbs

$250 for a weight saving of 27lbs I don’t think is bad.

0.1sec a lap per KG on an average circuit (quote from the F1 crowd - but allegedly holds true)

Every day driving “For every extra 100 lbs (45 kg) you carry your fuel efficiency can drop by 1-2%”. Being generous, that’s 0.45% fuel saving on say 5,000lts over three years - depending on fuel prices about $50. Haha

Sorry for flipping between metrics for this crappy analysis! Still don’t think it’s a bad way to part with $200 additional for the weight saving and performance increase, as well as bragging rights

I looked into a hood replacement and the Anderson composite CF hood is the same (ish) weight to stock... for US$1500... before painting, fit n finish. i.e. Negligible weight savings versus the aluminum hood that’s on the car

Robert M said:

I took the original heat shield blanket out of my 2008 about 5 years ago and stored it away, it was in perfect condition. I had my Ford parts friend order me a new replacement, I noticed the original from my 2008 was a little bit different from the replacement, so I put the replacement on my battery and stored my original away in the plastic from the replacement.

I have watched these cars for wayyyyy too long, I know that if something is found to not be needed in automobile production, it gets deleted.........bean counters at work. And if it is there, it is there for a reason, no matter how quickly it deteriorates (Ford is also in the replacement parts selling business). <<This was also the case wayyyy back in 1971, I noticed small inexpensive changes between the 3 1971 429 Mach 1's that I owned at the same time and could do stare and compares. Un-needed items get deleted or cheaper/less expensive items to do the same thing would get added. I also noticed that with most all of the big block cars in a smaller body/engine compartment, they got heat shields (plastic back then), to help shield heat away from the battery in that smaller confined space.

R

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What does the replacement look like? How much did it cost?

BAS said:

The guys on the 6G forum are looking deep into it but with the battery management systems on the S550 they’re running into a few challenges...Just ordered Antigravity ATX-30 Lithium Battery

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Read through this thread again and they talk about doing a BMS/battery monitor reset with a Forscan tool, this is needed due to the smart charging/battery management system and fluctuating alternator output voltage.

I have never heard of doing a battery reset when changing a battery. Is this something S197 cars have or was this something that started on S550 cars?

merkyworks said:

Read through this thread again and they talk about doing a BMS/battery monitor reset with a Forscan tool, this is needed due to the smart charging/battery management system and fluctuating alternator output voltage.

I have never heard of doing a battery reset when changing a battery. Is this something S197 cars have or was this something that started on S550 cars?

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From everything I’ve read I believe this to be a feature of Fords newer cars. I have a Ford Everest which has quite a complex battery management on it (lots of screen prompts when the car is in use but not turning over) and an S197 which seems straight forward by comparison. I think the S550 onwards.

Anyway... I bit the bullet and have an antigravity with restart function arriving in the next two days. The stockist did not have the non-restart option available. Will post info and experience when I get it.


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@BAS keep up posted on how the battery works for you!

BAS.....+1 on the Lion ATX-30 or YTX12-24. Mind if I ask which one you ordered?
Are you doing the install and would any mods be required to avoid restart or ECM issues? I'm due for battery replacement on my '13. I viewed stock replacement as best option until now.
I agree the weight savings up front is worth the expense every 3-4 years.
It's simpler than trunk relocation which I did on my '08. Guys spend way more on HP upgrades and lighter hoods. I was thinking of removing my spare tire for 6-7#'s weight reduction. I'd consider the Lion battery. I'd think dropping 24#'s battery weight up front + removing my windshield washer tank for 8-9#'s nose weight reduction would be quite significant!
Please keep us posted ?

me32 said:

What does the replacement look like? How much did it cost?

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It is a rectangle shaped pad that is almost as tall as the battery case and fits tightly around the case. The bottom edge is notched for the battery hold down and at the bottom there is a thin plastic area that would work better in a battery acid environment if the battery were to be over filled and/or leak.

I think it is about 1/2 inch thick and is like an insulated padding. It is made to specifically fit a battery of the BXT-96 size.

I don't remember what the replacement battery heat shield cost from Ford. I have seen them for sale on eBay also, from Ford dealerships.

R

So I ordered the ATX-30 RS (the restart version). My supplier didn’t have the non-restart version available. The ATX-30 RS has a CCA of 880. I ordered it with the terminals too and it came in at US$400

It arrived today in a box - I haven’t opened the box yet. The posty handed me the box and, expecting a heavy battery, I was taken aback at the weight. I could lift the box with my little finger it’s that light - some kind of voodoo for sure.

The battery arrived just in time too as my current battery is definitely done. The car has only been standing for a week and it’s flat again.

I’ll get to it in a few hours and post up as much as I can. Truly gobsmacked by the weight of the box - perhaps the box is empty!! Haha




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New battery in. It was a breeze to fit and car started straight away. No issues at all with the electrical function

Wow this thing is small and light. It seems so weird compared to the existing battery and other AGMs I’ve got.





Starting with the weight of the battery, the ATX-30 RS is 2.7kg. Compared to the Motorcraft, a saving of 11.7kg





The size of the battery is around half that of the motorcraft, with terminals both sides of the unit ... you can choose the orientation and then attach the car terminals as required. For me, this meant the battery details would face the firewall





The only modification I needed to make was to create a small hole in the battery strap to move the bolt further up. This would make sure the battery was held down tight (recommended no more than 4Nm of force). However, given the weight of the battery there is no way it would carry the momentum of the stock unit so I am sure it is very secure



It’s tiny!!

The instructions say that the battery will go into a sleep state if the voltage drops below 12.2. Using the restart function will give me enough CCA to start the car a few times only. So I should not need to put the battery on a tender. This function should also increase the longevity of the battery as Lithium batteries don’t like cycling



Car started fine straight away without any hesitation. I’ve put a battery monitor on and will watch tomorrow, and through the week, to see how much voltage decay there is.




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BAS said:

New battery in. It was a breeze to fit and car started straight away. No issues at all with the electrical function

Wow this thing is small and light. It seems so weird compared to the existing battery and other AGMs I’ve got.

View attachment 1569576

View attachment 1569577

Starting with the weight of the battery, the ATX-30 RS is 2.7kg. Compared to the Motorcraft, a saving of 11.7kg

View attachment 1569578

View attachment 1569579

The size of the battery is around half that of the motorcraft, with terminals both sides of the unit ... you can choose the orientation and then attach the car terminals as required. For me, this meant the battery details would face the firewall

View attachment 1569580

View attachment 1569581

The only modification I needed to make was to create a small hole in the battery strap to move the bolt further up. This would make sure the battery was held down tight (recommended no more than 4Nm of force). However, given the weight of the battery there is no way it would carry the momentum of the stock unit so I am sure it is very secure

View attachment 1569582

It’s tiny!!

The instructions say that the battery will go into a sleep state if the voltage drops below 12.2. Using the restart function will give me enough CCA to start the car a few times only. So I should not need to put the battery on a tender. This function should also increase the longevity of the battery as Lithium batteries don’t like cycling

View attachment 1569583

Car started fine straight away without any hesitation. I’ve put a battery monitor on and will watch tomorrow, and through the week, to see how much voltage decay there is.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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That battery def. looks cool!!

I had to do a double take with the right hand drive.....

R

+^1 I was like WTF then I realized.

Keep us posted on how it holds up.

Haha - yes, in Australia, if the car is less than 30 years old it needs to be RHD. I bought the car new in Cali and had it shipped, converted to RHD and complainced for the roads here. One of only c. 15 in the country.

Quick update: I had a battery monitor on over night and the battery remained steady as a rock, unlike the motorcraft battery that was losing 20% per night. Turned the car over again today, no trouble starting it. Did a run in the car and it’s definitely happier with the level of current versus the dying motorcraft.

I'm happy! Looks solid

Had to move the battery slightly more to the center as it is taller than stock so was lifting up the bonnet slightly

https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/saving-weight-antigravity-battery-morris-engineering.1133785/

I did this battery and mount almost 2 years ago and it is still working like a charm.
-Satch

OEM battery for the win.
I got 10 years out of the original Motorcraft battery in my 98.

98 svt said:

OEM battery for the win.
I got 10 years out of the original Motorcraft battery in my 98.

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Thats really good. The newer cars the batterys dont seem to last nearly that long. Much more electrical.