Opinions on batter relocation and intercooler options

[240sxcure]

Background on my car: s13 240sx coupe sr

I've been debating the pros and cons of performing a battery relocation to make room for intercooler options. Firstly I would like to keep things as OEM appearing as possible and I do find a battery relocation to be an eye sore in the trunk.

I was considering same side intercooler setup to keep the battery in the stock location.

http://www.gktech.com.au/images/s15kit1.jpg

But the obvious concern with this is the efficency withe there types of setup just to keep the stock piping route.

Midmount intercoolers or front mount intercoolers are always options Ive considered but the draw back is that you have to relocate the battery or substitute a smaller battery that has its own drawbacks. ie I like to have the confidence to operate the stereo and regular car functions.

http://www.partsshopmax.com/e107_files/public/1250277431_2_FT4008_p1050153.jpg



Opinions?

[derass]

It's a trade-off; you can't have it both ways.

Keeping the stock battery:
-Upgraded side-mounts offer a minimal increase in performance.
-High-mounts aren't very effective because of the reduced airflow.
-Hybrid coolers have very long coldside piping that reduce response.

Typical front-mounts tend to have the biggest gains but, you have to either relocated or downsize the battery. However, I have seen some coldside pipes that go under the frame rail and not not pass through the battery tray at all.

edit: Here's a pic of my friend's setup. But again there's a trade-off. Going under the framerail and around the tray results in reduced ground clearance and longer piping.

https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1003424_10151676321382697_1976638101_n.jpg?oh=5bce 4e0c0ff3bf32c975362107101c86&oe=576454CF

[LoSt180]

I went back and forth with this myself. The main problem is that "no holes" intercoolers are simply rare to find and tend to be on the pricier side. An S15 intercooler is a great side mount upgrade, but finding one takes a lot of patience.

I finally settled on a Greddy front mount, and a Miata U1RT battery. It fits sideways in the tray just fine, and has the posts on the correct side for easy hook up. It was nearly impossible to find a B19L "JDM spec" battery in the US. That's the size battery you'll see in S15 intercooler pictures. A B19R battery is the stock size that came with my Silvia clip, so I don't think you're losing much by going to a smaller battery.

Pic for reference:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/lost_180/97-Kouki/20151214_164406.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/lost_180/media/97-Kouki/20151214_164406.jpg.html)

[tuzzio]

The oem battery location is an eyesore, however, my intercooler piping barely goes through that area as it goes through the radiator support.

http://i.imgur.com/y8U4L4dl.jpg

[dorkidori_s13]

ive been running miata batteries for the past 5 1/2 years... they seem to have an exact 2 year life span to them and go out on me like clock work. but other than that, they have more CCA than even the OE KA requires. all electronics work fine.

[Gingersmurf]

I went back and forth with this myself. The main problem is that "no holes" intercoolers are simply rare to find and tend to be on the pricier side. An S15 intercooler is a great side mount upgrade, but finding one takes a lot of patience.

I finally settled on a Greddy front mount, and a Miata U1RT battery. It fits sideways in the tray just fine, and has the posts on the correct side for easy hook up. It was nearly impossible to find a B19L "JDM spec" battery in the US. That's the size battery you'll see in S15 intercooler pictures. A B19R battery is the stock size that came with my Silvia clip, so I don't think you're losing much by going to a smaller battery.

Second!

i went with this route but used an odyssey battery of similar dimensional sizes since there were no Miata batteries present when i boosted my car. i have a sub, and amp with an on board data-logging system with gauges, and no issues with voltage. when it gets parked for a while i will throw a battery tender on it, just to help preserve the battery, not so much for needing to charge it.

Pic; (the battery tender wires are ontop, and have since been moved to look cleaner)
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/account_gingersmurf/IMG_2947.jpg

[RB25GUY]

Odyssey PC680 is small and works wonders although i have my fuse boxes tucked under my dash...

[240sxcure]

For those that have a smaller battery in the stock location, do you still have metal OEM battery tray? Did you drill a piping size hole through battery tray?

[240sxcure]

To each his own, but clean engine bay. Any photos of your battery relocation?


The oem battery location is an eyesore, however, my intercooler piping barely goes through that area as it goes through the radiator support.

http://i.imgur.com/y8U4L4dl.jpg

[dorkidori_s13]

i still have the OE battery tray... just drilled a hole thru it (well, previous owner did, i made it bigger and cleaned it up plus spray painted the battery tray black).

[silviaks2nr]

Relocate it. It's not a big deal and then you can route your charge piping however you want.

http://i.imgur.com/Lwj4VeF.jpg

[tuzzio]

To each his own, but clean engine bay. Any photos of your battery relocation?

I don't currently and the car is at my body guys house.

I welded some threaded rod into the passenger corner of the trunk and made a tie down and bolted it down. The trunk is gutted, however it is a coupe. So its not like you can see it anyways.

[Matej]

If you procure a skinny battery such as the Shuriken BT20, you can hide it in the quarter panel or under the passenger seat.

[Gingersmurf]

If you procure a skinny battery such as the Shuriken BT20, you can hide in the quarter panel or under the passenger seat.

I had thought of fitting mine where the scissor jack fits in the rear of the hatch on the driverside, just didn't feel like running the wires.. but it absolutely fits

[Kingtal0n]

opinions:
1. I like the battery right where it "belongs"
2. If any holes are to be cut, I prefer them perfectly round (hole saw) and then sanded, repainted (the shiny edges to prevent rust) and then coated with rubber line (a cut open fuel line works decent)
3. I like plumbing that is easy to remove, easy to tighten and loosen.


desirable traits:
1. The intercooler plumbing should be as short as possible.
2. battery cables should be as short as possible
3. the battery/intercooler and related equipment should be kept as lightweight as possible


So, stock location (or make it look so good, it looks stock), short plumbing, light materials, short wires, clean cuts, easy access

[DS DockSide55]

Never cared for battery relocations. Not against them, they just ain't my thing.

I used pbm hmic with a Honda CR-V battery and made a (shitty) tie down bracket that uses the oem hardware. Fits snug. Simple and effective. Only drawback is the terminal posts are switched.

Most people (that don't relocate) with fmic, greddy style or not, just use Miata batteries turned.

[adicarlo]

opinions:
1. I like the battery right where it "belongs"
2. If any holes are to be cut, I prefer them perfectly round (hole saw) and then sanded, repainted (the shiny edges to prevent rust) and then coated with rubber line (a cut open fuel line works decent)
3. I like plumbing that is easy to remove, easy to tighten and loosen.


desirable traits:
1. The intercooler plumbing should be as short as possible.
2. battery cables should be as short as possible
3. the battery/intercooler and related equipment should be kept as lightweight as possible


So, stock location (or make it look so good, it looks stock), short plumbing, light materials, short wires, clean cuts, easy access

Aren't one of the main benefits of a battery relocation also removing front end mass for a more 50/50 distribution. I would relocate just on that principle.

Also instead of fuel line I use the U shaped door liners from autozone to line cut metal (piping,chassis harness tuck etc.). Just another option.

[dorkidori_s13]

a whole whopping 30-40lbs really doesnt do much as far as front end weight reduction lol. thats what like .005 of a second in the quarter mile? hahha

[adicarlo]

a whole whopping 30-40lbs really doesnt do much as far as front end weight reduction lol. thats what like .005 of a second in the quarter mile? hahha

Hey I live my live my life a 1/4 mile at a time.

*Jumps back in time machine to return to 1999*

[Kingtal0n]

Aren't one of the main benefits of a battery relocation also removing front end mass for a more 50/50 distribution. I would relocate just on that principle.

Also instead of fuel line I use the U shaped door liners from autozone to line cut metal (piping,chassis harness tuck etc.). Just another option.

lets weigh pros and cons

first, we need a standard. Lets compare with an easy to remove item for difficulty level comparisons as well as time/money.

Ill use removing the spare tire as my baseline.

Remove spare tire vs relocate battery for better weight distribution

removing the spare tire:
its free
its weight is more than the battery
it wont affect the electrical system
it doesn't add weight in the form of heavy gauge wires to the car to receive a benefit
there are no additional fuses to blow or wires to short or get cut or caught
its fast, and easily reversible

relocating the battery:
costs money
adds weight in the form of wires
difficult to reverse the installation (drilled holes, mounted brackets, etc)
additional wires to run, fuses to pop, possible shorts
electrical system can be a fickle mistress. More likely to have starting/charging/spark issues with a relocated mess.

notes
Not all relocations are ugly, but a random enthusiast shouldn't be doing them unless experienced.
Any benefit of weight re-distribution appears to be strongly offset by the additional weight of wire added.


conclusion: I'd rather remove my spare tire, better weight saving, faster car, easy to reverse, free

[LoSt180]

^^ additionally, it's not like people are paying the money to get their car corner balanced. Just slapping it in the trunk with no real thought.

For example, the 350Z has heavy iron weights in different places to balance out the car.

[Matej]

How is removing the spare tire going to help achieve a sweet tucked engine bay?

[Croustibat]

I use a small lifepo4 battery (with real CCA and AH, not the fake everyone sells) that now sits in the center console, behind a switch panel (which replaces the stereo).

Pretty well balanced option if you ask me. It measures 4"x4"x6" and weights 3lbs, has a real 600 CCA max, and a real 10AH capacity (multiply this CCA by 2 and capacity by 3 to get "pbeq" figures). Still working after like 4 years. Best 150€ spent on a battery ever.

[ShakotanGazelle]

Clean engine bay > clean trunk

I vote for relocation to the trunk and please don't be a typical 240 shit head and remove the damn battery tray instead of just running the hole saw through it. it only takes a couple minutes and a $6 spot weld drill bit...

You can even use a sweet battery bulkhead connector your firewall to run to the starter for a clean install.

[240sxcure]

If I were to go the route of a battery relocation, I definitely would want to make sure it's done cleanly and properly.

Clean engine bay > clean trunk

I vote for relocation to the trunk and please don't be a typical 240 shit head and remove the damn battery tray instead of just running the hole saw through it. it only takes a couple minutes and a $6 spot weld drill bit...

You can even use a sweet battery bulkhead connector your firewall to run to the starter for a clean install.

[collegekid]

Is it out of your budget to just buy a front mount intercooler core and pay a shop to run the piping so you don't run into the battery?

[240sxcure]

It's not. However I would want to end up having a setup where the cold side piping is ecessovly long and hurts throttle, but as other have already mentioned you have to trade-off something.