All of the searches i have done have show me how to relocate a battery to the storage bins, but i would like to know what all is involved in moving it to the spare tire well? I want to be able to retain the use of the storage bins, and since i mostly drag race, would like the extra weight over the tires.

My optima will go almost halfway in, then stops. The well narrows as it gets closer to the bottem. How do you guys remedy this? Take a hammer and just pound on the front and back to widen it? Also, what would be the simplest method for mounting the battery? Cut the bottem of the well out and weld in a flat piece of metal?

TIA!
Joe

 

I have been wanting to see some pics of other peoples battery relocation jobs. Can we get some on here??

I planned on the passenger bin, but ran into the same problem as Joe. It keeps getting smaller at the bottom.

Lets see some Pics!!

Chris

 

in the spare tire well, to make it wider, take the jack that came with the car, and expand it. Very simple, and works very well.

 

I would not recommend this for a street car, as a rear end accident is going to make for a pretty scary situation...



-Ted

 

Not if it's a gel cell like an optima, i don't think? Correct me if i'm wrong.

 

I agree with Ted.

Even spiral wound felt plate batteries (like the optima’s) do have some acid in them or you could lay them on their sides. (Optimas are not gel cell, BTW).

But regardless of that, if rear ended there, you could short out the battery very easy and have it explode.

And what else is in the rear of the car next to the spare tire well?

I'll give you a hint... it’s under the car.

Yes it’s the gas tank.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want anything that could cause sparks or explode near my gas tank.

 

Ok, so other than the bins, where else do you guys put them? I really want to keep my storage bins free for, well, storage. How about mounting it in a battery box that is vented outside the car, inbetween the storage bins?

What do you guys think of this, other than it being in the open and not as "slept" of a look.

Thanks

 

You can put a battery in the spare tire well. Just get a marine battery that is more rectangular. But as has been said..... having this right above the gas tank in the event of a rear end collision you could be f*&ked.

Or mount it in a battery box just behind the passenger rear tire well. NHRA calls for a sealed battery box if you have the battery in the passenger area other than trunk/engine compartment. However some tracks don't really care. A sealed Optima battery shouldn't require a sealed box... but rules are rules.

-GNX7

 

Optimas have a gelling agent in the acid, so it has some properties of a gel-cell in the fact the it is a splash resistant acid. It is not a true gel-cell battery, but the red-top is a completely sealed battery case which prevents gassing or leaking.

They are a good option for inside the car, but I agree that it would not be advisable to put it in a highly crushable location w/o putting it into an armored type of battery box which would add weight and still might not be approved by whatever sanctioning body that you race under.

I have been through the plant in Aurora, CO and almost went to work there in product design. A friend of mine has worked for them for 7 years in the manufacturing end of the company on the plant floor.

 

Then why does it have a vent???

Time to go back to class... that little tiny vent in the top of the Optima batteries is to vent the case in instances of overcharging.

Overcharged the Optimas leak corrosive gases just as easy as any other battery.



Note the two small vents in each upper corner of the top of the battery.

and here is a great link for you:

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/faq3.html

 

That still does not prevent the case from cracking open during an accident.


It's scary to think that you almost did work for them, when you don't even know their design.&nbsp Icemark is right - there are vents that do pop open in case of gas build-up.&nbsp Large amounts of gas are formed when there is a huge discharge of power, like a short across the terminals.&nbsp Short of being a dry cell (which it isn't), the battery still uses two dissimilar metals for poles and a "liquid" electrolyte - this is the basic design of a power cell.



-Ted

 

not a good idea, as stated above.

 

I do have a Yellow Top in my hatch, about as far away from the gastank as I can get it; and somewhat contained in a box. The yellow top does have slightly different qualities from the red, in that I believe it is a true gell (someone address this, please, if it's not true), and it's a different cycle. But it's not the god of all batteries that everyone says it is, and I'd like to make it safer.

 

FWIW, the vents in any AGM battery should NOT open up under normal circumstances. If your battery is venting, you are doing something horribly wrong. In a sealed battery, vented gas is NOT recovered, and you cannot open the battery to "top off" the electrolyte...

That said, if you are simply racing on the strip, moving your battery back there is no big deal. Just cut and weld. On the street, it's not the best of ideas. There is no danger of acid spillage (even in a flooded lead acid), but there is a danger of shorting.

 

Well, if you get the battery relocation kit, which comes with a sealed case, you do not need to worry about acid spray. This is good for weight reduction at the rear end and put more weight at the back.

 

Icemark,
As I stated before, it sealed and should not leak, you can turn it all around without it leaking. Those "vents" are pressure relief valves as someone elsa had stated. It you blow those, you have bigger problems than just the battery gassing into to cabin.

And I also stated that it would not be a good idea to put it into the spare tire well because of the other issues that you raised previously.

I don't think the benefits of relocating the battery in a street car are worth the risks associated with it. But the Optima would be a much better candidate to relocate inside than a typical lead-wet acid type of battery.

BTW I interviewed with them, I did not design the battery, I knew the prv's were there, but assumed that others might know they are not typical vents that you would find on you Die-Hard.

 

i mounted my battery in the passenger storage bim using the moroso sealed battery box. in the spare tire well is ok too if you have a smaller thinner battery (ie race battery or marine like stated above) but also like alot of ppl said, dont get rear ended. i have also thought about mounting it behind the rear wheel well also but i didn't feel like taking off the gas tank to run wires (i ran wires outside of car) and fear of punctureing the gas tank when drilling. so the best thing for my lazy *** to do was put it in the storage bin. here's a pic ya'll asked for

 

The guys who put V8's in RX-7's put the battery in the back to try and get some weight balance back. The downside is you get a high polar moment of inertia, which affects the transition from drift to spinout.
Now you know more than you wanted about why the pro's put the battery in the passenger side bin.
bill..