would moving the battery actually change the handling characteristcs of my car that much? i have been told that it gives better traction, and i have also been told that it was a waste of time and money. any opinions?

 

I think you have been told totally off. I mean I don't see it changing your handling. Better traction? I guess with other weight moved from front and added to the rear it could help with take-offs some. Waste of time and money..not really. I mean it will open up your engine bay and make room for fmic piping(if you have a TII).

 

Well, kinda.. How's that for a technical term. On a stock car, all of the interior intact, stock shocks/springs, etc. I doubt it'll change the behavior of the car enough to really say "wow, that's huge!".. As you start moving further towards a dedicated race car and you want every advantage you can get, having the battery over on the right rear helps balance out your weight.. Anything you can put on the extreme right hand side of the car will help, but you've really gotta be on the edge to notice it.

HOw's that for a kinda answer. Would I do it? Nope..

(of course, I'm not allowed to either )

PaulC

 

kinda? could we be a lil bit more vague?

 

If your just starting out, i can't find a reason to justify it. It's really for the guys that have pretty much done everything else. In reality if you have to ask, then its probably not for you. You can always keep the battery there, just get an expensive DynaBatt battery that weights only 12 lbs or so.

 

If u mean putting the batt all the way in the back, I wouldn't do it, cuz if someone rearend u an the batt explodes, the gas tank is jus right there. try in the storage bins

 

Well, it improved the f/r weight balance on my old (nose-heavy) 2002, but on an FC with a weight balance so close to 50/50 anyway I can't see how it would offer much of an improvement.

I can testify that having a battery in your trunk is a big pain in the *** however. And thinking about doing it in a street FC with battery acid sloshing around behind your head makes me cringe...

 

I did it because it's cheap, it's easy, and it cleans/frees up the engine bay. It may also help handling and improve drag launch. What's to lose? With all the parts I could do it again in like 2 hrs. PM if you want help/advice. There are many others here who have done this too.

 

If you do it, do it right. You will like the setup much more if you have a proper sealed box and a sealed battery.

Personally i plan on doing it to free up some space under the hood and generally clean that area up.

 

i am not worried about a leaking battery, i am running one of the optima gel pack batteries that are totally sealed. i guess i will plan to move the bettery to the storage bins or under the carpet acoss from the spare tire jack (if there is room) when i get a fmic

 

I read in hotrod once that moving the battery to the very back of the trunk is like moving your engine back 6". Take in mind that this is with a small block chevy in a longer, heavier car. But i agree I could spend my time and money of one of the many other things I would like the replace/upgrade in the future.

 

This to me seems like a pretty practical idea, I have an oversized battery for my 800w amp, fog lights, and electric fan, and it is a pain to take out, plus there is a bunch of nasty grime under the battery.

 

I did it to...

1) Make more room for an upgrade radiator and IC
2) Get the battery away from the "bad" engine heat
3) I little bit more protection against thieves that get under the hood - adds a few seconds of confusion factor

Yes, the average battery weights around 40 lbs.&nbsp To make a better handling chassis, you get rid of the weight 1) at the highest points, and 2) at the ends of the chassis.&nbsp The battery relocation (to the storage bins) is more for #2 - gets rid of the battery weigh away from the front end and reduce polar moment.&nbsp Lower polar moment = quicker turning vehicle

Drag racers place the battery at the extreme back of the vehicle.&nbsp This aids in weight transfer to the rear which aids in starting traction.


-Ted