Is anyone running the Antigravity 51R battery? If so, what has your experience been?

Some specs on the batter

• Amp Hours: 24 Ah.
• High Power: 1000 Cranking Amps.
• Weight: 8.5 lbs

This is feature is pretty neat
"RE-START Technology is the first battery ever to offer Wireless Remote-activated built-in Jump Starting. (Can also be activated manually by pressing Restart button on top of battery.) So it won’t allow you to get stranded with a dead battery! For example if you left your lights on the intelligent Battery Management System (BMS) in each RE-START battery would put itself to sleep before being drained dead, yet save just enough energy to start your vehicle again and get you out of that emergency. And with our WIRELESS REMOTE KEYFOB you can activate the Jump-Starting without ever opening the hood of the car. Simply press the Keyfob Button, start your car and drive away"

As part of my 4 rotor build, I plan on using the IRP alternator and Bazai Racing starter and this battery and just trying to do a little research prior to the purchase of the battery.

 

I don't personally know about the 51R but I have their ATX30-HD in my FD, which effectively has the same specs and it's been a champ so far.

 

^ nice. Would you say you start your car up at least once a week? Do you have it on a battery tender when you aren't driving it?

 

I've heard good things about Antigravity Batteries in general but there's not a ton of them in use at this time in the community that I know of.

The "re-start" technology sounds pretty straight forward - battery monitors voltage, voltage drops, it cuts off the battery then you re-enable the battery to start the car. Basically a smart circuit breaker. Really sharp idea IMHO and not that complicated of a circuit.

I've heard the Li-Ion batteries are a little troublesome/cranky in very cold weather, but if it's enough to be a problem I'm not sure. Also the other downside is those batteries aren't cheap of course.

The good thing with using a 51R battery (or a standard size battery) if if you're out in nowhere (like, say, Bryson City, NC ) and the battery totally craps out for some reason you can get something at a regular parts store to get up and going immediately.

Dale

 

You shouldn't use lead acid chargers on a lithium iron battery. The desulfation process can screw with the LiFePO4 and there's a tendency to overcharge, which is also bad.

One good thing about the LiFePO4, is it won't loose charge (if there's no draw). If you unplug it, it can sit a year w/o needing a charge.

As for cold, that affects lead acid batteries as well

 

The 51R is a solid choice for your FD build, particularly a 4-rotor. It should handle your needs nicely, and its RE-START feature is designed for a car, unlike the one for the regular ATX-30, which is designed for a motorcycle. I think you will be pleased with the performance of the 51R.

Like cloud9, I use the ATX30-HD and to date, it works great. It has really nice starting power (I have a 3 rotor), but no RE-START feature. It does have a deeper draw though. I do keep the car connected to a battery tender (the CTEK Lithium US Smart Charger recommended by Antigravity), but the battery seems to hold a charge much better than my old Optima yellow top. If I left the Optima unconnected to the tender, I would see a noticeable decrease in battery voltage, but not with the ATX-30 HD. It also comes with a nifty charge level indicator on it so I can easily tell its charge state.

Give Antigravity a call to discuss your needs. They'll lead you in the right direction and their support is awesome.

 

This is the charger i just bought (so no review yet). It was between this and the CTEK Lithium. The optimate seemed to have more functionality over the CTEK that for me warranted the extra expense

https://optimate1.com/oml4s10a/

 

^ Wow, that thing is crazy. I went with the one Antigravity recommends for use with their batteries.

 

I see the 51R sold out ?

 

I have a atx-30 and it has been rock solid. I have left the car for a couple weeks untouched without worry. I did leave my lights on one time and actually got to use the re-start which worked like a charm. The weight savings are fantastic and I recommend getting the Bluetooth Battery Tracker for simple piece of mind.

 

Right now I start it about once every two weeks I would say. But I also have a solid state battery isolator connected to mine with a kill switch wired in so I just turn it off whenever I'm not driving it and there's no draw on the battery.

 

Mine should be arriving today or tomorrow and hopefully the car will be on the road this weekend.

 

Nice, thanks for the feedback guys.

 

Hot Start video. The 1000 CCAs makes a big difference over the 51r acid battery I had. With the rx8 starter upgrade it starts as fast as a piston car. I’m really impressed for a battery that weighs under 10lbs. My only complaint is it has a weird casting on the lower sides of the battery that wouldn’t allow it to fit in my Turbo Jeff 51r battery tray without me having to trim the sides of my new $600+ dollar battery.

 

That's kindof a bummer. Any pics? Don't see the video (in case you forgot). Cheers.

 

Im guessing the bottom thing here? I think its a mounting solution where you screw a frame or something down around the bottom of the battery to avoid the bar going over the top.

 

I don't have pics of where I had to trim the battery. While it was an easy fix it's upsetting to say the least on a battery that expensive. It looks like I will have to host the videos elsewhere and put a link here. It's insane how fast the starter turns. I will likely compression test the engine soon just to see the RPM readings. I bet its over 300rpms with the rx8 starter.

On my scale the battery was 9lbs and 5 ounces. The 51r acid battery I replaced was 28lbs and 7 ounces and the factory size battery I had on the shelf weighed in at 36lbs and 10 ounces. The 27 lb weight loss off the nose of the car compared to the factory battery is great but the 1000 cold cranking amps is what makes it so awesome. I've never had a FD start like this over the last 17 years.

 

Correct, that was the issue. I ended up using my 51r tie down over the top of the battery with just light pressure holding in in place.

 

I got you.

 

When did you purchase the battery? I bought one a couple months ago and it fits my Turbo Jeff battery tray perfectly. No weird casting on the bottom, it's just rectangular. I wonder if you got an early version and they revised the shape as some point?

 

^ i hope that's the case. I just bought a turbojeff style battery tray from Garage Alpha and modified it so that I could mount in the rear. Would be great if I didn't have to modify the battery. Plan on ordering the battery in July.

Re-adding the hot start video as it looks like it got deleted by accident.

 

I purchased it about a month ago. I noticed it said sold out a few days after I posted mine. Maybe they sent me one with an abnormal case. Either way, I'm very happy with the purchase as it seems to crank just as strong even when the engine bay is heat soaked.