Braille Battery vs. Westco Mini Miata
 

i replaced my westco mini miata battery with a braille battery.

here are some pics of the difference

you could probably fit 4 braille batteries in the rear bin: (note- that plate at the bottom is being replaced with Braille's battery mount.)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...attery12-1.jpg
the weight of the Westco Mini Miata Battery (22.8 pounds)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ebattery13.jpg
the weight of both batteries together (22.8 pounds for Westco + 11.6pounds Braille)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ebattery14.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...lebattery8.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...lebattery3.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...lebattery1.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...lebattery4.jpg

i dont have it permanently put in the car yet, but ill get more pics of the final set up with my thoughts on it.

wanna save weight in your car, but you cant give up the donuts and you are allergic to exercise? the Braille 11.5pound battery is the perfect solution!

i am trying to get the weight i had gained from the roll bar out, so i am looking to cut weight.

next out are the rear bins, the carpet, and the air pump. does anyone have the weights of these?

I've got flash light batteries bigger than that. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I am impressed that such a small battery can operate effectively in your car.

Another battery option which I use in my spec7 is a lawn/tractor battery. I've been using it for 1-1/2 years with no problems. Only weighs 12# and costs $25-$35 at Kragen/PepBoys/etc. Just need to modify the cable ends a little.

Carl Johnk

they even make a 6 pound battery...

Is that daily driving for 1-1/2 years? What is the battery specs?

Using a lawn mower battery, is it necessary to push start the car?

The first time you get stuck due to a dead battery you'll be wishing for those extra 11.2lbs back (I'm assuming that the Braille is of lower capacity, right?). There's a point where the battery gets too small to be really reliable where the smallest current draw will kill it in no time flat. No thanks.

Now I can certainly see trying to get the lightest battery of sufficient power.

No it isn't daily driving. It is occasional racing, which is probably harder on the battery, because it sits around discharging. It has never needed a jump start despite the fact that the car frequently cranks alot before finally starting. The CCA rating is the same as the stock battery.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for street driving, because who cares about 11-12 lbs. in that case. For racing though I think it makes sense. It is weight reduction where the car is already heavy.

Carl

Forgot to mention that there are various CCA for the batteries. The cheapest ones have (not surprisingly) the lowest capacity. The slightly more expensive ones are higher. I think at PepBoys there were at least 3 options. The one I have is 340 CCA @ 0°C and RC 40 minutes.

The rating looks comparable to stock (or the Westco) to me.

Carl

I have a Braille 11.5 battery, it died twice and the second time I think killed it through sulfation because the car unexpectedly sat for 2 weeks due too snow. I'm seeing if I can save it but it's not looking good.

I have a Hawker Genesis 12V/13A (0770-2007 G13EP) in my Civic and will probably use one just like it in the RX7 this year. It weighs something like 8 lbs. Yes, if you leave accessory lights on, or have an alarm or anything else that draws power from the battery when the ignition is off, it's not for you. (I've left my parking lights on as the car has no chime and killed the battery, just had to push the car and pop the clutch).

My civic sat for 2 months (Dec/Jan here in Mass, frigid cold temps and plenty of snow) and I just started it up this weekend. No drama at all.

I got it off eBay for real cheap as there are places that wan't $120 for it, but if you look around, you can find one.

You also need to purchase the proper posts/terminals that screw in to the battery for your application/car.

--KC