I'm looking to replace the standard car battery with a High Output, Light weight Li-Ion Battery. And since I own an '04 Mini Cooper (non S), I'm also looking to rewire the Battery to the back of the car. Any Ideas/Suggestions on what battery to buy and whatever else, would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try these guys...

http://www.braillebattery.com/

 

Didn't know they made Li-Ion replacement batteries.......

But I will say that's some good specs on their group 48 AGM battery I will be needing two for my diesel truck......... Odyssey and Deka are also good AGM batteries....

http://www.odysseybattery.com/index.html

 

On my third year, no issues.
The weight is a big factor in choice,
mount anywhere helps.

 

Why are you moving it to the back? If it's for better weight distribution, I'd assume the Li-Ion battery would weigh so little that moving it won't make much difference.

 

Well I'm trying to take out as much weight as possible while also trying to redistribute the weight, but I'm also trying to clear up space in the engine bay because there's just so little of it in the '04 Cooper (non S), plus I'm also thinking about either turbo or supercharging it.

 

Crimany - time to get an S and be done with it.......

 

Yeah I would but I don't have that kind of money at the moment and super/turbocharging it is just an idea.

 

While a fun idea, the general consensus is that it will take more time/money/energy to do the conversion, than just outright buying an S.

While it can be done, is it worth it? If you own your own shop and it's your free labor and want to do it for a giggle, have at it.


For your original question, I went with an Optima Red top.

 

One point.....by the time you add the extra cables (heavy guage copper) you might not save as much as you think....
the above mentioned racing battery (very light weight) would likely be your best option....just keep the same mounting location.
li-ion bats in cars are VERY RARE/EXOTIC.....think custom and super cars only....where money is not a concern....

 

which optima red top fits the MINI? I'm trying to get one for my r53 but I don't even see MINI or BMW listed on their website

 

34R is the popular choice for GEN1-S.

I'd comment that while I use an Optima in my 79 I don't find them to be a stronger or longer lasting battery than any conventional 'wet' battery.

The advantage of the Optima (and similar) and why they tend to be popular in the hotrod and restored car crowd is the fact they "can not leak". Folks who spend a zillion dollars painting their build inside and out do not want any chance of battery acid getting out. Also Optima's tend to hold their charge pretty well for occasional users but I don't think it is better than any quality battery.

I still replace my Optima at 5 years . . .

 

Ok cool, thanks for the info. I'm wanting an optima redtop mostly to help handle the load of my sound system. I know the yellow top is a deep cycle and would be better fit for that but the cost is a bit out of my range

 

yep - that's what I'm saying. The Optima red top isn't any stronger or longer lasting than any other good battery of the same AMP rating. OTOH they DO have a very respected deep cycle battery - the yellow top. Don't confuse a recommendation toward Optima because of the Yellow as a recommendation for the Red

 

oh! okay gotcha. well maybe I should find a cheaper alternative for a deep cycle rather then getting a yellow top.

 

this company is working on a very lightweight battery. I will be getting one very soon for testing.
http://alienmotion.com/

 

Just FYI a Braille B7548 (group 48) is a drop in replacement in the MCS. It is longer by about 1 1/2 inches but every thing still fits perfect, including the original red cap over the positive terminal. Not sure what the boot area room is like in the standard MC. It is an AGM as well but i think if you look into it a little it is a better quality battery than the optima. However, I am biased since I am a Braille dealer. I have had fairly good luck with Optima in the past and still have a tractor with one in it. I searched out Braille for the reason one of the other posters listed: the optima didn't seem to last much longer than a quality lead acid battery. The Braille AGM is pricey at approx 250 bucks. But did you check the lithium ion prices? For this application the cost would be somewhere between 1900 and 2200 dollars depending on the model, so definitely not cost effective for the weight loss in a street car. And by the way, there are no problems charging these lithium ion batteries from standard car charging systems.

 

I just installed an alien motion battery in my car about a month ago. Since I have driven almost 3000 miles (hwy/city) with out any probs. It turns over much faster than the stock battery. I dont think they are producing them for general public sale yet.

 

How is the li ion battery? Do you need a special charger for the battery? I would not mind getting one if it works well

Thanks for the update

 

the battery has been great. I have logged almost 6,000 miles of daily driving with no problems. The real test is how it handle cold temps. From what I understand the colder the temp the less power it will have. The past few days have been below freezing here and the car has started with no problems. I believe that WAY is going to carry some of them, but you can prob get it straight from the website. I was told that they are going to make a foam block for the battery to sit in that will be the same size as the OEM batt., that way we will be able to use the factory tie down to secure it.

 

That sounds fantastic. I am located in Montreal our winters are harsh here historically speaking. Although the temperature has been really mild so far this season.
Thanks.

 

I was reviewing braille batteries, and found that that are re-badges of Deka's + 2-3 times the price so they can brag more. Kinda like coffee, more expensive the cup of coffee the better it tastes.

so if you wanna save like 70% just buy the same battery as the original Deka.

http://www.dekabatteries.com/

 

I have a little experience/input/info that may help out in regards to the topics covered in this thread. I do know that it's a bit old and things have changed since these original post was put up, especially in regards to lithium batteries.

First, there should be clarification between companies that "rebadge" batteries and those that are contract manufactured for another company/brand by one of the large manufacturers. Johnson Controls makes nearly 20 brands including Optima, Die Hard and so on. They are not the same batteries, even though the same parent company. That being said, East Penn does make batteries for many companies and while they may come out of the same plant and use the same casing, the performance levels and QC can be significantly different. From my experience, the Deka batteries are what they are and you can check at the performance specs they have. The Braille variant is used heavily in racing and the performance levels and QC are much higher when being used in factory race cars. I know many custom bike builders who have a hard time starting their large bikes with the stock Harley battery, a Deka and absolutely no problem with the Braille unit and I've heard that several times. So, that is about it in that regard, but that is with AGM batteries.

Lithium batteries are new technology and are much superior than any lead battery. I have run a Braille B3121 (21 pound) battery in my wife's Mazda MPV for a couple years with great results. When I needed a new battery for my 2000 BMW 540i M-Sport 6-speed, I looked around for a lithium upgrade.

Last year at SEMA, Braille brought out a new lithium model designed specifically for the "Import Tuner" crowd, 4 & 6 cylinder street/track cars and even V8 race cars & hot rods with low electrical demand. The stock Group 49 battery in my 540i took a dump and decided to put one of these in it's place for several months now. It certainly has the cranking power, as it spins up my V8 much quicker than the stock battery. It is low in capacity, so you can't let the car sit for a long time without using the charger (recommend buying the combo). I did leave the car sitting for 9 days while out of town and had no problem starting right up when I got back. If I was going to be gone for more than 2 weeks, I would have used the charger. http://www.braillebattery.com/index....ies/gu1r_combo

Of course, my E39 540i does not have NAV or anything extra, so the parasitic draw would only be from the PCM and stock security system, so anything with more electronics on it may decrease the amount of time I'd let the car sit. In a daily drive, no problem at all. This would certainly be the case for the Mini owners out there to save 30-35 pounds.

I have pictures of both batteries side by side (attached), so I saved nearly 50 pounds and the car definitely runs better. Lithium delivers a higher, cleaner voltage, so it's common to see quicker starting, improved engine management performance, less horsepower draw from the alternator due to efficient charging (5 times faster than lead) and will last 3-5 times longer. The "drop-in" lithium model for the late model MCs is a Group 48, which bolts right in and at only 10 pounds it has more power & capacity than the GU1R, but also costs much more.

Anyway, that's my experience. I would probably go towards the larger version (in a new BMW 3/5/7 series) if my car wasn't 14 years old with 225k miles on it, but being older and not as much electrical demand from the car as the new cars, the GU1R seems to work well. It's a great option to consider and as an upgrade in older sports cars, as well. Hope that info is helpful. http://www.braillebattery.com/index....al_media_award