I just had to take out the battery and recharge it today due to the dreaded OBD power drain issue, but holy crap was the battery heavy, not to mention a pain. I couldn't find any mention of people attempting to go with a smaller battery, such as a racing one. Anyone here with experience on that topic?

 

Do a search there is a whole thread about that subject.

Check out this link:

https://antigravitybatteries.com/pro...es/automotive/

 

I believe this is the one Unhingd recommended to me. Haven’t replaced my original battery yet, but after 6.5 years (almost), it’ll be due soon.
https://www.arcflashllc.com/products...um-ion-battery

The OEM Varta battery says it has heavier internal links (something like that) to support the extra start/stop cycles, and I’m sure that contributes to the weight.

 

Thanks. Trust me I searched, but I don't seem to have much luck with the search engine in this particular forum...*shrug*

 

As others have said at least one thread about replacement of AGM lead acid battery with much lighter, albeit extremely expensive Lithium battery.

I would definitely try one if the price wasn't excessive and the resellers didn't fudge the capacity figures to claim some bogus "equivalent lead acid capacity ".

On another matter I don't believe there is any need to remove a sealed AGM battery to re charge it.

 

I love how on these fancy batteries with "restart" technology state on the side of the battery not to charge at a rate of over 20 amp, but then give instructions on how to use the "restart" function as "push button then immediately start engine and keep it running". If your battery is depleted to the point of needing this boost function then upon start up the battery is going to be pulling well over 20 amps from the charging system.
Jump starting a car is a terrible thing to do to your charging system....especially with a large battery with low internal resistance.

 

I would imagine that the charge controller in the battery itself would manage how the battery is charged and not allow an excessive charge rate. I would also think it would have to have some built in charging logic to protect the battery since most if not all auto charging systems are designed for lead acid batteries.

 

If the battery had such a feature there would be no need to warn against charging over 20 amps.

 

Good point!

 

Maybe not. The charging system on the car will deliver a relatively consistent voltage which the smart battery can use as it sees fit to properly charge itself. However, the voltage on commercial chargers can be adjusted to change the charging rate. The nominal charging capacity on the F-Type is is max number for which the alternator is rated at that fixed voltage, not the output that it will be always be producing.

 

Dave,
New profiles of the same battery have been introduced and this may no longer be the best choice as a better fitting battery might be available.

 

The lithium batteries are certainly expensive compared to the price of an AGM from the car parts store, but not much pricier than an OEM battery.

 

The factory battery in my car was 58 pounds, and the additional start stop battery (2015 model) added another 15 pounds, which happened to be the weight of the lithium battery, so for me the weight savings from swapping were a significant 58 lbs. Still amazes me Jaguar went to the trouble an expense of aluminum body panels but bloated the car's weight in so many other areas.

As unhinged mentioned, Antigravity has new models with new features, so look for the latest. May be a while before prices come down, but given their advantages in both performance and weight savings, I think lithium batteries may become OEM on many performance cars.

One caution, antigravity instructions say to use a lithium battery charger (if one is ever needed). I got a $30 one on Amazon, but have not needed it - did need the "restart" feature on the battery once when I left the car sitting for about 7 weeks, worked great.

 

That was exactly my point. If the battery is down to a charge state that requires a jump then when the car starts the alternator will put out a fixed regulated voltage (around 14.4V) and the amperage output will be determined by the requirements of the system. In this case a flat battery with a very low internal resistance (characteristic of these types of batteries) which will most certainly pull more than 20 amps and most likely the max amperage that the alternator will deliver. This has a detrimental effect on the rectifier in the alternator which is why I said jumping a car is a terrible thing for the charging system. :-)

 

This link has a pretty good explanation on how LiFePO4 batteries are protected by a built in battery management system (BMS). Lots of other interesting info too.

https://www.solacity.com/how-to-keep...tteries-happy/

 

I don't often disagree with the Unhinged one but unless I am missing your point then I do disagree in this instance.

I believe Varta is the OEM battery supplier

019 size AGM is under £200 in UK ($250), I seem to recall the Lithium batteries referred to on this forum were in the region of $1200 ?

The weight saving is undeniable although some of the saving comes from the Lithium technology being lighter and some because they are lower capacity than the lead acid agm the are comparing and citing equivalence to.

I could save money and weight by fitting a 40Ah lead acid agm if I was content with lower capacity.

I am not opposed to Lithium batteries and if prices reduce and real rather than claimed "lead acid equivalent " capacity increase then I would consider one at replacement time.

 

I believe this is the OEM Varta battery...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5tvrtsxpyl...5D852.pdf?dl=0

I see prices of around $600, though I haven’t looked much. Wonder what the dealer would charge, though I don’t know if they’d bother with the OEM battery.

Yes, a generic H8 AGM would be less.

 

Right, closer to $600 for the lithium. The year before I learned about the lithium batteries I paid $450 (with a coupon!) for a new factory battery for my M3 from the dealer - on those cars you had to "register" the battery with the ECU for correct charging. I bet a dealer installed F-type battery would be close to that same price, so you could justify getting the Lithium as only being a little bit more expensive.

I will say the cumulative effect of removing over 150lbs from my car seems to have made a noticeable improvement in the feel of the car for me, and the battery is relatively low hanging fruit in terms of $$ to weight savings.

 

Uhh, the $600 I mentioned is for the OEM Varta AGM, though I didn’t look very hard. Technically, a battery replacement in the F-type is supposed to include a reset (recalibration?) of the battery control module.

 

And the Lithium battery can be had for $6-700. The lithium battery is supposed to last up to 5 times longer. I had a lithium battery on one of my motorcycles for 10 years before I sold it. Over the long run, they’re less expensive to use than their lead/acid counterparts. Of course, that requires you not having any commitment issues with your vehicular relationships.