Differences Between Batcap and a Sealed Lead Acid Battery?

[eulogious]

Hello all,

So I was looking about some options for me when it comes to my charing system in my car. My alt is only 55amp stock and I want to do something to try to help it out before I can upgrade my alt. So I was looking around and came across batcaps. They look awesome and just what I am looking for, but they cost about $150 or so, so that's out of the question for now. While I was researching and looking at review for the batcaps, I came across someone who said that they installed one of these sealed lead acid batteries in their car with good results:

http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-18ah-s ... SLA__12V18

So my question is this, would the battery I linked to above work the same as a batcap? Would that battery work for me in my car, even if its not the same as a batcap? Will my alt charge it? I just want something that is going to relieve my alt and batt a little when I turn up my music and over power the alt, which I know will happen, my one amp is fused for 60amps by itself... Thanks all!

edit: Found a cheaper and better battery. This one has posts

[eulogious]

So I went to stingers website and found this:

http://www.stingerelectronics.com/produ ... tegoryID=4

Looks to be about the same size and AH. Is this correct? That would be sweet if I could get the same battery for 1/3 the price!

[ttocs]

with a 55 amp alt you are lucky to keep your current battery and system charged. Adding another storage area for voltage will not help much if the alt can't supply it and will create the alt work harder.

[eulogious]

with a 55 amp alt you are lucky to keep your current battery and system charged. Adding another storage area for voltage will not help much if the alt can't supply it and will create the alt work harder.

I know I am ok now, but when I add another amp, which I am going to soon, I will be out powered, since the amp I want also is fused at 60amps, so I am looking long term...

After some more research I found this battery with a 2 year warranty and it has some specs:

http://www.ragebattery.com/batterystore/SLA-17-12.html

Here's it's specs from the web page:

Nominal Voltage: 12 Volt

Nominal Capacity: 18.0 Ah

Dimensions:
Total Height With Terminal: 6.58" (167 mm)
Battery Height: 6.58" (167 mm)
Width: 2.99" (76 mm)
Length: 7.13" (181 mm)
Weight: 13.36 lbs (6.06 Kg)

Max Discharge Current: 150A ( 5 Sec)

Standard Terminals: Nut & Bolt

Container Material: General Grade ABS

Discharge Characteristics:
Capacity 25�C / 68�F
20 hr @ 0.9 A: 18.0Ah
5 hr @ 3.06 A: 15.3Ah
1 hr @ 10.8 A: 10.8Ah
1 C @ 18.0 A: 9.0Ah

Internal Resistence: (20�C / 68�): 15 m�

Charging Voltage:
Stand By Use:
2.275 � 0.025 V/Cell
(-3.3mV / �C / Cell)
Cycle Use:
2.275 � 0.025 V / Cell
(-5 mV / �C / Cell)

Max Charging Current: 5.4 A

I changed the color of the important part that I was looking for. Since my system's fuses will be about 120amps total, this should be fine. The stinger batteries have about the same internal resistance, but more than 4x the max discharge rate, so I guess that's why they charge more. But I won't need that kind of power for my system. If I pull more than 120amps for more than 5 seconds I have bigger problems

Edit: Stingers specs

Description:
SPP680 includes removable brass battery posts for installation flexibility.
12v Dry Cell Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery (AGM)
SPP Series Batteries are good for over 400 full discharge cycles.
Internal resistance: <11mOhms = Ability to quickly deliver power. The lower the number the faster the delivery.
20 hour rate: 1.00A/20Ah
5 hour rate: 3.4A/17Ah
1/2 hour rate:25A/12.5Ah
5 Second Cranking Amps: 680A
CCA: 230A
Watts: 1360
Peak Discharge: 1800 A
Weight: 15.43 lbs.
Dimensions: (6.67”H x3.11”W x7.27”D)

[fuzzysnuggleduck]

Unless you're going to be cranking the system a lot with the engine off, I would go straight for a quality alternator as the long term investment.

If you're driving down the street and you discharge your battery with lots of high peaks (because the alt can't supply that many amps) that don't allow enough time for your alt to recharge the battery, well, that's all you're going to get out of that battery until your little alternator can charge it back up again. And while the battery is discharged, your engine might die if you're still drawing waaay more amps than your alt can provide by keeping the bass/music cranked.

[ttocs]

like he said man you can dig a holein the ground but unless you can fill it with water, you do not have a lake or any storage capacity. your stock alt only sends 55 amps and you want to draw 60 from your amp. Do not forget that the 2nd battery will also creat an additional load on the alt while it is charging. Unless youu were to charge this thing in your garage and then get the 3 secs of power it, it just not going to help you much.

Take the money you are going to spend on the new battery and put that towards the HO alt. I would even possibly recomend putting off the purchase of the amp until you system can handle it or you are likely to end up on the side of the road calling for a tow.

I know it isn't what you want to hear but look at the numbers, 55amps < 60amps, you just can't fix that with more storage capacity.

[eulogious]

Unless you're going to be cranking the system a lot with the engine off, I would go straight for a quality alternator as the long term investment.

If you're driving down the street and you discharge your battery with lots of high peaks (because the alt can't supply that many amps) that don't allow enough time for your alt to recharge the battery, well, that's all you're going to get out of that battery until your little alternator can charge it back up again. And while the battery is discharged, your engine might die if you're still drawing waaay more amps than your alt can provide by keeping the bass/music cranked.

like he said man you can dig a holein the ground but unless you can fill it with water, you do not have a lake or any storage capacity. your stock alt only sends 55 amps and you want to draw 60 from your amp. Do not forget that the 2nd battery will also creat an additional load on the alt while it is charging. Unless youu were to charge this thing in your garage and then get the 3 secs of power it, it just not going to help you much.

Take the money you are going to spend on the new battery and put that towards the HO alt. I would even possibly recomend putting off the purchase of the amp until you system can handle it or you are likely to end up on the side of the road calling for a tow.

I know it isn't what you want to hear but look at the numbers, 55amps < 60amps, you just can't fix that with more storage capacity.

Thanks for the tips guys, but I already now all that. I plan on upgrading the alt, but I only have one option to upgrade, thanks to subaru That upgrade is to put a maxima 90amp alt in. That's it. Trust me when I say that. I have looked and on of the other forums I visit is a subaru forum, and this is the only option I have for my setup with the turbo and the AC. I have researched this because I want to add 3 more sets of 100watt offroad lights, so I will need a bigger alt and I was aware of that before even installing the new amp. So even with a 90amp alt, I will still have a problem... according to the numbers.

Now I have had the same system I am installing installed in my saturn before I sold it. I don't believe the saturn alt is much more than 90amps if that, and I didn't have any problems, except for headlights dimming on really heavy and loud bass lines, but that's it. So I know what the system is capable of. As of now my alt should be fine with just the one amp, but when I add another amp, I will have to upgrade my alt and stuff. I am also well aware of the implications that stereos/lights/accessories do to the charging system and how crappy my charging system is, but thanks for tips

So back to my original question... Is this battery going to help with the headlights dimming and all that? Is it going to work like a cap? That's what I really want to know. Since the battery I am looking at has low internal resistance, it should be able to compensate for the alt for short periods just like a cap, if need be correct? Thanks!

[stipud]

Upgrading your battery is still a good idea, even with an uprated alternator. I've gotten by in a lot of crappy old cars with tiny alternators with just a battery upgrade. Difference is, when the voltage sags, it only sags to 12v on a good battery, while with a crap battery you can sag it down to 10v or less in some cases. That difference alone makes a very noticeable difference to headlight dimming.

Also, unless you're planning on driving test tones or clipping through your amps, you will never load them anywhere near as high as your fuse rating, except for extremely brief dynamic peaks. Your charging system will have less of a problem with this than you might expect, and you should never be able to drain the battery while you are driving.

[SolacE]

you can probably find someone to rewind your stock alternator in order to achieve a higher output.

[eulogious]

Upgrading your battery is still a good idea, even with an uprated alternator. I've gotten by in a lot of crappy old cars with tiny alternators with just a battery upgrade. Difference is, when the voltage sags, it only sags to 12v on a good battery, while with a crap battery you can sag it down to 10v or less in some cases. That difference alone makes a very noticeable difference to headlight dimming.

Also, unless you're planning on driving test tones or clipping through your amps, you will never load them anywhere near as high as your fuse rating, except for extremely brief dynamic peaks. Your charging system will have less of a problem with this than you might expect, and you should never be able to drain the battery while you are driving.

This was EXACTLY my thinking. Thanks for confirming that. As soon as I heard about the battery idea, don't know why I didn't think of it before, I wanted to add it just because the alt sucks now as it is.

I kinda figured that the amp doesn't draw all of it's power all the time, just on LOW notes and test tones, and I listening to mainly rock, so there are not a lot of long LOW notes, like in rap and R&B. Thanks for confirming!

you can probably find someone to rewind your stock alternator in order to achieve a higher output.

This was talked about as well, but it cost $$$$. Alot more than it's really worth. With a 90amp alt in there I should be ok. I don't blast my music all the time, but when I do I don't want the power to sag all that much, and 90amps will help ALOT compared to me 55amps now

[SolacE]

how much is the 90amp alt?

Check with these guys I have purchased two high output alternators from these guys. Very affordable and never had any problems with them on either vehicle. They use factory casings so always a perfect fit.

http://www.mralternator.com/main.shtml

[ttocs]

man don't rally or street racers need HO alts for those? I thought they made everything under the sun for subi's? 90 amp max? Maybe it would be easier to find a flux capacitor and mount that sucker in......

[eulogious]

how much is the 90amp alt?

Check with these guys I have purchased two high output alternators from these guys. Very affordable and never had any problems with them on either vehicle. They use factory casings so always a perfect fit.

http://www.mralternator.com/main.shtml

I can get the 90amp for $100 with the mods already done to it, so all I have to do is install it.

I went and checked that site, and they don't have subarus listed, but I did check on the maxima alt and it's $250

man don't rally or street racers need HO alts for those? I thought they made everything under the sun for subi's? 90 amp max? Maybe it would be easier to find a flux capacitor and mount that sucker in......

Keep in mind this isn't an imperza or legacy. It's a 1990 Loyale Turbo Wagon. So they really don't rally or street race my car Now when I do an engine swap with a Legacy motor, then I will have more options for higher output alts if I need one. But until then, this is about as good as it gets for me

Now the flux capacitor on the other hand, I got one, but my pet unicorn doesn't let me get neat it anymore. Bits the shit out of me if I get near it. Man, ever since I brought home Smokey the Bear, my unicorn just hasn't been the same