I thought I would start a thread on the empirical evidence regarding
long-term and continuous use
of a light-weight battery.
In August of 2010 I purchased a 21 lb. Deka ETX30L battery for approximately $96 from e-bay, including shipping. It is some 30 lbs. lighter than the OEM battery, but has only 400 cold-cranking amps. I used it in my daily-driven 2006 Boxster S from August 2010 until February 2014. For the first two years I never put it on a battery tender. But by the summer of 2012, if I did not drive the car for a week or more, say because of a family vacation in which we took our 2008 Saab 9-3, I found it worthwhile to put the battery on my Sears 3 amp smart charger. By the summer of 2013, after sitting for just a couple of days, say over the weekend, it was necessary to use the aforementioned charger to get a crisp crank. By January of 2014, I had the battery on the said charger about every other day, and even then it was slow to turn over. Not once did the car fail to turn over in about 3.5 years of use.
I purchased the same battery from Advanced Auto parts—it was relabeled as their own brand—for $108. It now cranks over just as crisply as I remember. Please note that I live in central Florida, so those in cold climates might not have the same longevity as did I.
In sum, I can fully recommend the Deka ETX30L battery for long-term and continuous use in our cars.
Thanks for the info! Just the type of knowledge I needed before ordering my own Deka ETX30L
Looking forward to the weight loss!
Great info, Thanks! Was the Deka a 'drop-in' swap, or did it require any modifications to fit properly?
I did have tiny little (12 lbs?) Odyssey 565 battery on my 350z for about 5 years (but only during warm season) - no problems whatsoever and it was running strong. Never on tender when in the car. Now this battery is sitting in my cabinet for years, and still keeping excellent charge. I put it on tender sometimes and it shows "charged" immediately. And voltmeter shows 12.4. Very impressive quality.
Come to think of it - anybody needs it?
The Deka ETX30L itself did not require any modifications, but I did make some changes to the OEM mounts that held the Porsche battery in place and purchased a universal battery hold-down kit with J-bolts from Advanced Auto Parts—it looks like this one:
JEGS Performance Products 10264 JEGS Universal Battery Hold Down Kit - Free Shipping on All Orders @ JEGS
I found the negative battery lead was too short—initially. To solve this problem, I removed the battery tray and moved the negative lead around so as to "free it up a bit." By doing so, I was able to extend its length enough to reach the Deka battery.
Given the small size of the Deka, I moved the passenger side OEM clamp that held the base of the Porsche battery as far right as possible (looking at the car from the front). I also drill a hole approximately one-quarter inch in diameter on the edge of the said clamp that contacts the battery. I drilled a similar hole on the vertical portion of the battery tray on the driver's side. These two holes were made so that the "J" portion of the J-bolts could be attached. I also had to cut the J-bolts down in length after I had the battery positioned, as they were too long to fit the plastic cover back on.
Finally, I glued a thin piece of rubber to the bottom of the battery and attached a thin piece of foam tape to the top of it where the battery hold-down strap crosses over the battery. I found that the battery slide around a bit without these last two adjustments.
Hope this helps.
this is interesting - thx for the info!
what terminal adapters had to be used?
As I recall, I purchased terminal adapters that were essentially identical to the following:
XS Power 12 Volt 12V Tall Brass Car Battery Terminal Post Adaptors M6 Adaptor | eBay
