So for anyone wondering about how best to tie down the 21 lb Braille battery in a 987, I thought I'd post my own experience and let others chime in. Mounting a battery is supposed to be super-easy, but my experience was anything but that! I decided to make available what I know, so that others can keep it simple and get it right the first time.
I bought the Braille battery as a replacement for my dead OEM battery, because I wanted to drop 20 lbs dead weight while attempting to maintain standard performance and reliability. I do not track my car, and I live in a temperate climate (no snow). For the record, the battery has been working just fine with my regularly-driven car over the last several months.
The above said, my issue has to do with the way the battery can be mounted to the stock tray. The 21 lb battery comes with the standard J-hook tie-down, and Braille offers an optional "custom" aluminum bracket to be sold alongside the battery. That said, stick with the standard J-hook mount and DO NOT BOTHER with the aluminum bracket!!
The J-hooks hold the battery upright just fine in the center-back part of the tray. All it took was a trip to the hardware store to get two stainless-steel eyelets, two extra bolts (total of 4), two fender washers and some waterproof silicone sealant. Then the J-hooks get cut-down from 8" to 7" or slightly less (6.75" in my case), depending on where they eyelets are positioned. The end result is lightweight, secure, and looks just fine to me.
...Oh- another critical detail is that a negative lead -twice the length of the OE lead -is required. The original is too short for the smaller battery, but can be unbolted from its attachment not far from the battery tray.
Here's what I learned about other tie-down configurations:
I initially tried mounting the J-hooks off the upright edges of the tray's width. While the layout held down the battery okay, the problem was that the front J-hook almost contacts the subframe behind the frunk. ...Not good with engine vibration! The other complication is that the top of the J-hook interferes with shutting the puckered plastic cover between the battery and hood.
As for the optional aluminum bracket (and I'm open to being proved wrong), trying to make it work within the given space was an absolute nightmare. The battery would have to lay on its largest-area side in order for the bracket's screw holes to contact the battery tray. With the positive lead toward the passenger side, that would mean that the battery leads (placed vertically, of course) would be very close to the front subframe. Possible? Maybe, but definitely not optimal, IMO, and a total rip for $100. Why
Suncoast
(or anybody else) advertises the bracket alongside the battery for the 987, I do not know. If anyone has used this bracket successfully, then please do add to this thread. I'd be interested in how theirs turned out. ...BTW, I ended up taking a loss on this part, since my hamfisted installer misunderstood how the battery would have to lay, and immediately began modifying the bracket!
I purchased a Deka ETX30L 21 lb. battery. My research shows that it is the same as the Braille battery you purchased, as it seems both are made by East Penn Manufacturing. I agree with everything you wrote but what I quoted above.
I too found the negative battery lead to be 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.
I also 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.
Ah -good to know re. the "too short" negative lead. The whole reason I stopped by a so-called "recommended" audio shop was to obtain a longer negative lead. With it, I was able to position the battery wherever I wanted on the tray. Knowing what I know now, a longer negative lead -if desired -probably can be purchased online, without hitting up the "custom" install folks.
As for the rubber padding, I thought about this too. I think if maximum clamp pressure on the battery were an issue, then I could get some rubber interface for the top and bottom of the battery. As is, the plastic cross-brace has feet that concentrates force on the edges, which allows no slippage of the battery at all. I couldn't say this when I had the brace perpendicular to the battery's long-axis, since I had to go for a lower profile, and held down the battery with the cross-brace itself rather than the feet.
Thanks awai08 and Professor MSP. Made my life easy. Thanks for posting!
So I just assembled all the parts necessary to install the DekaEXT30L (bracket, j-hooks, eye bolts) in my
Cayman S
. Unfortunately, my battery came without posts (it's made for a big motorcycle like an HD) and so I needed to get a set of adaptor posts from Batteries Plus. The problem is, that with them installed, the posts are taller than the OE battery, and the battery cover won't fit anymore. So it's getting returned, and I'm back to the drawing board.
-tj in los gatos
I did not encounter the problem you did. I agree that the posts stick up beyond the battery, but the battery cover fit in my case. My install looks more or less like the photograph in post #6 by TAH. I used the SAE terminal kit found here:
SAE Terminal Kit (3217-0006) for Odyssey Battery
.
I did have to trim the J-hooks, however, as they extended quite a bit beyond the battery and would have prevented the battery cover from fitting properly had I not trimmed them. It might be worth making sure its not the J-hooks preventing the battery cover from fitting.
Good luck.
