Im keen on these Braille batteries but im worried it wouldnt have enough grunt, what do you guys reccomend would be the minimum size, the car is driven maybe once a month or two

http://www.braillebattery.com.au/index. ... es/b14115c

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

Depends on what starter you have. The newer pre engaged starters don't need much grunt to get going

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Lillee - 1969 Morris Mini K

That should be fine, but I would advise going as high as fits in the box.

Why? After, say 6 years, you battery may have worn down to half what it was. If it no longer cranks at 150CCA (just a number pulled out of the air) your 300CCA battery will be finished. If you put in a 520CCA battery, it will still have 260CCA - plenty more to go. For a little more up front you will get a battery that lasts much longer.

From a previous post recommendation by Irish Yobbo I bought a Delkor 90-500 DIN55 battery (+ve left, -ve right terminals). 30 month warranty, dimensions 242 x 175 x 175 - I'm very happy, and these have a great reputation for quality and longevity.

Bought from: http://www.rjbatteries.com.au

Speak to Ruben

Ive had great success from Delkor also. Just buy the biggest you can fit in the hole!

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http://www.youtube.com/user/Hanras

I was able to crank my mini with a 430cca battery which had a capacity of 270cca according to my carbon pile tester. It went from 430cca to 270cca in 2 1/2 years..
Don't buy nrma batteries as this is not the first time i have had issues with them before.

I am quite happy with century and supercharge batteries.

The mini currently has a 530cca Supercharge battery and there is still room to put a bigger battery maybe 550/600cca depending on battery manufacturer.

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

I've got a med high torque starter motor (see link below) My current battery is dead less than a year old I'm going to to take it back under warranty, this battery weighs in at 20kg, the one l have linked above is a mere 5kg!

http://www.med-engineering.co.uk/catalo ... rter-motor

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

The starters don't consume amps because the battery can provide really high cold cranking amps. But its good reserve however, and certainly doesn't make the situation any worse.

The voltage at the starter terminal divided by the starter+Batt+Cable resistance sets the current. The resistance all up will be around 0.1 Ohms(ish), the voltage cranking around 12(ish) volts, so the current around 120(ish) amperes.

A higher CCA battery won't raise a sweat.

A poorly performing Lucas starter motor feels like a crappy battery, but won't be the case. Modern cars run very high compression ratios and tiny batteries. Good starter physics make for really torquey outputs. A big battery manages to cover up the Lucas starter motor's inefficient design.

Luckily, good batteries seem to be getting relatively cheaper...

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

I got a century 58 battery which is 540 cca about 3 weeks ago and got the same battery back in 2009

Maybe you have to much stuff hooked up for the alternator to charge the battery propley i cant see a starter motor being the problem unless the solonoid is stuffed

True, the starter motor won't cause the battery to die, but when the battery is getting worn, the starter is where you will notice it. A car will run fine with an almost dead battery, but it won't start.

I hardly drive my car and l dont have any accessories, l reckon the battery has gone flat from the car not being used. Ive got my battery on my bench hooked up to a charger atm. The battery is under 12 months old and has a 3 year warranty. Its got a indicator panel on top of the battery indicating the condition, l think its a sealed unit. If it doesnt charge up im hoping to take it back and get a refund (fingers crossed) and l will buy a Braille. But in the future l will diconnect the terminals when the car is idle for a considerable amount of time.

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

The battery itself can drain down with nothing attached.

Contaminants across the bottom of the individual cells will short one plate to the next, short circuiting the cell.
It may not happen on more than one cell, but will drop the capacity of the battery by a large percentage.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Ok, its obvious ive got NFI about batteries, would it be wise to leave a battery disconnected from a car yet connected to a trickle charger as a precaution?

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

The best thing to do if you are not using a car regularly, is remove the battery from the car and put it on a trickle charger.

My dad and I share a CTEK trickle charger, i drive my mini daily now, so its not an issue, but he still uses it for his boat when ever its out of use for an extended period.

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657