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I've noticed that replacement lithium polymer battery packs for hybrid cars sell often sell for less than $1000 on eBay, while much smaller lithium based 12v batteries for conventional cars (with starter motors) often sell for more. As an example, here is a battery suitable for starting a small V8 that sells for $1600.00 http://www.jegs.com/i/Lithium-...

I would assume that it would be much easier to manufacture conventional 12v starter batteries in volume due to the ability to put them in many more different models of vehicles.

The ability to shave off 30+ lbs of weight from racecars would be enormous, so the demand is there, but why not the supply?

Designing car batteries is tough. The environment they live in is generally rough - while modern cars avoid putting the battery in the engine compartment, older cars still have it there, so you have to contend with high temperatures under the hood (too high to charge safely). Then there's charging - Lead-acid batteries have a stupidly easy charge regimen - you apply voltage to the terminals, it charges. Overcharging is handled by the battery (they can explode because they do generate hydrogen gas, but well vented it's not an issue), and they can tolerate a lot of abuse. Next, there's also a regulatory aspect of the battery - just by being there, the voltage swings of the electrical system are limited because the battery takes up excess voltage as charge and provides for voltage sags by discharging.

If you need to ask, without a battery, the car electrical system can sag to as low as 9V or lower at idle or slower speeds with high loads, 15V or higher when the engine is going good, and with lots of high voltage spikes of 170V or more because of the ignition system. And if someone jumpxtarts, the voltage goes all over the map.

Now do all that with a Li-Ion battery. First, the charge regimen is very controlled - any limits get exceeded and it is unsafe to charge, so you need a very complex charge controller. You also need one that can provide the regulation expected of the battery - absorbing excess voltage (even if the battery can't, it must dump the excess electricity somewhere), and providing a boost when it sags.

And it's not the battery, but the electronics.

Still, for some applications, they are actively used - aviation loves Li-Ion batteries because they're a lot lighter, and even in general aviation aircraft, temperatures don't get too bad because of immense airflow once airborne (so the charge controller can shut off charging on the ground) And they're lighter and last longer than their lead acid counterparts, so you can operate avionics and lights with the engine off without worrying too much of draining the battery prior to start.

If you want your race car to be light, just get rid of the battery entirely. You don't need a battery to race, only to crank the engine, something you really try to avoid doing whilst already racing.

Race cars don't have starting batteries - they use a starting cart that provides the starting power. They do have an electrical system because the engines are electronic ignition, the control panels are all electronic (the gauges, telemetry), driver radios etc. But since races generally last for well know periods of time, they only need a battery big enough to last that long (they don't want to bother with alternators unless you're talking about a 24 hour race).

I've noticed that replacement lithium polymer battery packs for hybrid cars sell often sell for less than $1000 on eBay, while much smaller lithium based 12v batteries for conventional cars (with starter motors) often sell for more. As an example, here is a battery suitable for starting a small V8 that sells for $1600.00 http://www.jegs.com/i/Lithium-...

I would assume that it would be much easier to manufacture conventional 12v starter batteries in volume due to the ability to put them in many more different models of vehicles.

The ability to shave off 30+ lbs of weight from racecars would be enormous, so the demand is there, but why not the supply?

Who calls themselves a high performance employee?

Anyone who works here or here?

Scat and Eagle engine components are very popular.

Yeah, about that term 'scat'. Are you sure you want to name an auto parts company after that?

GM is approaching 50% foreign manufacture for the entire company. Their most popular trucks are 60% foreign now.

Lots of cars in the US already have Chinese parts. Japan has been outsourcing major drive train components to China for years. Chinese manufacturing is sufficient for automotive work. Even hotrod builders in the US use Chinese parts for legacy US designs; Scat and Eagle engine components are very popular.

Yes, a misnomer... though some engine manufacturers do use actual gears.

=Smidge=

However, the throwout bearing that puts (or rather relieves) 2000 lbs of pressure is more likely to be the issue

But I agree with your main argument, Stick it in neutral and let the clutch out.

There's also an iCard reciever for Gameboys that lets you tap into a live feed of information while you're at a track that supports it.

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisp lay?prrfnbr=208068&prmenbr=361

What most people do with home brew water cooling is take the heater core out of a car.

The fins are generally finer and denser, and the core itself is a much more managable size.

Yes... There are several smaller "radiators" in vehicles if anyone else wants to try this.

The heater core is an excellent alternative, as is an engine oil cooler (usually quite small), or a power steering cooler.

The above products can be purchased as aftermarket and would look pretty nice...

What most people do with home brew water cooling is take the heater core out of a car.

The fins are generally finer and denser, and the core itself is a much more managable size.

Yes... There are several smaller "radiators" in vehicles if anyone else wants to try this.

The heater core is an excellent alternative, as is an engine oil cooler (usually quite small), or a power steering cooler.

The above products can be purchased as aftermarket and would look pretty nice...

You can get just about aftermarket anything for a Chevy, I'm sure someone will come out with a resonably priced kit soon enough.

Seriously though, there are already air ride kits for it. Although not quite right I'm sure Jeg's part number 029-ARF6600 can be adapted to work with a 68.

I agree.

I got to drive one of the nice newer Mercedes coupes,with a big V8 in it. They were bragging up the horsepower, so I was wanted proof. "Let me drive." I ran it hard. The owner, in the passenger seat, was impressed with the power I was pulling from it. Then asked the owner how much the car cost. Something around $100k. I handed him the keys to my car (2000 TransAm WS/6) and said "now drive this."

I paid about $25k for my car. New it was something like $30k. My car has better handling, better acceleration, better braking, and is faster. This was before I did any mods to it. The interior trim may not be as nice, but my car does have all the options including leather seats, and it turns more heads when I drive past, than a Mercedes does. It's comfortable enough for two people to ride in it all day (done that many times), and the back seats are just about as big.

Apple's are very pretty. I've used a few. I was happy that my girlfriend was on one using OS/X, but when that machine started acting flaky, we didn't buy a new Apple, we spent $1500 on really good parts. AMD 2800+, 1Gb RAM, 200Gb hdd, DVD reader, DVD writer, asus motherboard, high end video card, etc, etc.. What Apple does $1500 buy you? When we want faster, all we have to do is buy some faster components. When the G6, G7, or whatever comes out, well, you're buying a new Apple.

You can buy a new Mercedes at the really fancy store, or you can (could) buy a TransAm at any dealership. If I want more power, I grab Jegs or Summit, and start shopping.

You can buy an Apple at the fancy Apple store, or buy parts from a wholesaler whos "Will Call" area is the back door of the warehouse.

I still say "Pretty" every time I look at a Apple. I give them that. Then I hop back on my x86 based Linux machine and drive faster. :)

> You can build your own water cooling system out of scrap parts such as a radiator from an ATV

like any motorcycle or ATV parts, this sounds expensive to me.

Why not try an aftermarket automatic transmission cooler like This one at Jegs?
This one is kinda big since its made for race-cars, but I think you could find one at a Napa store for like 30 bucks.

A heater core might be better suited but you would need to adapt to garden-hose sized tubing.

If you want a cheep sealed battery with automotive capacity just run down to Schucks, Checker, Kragen, Autozone, pep boys, wherever and pick up an Optima Yellow top (deep cycle). Then you don't have to worry about hydrogen build-up in your computer room.
These batterys are sealed wet cells that will last for years.. expect to drop about $150-200 US

Optima's and other type of sealed automotive batterys can be ordered from either Summit Racing or Jegs

What model, is it a GM or a (Rus|Mus)tang. Try Jegs or Jet perfomance, assuming you don't live in a emission tested area, hacking is a matter of finding the right race components manufacturer