Last year we introduced you to our newest project car, called simply “Project Boxster Clubsport”. In that first installment we found the right car, we purchased it for a song, and it was sitting politely in our garage waiting for its first modifications. So far, the Boxster has been happy to simply rack up the miles and keep things rocking along. It’s an excellent Porsche, and we aim to make it just a little bit more excellent with each improvement.
Part 2 – GT3-Style Center Console Delete
Part 3 – LED license plate lights
Part 6 – Emblem Delete and Paint Correction
Before we get started we would need to thank Michelin. As many of you know, Michelin is a long-time sponsor of FLATSIXES.com. Recently, they have generously offered to sponsor Project Boxster Clubsport as part of their involvement with our site. Please consider checking out what Michelin has to offer by clicking their banners on this page. Without Michelin’s support, and others like them, this site really wouldn’t be possible.
Our Porsche is looking a little better, sure, but the main goal of this project is to get some weight out of the car and make it more of a “clubsport”. The biggest weight loss I’ve found so far has been in the battery. Let’s start there!
Investigating Lithium Ferrous lightweight batteries.
I have known for years that batteries are heavy, and batteries in Porsches especially heavy. Just for the heck of it, one day i thought I’d throw the battery, which was in the car when I bought it, on a scale. It turned out to be heavy. Very heavy, in fact.
Okay, so we’ve got a very heavy lead-acid style battery that is sitting very high on the cowl in the front of my Boxster. This is a problem. A lighter battery would not only decrease overall weight, but it would also remove some high-mounted weight to help lower the center of gravity. This can only be a good thing.
So how light can we get a battery that will still crank a car? I’ve heard of a number of people, especially in race cars and small bore sports cars using various traditional lawnmower batteries to get their batteries down to about 9 pounds. While impressive, I was aiming for something a little better. I started looking at motorcycle batteries, where the technology has started to transfer into lightweight high-power lithium ferrous batteries. I’d even seen a few people installing Lithium Poly batteries from a few RC plane applications, and even electric wheel chairs. So that was considered, as well.
Why Lithium Ferrous over Lithium Poly?
The first thing to consider is safety. Light weight is nice, but if a battery has potential to cause a fire, or explode, that doesn’t sound like a good trade for me. Lithium Poly (known as LiPo) has a history of causing small scale explosions and fires in the RC community. Those batteries are often charged and stored in buckets of sand in order to minimize the danger of a house fire. This kind of battery has come a long way, apparently, from when they were introduced, and the danger is much lower now than it was in the past. Even still, that’s not something I’m willing to risk.
Lithium Ferrous (known as LiFePO4) is slightly heavier, but is a much more stable chemistry. This type of battery charges more evenly across the cells, can stand up to heat and pressure, and can even still operate after having been shot with a bullet. Many of those things would greatly increase the ease with which a LiPo battery will explode, but the LiFePO4 batteries are diligently tested for safety. I’ll sacrifice a pound or two in exchange for the ability to run my car hot without being scared of burning down my apartment complex.
Why Deltran?
There are a few other brands out there making these batteries, including Shorai. In general, these fitments are for performance motorcycles and ATVs, where weight really matters. Deltran launched this series of Lithium Ferrous batteries just over a year ago, and they are by far the least expensive options on the market. Even though I couldn’t find much information about the battery, I decided to order one anyway just to be the guinea pig. The battery was available on Amazon.com for a song, so I bit the bullet and ordered it up. Being that I would likely be using the battery only in the summer, I opted for the smallest one they make, sacrificing cold crank amperage in exchange for weight savings. This one only weighed 2 pounds, thus saving a full 38 pounds from the front of my car. I got the 240cca rated battery for just over one hundred dollars.
I was pretty happy with the outcome, as the Porsche is now a good bit lighter on the front. It’s not exactly easy to tell the difference when 38 pounds is gone from the front of the car, especially when the car is almost 3000 pounds, but it certainly made a difference, and compounded with all of our other weight saving applications, should add up.
So what did I need to do to install this?
Really not that much, honestly. The battery, being a universal fit motorcycle battery, didn’t have traditional car battery posts. I ended up purchasing a set of regular lead battery posts, drilling a hole down through the center of them, and using a nut and bolt to hold the post terminal to the motorcycle terminal.
After figuring out the posts, I needed to find a way to keep the battery in place while driving briskly. Obviously this battery wouldn’t fit down in the standard battery tray of the Boxster, so I had to get creative. Rather than building a heavy cage for the battery that would negate some of the weight savings, I purchased a set of military grade 3M velcro strips and used that to affix the battery to the bottom of the tray. Being that it’s lightweight, there’s no amount of lateral G-force that can get that battery to move at all. It was a pretty slick solution, if you ask me. [You might consider strapping it down from the top as well for an added safety margin]
What are the downsides of a battery this small?
Well, a battery like this has very little reserve. If you leave your Porsche to sit for too long, say 3 or 4 days, there is a chance that the battery will not have enough charge to start the car. Also, if you leave your headlights on, or an interior light, or are digging around in the trunk for too long (say 40 minutes or so), then you’ll have a flat battery. Lastly due to its limited cold cranking power, it’s not great for cold mornings, or cold evenings, or winter for that matter. I can daily drive on this battery, and if you have a garage spot and a trickle charger, it’s not too bad, really. Sacrifices need to be made, but it’s not really awful.
Why would you make this move?
Well, if I’m honest, I would probably recommend, if you’re going to do this, that you buy a bigger version of this battery, perhaps even the biggest one they offer, a 480cca version that weighs 3.75 pounds. They sell almost a dozen different sizes and amperages of this battery style, and there is probably a bigger one that is better suited to car use. It’s not a bad battery to have, especially if you’re only going to use it in the summer, or you’re using it in a race car to save weight. There are a lot of scenarios where this battery absolutely rules, but there are instances where you really wouldn’t want it. A Cayenne, for instance, would be a terrible application for this battery. It would be great for pretty much any back-road sportsman, or autocross/road race specific Porsche (or non-Porsche, I suppose).
Lightweight Battery Swap Costs
Deltran Battery Tender LiFePO4 battery – $120 (Amazon.com)
Lead battery terminal posts – $6 (Amazon.com)
Military Grade 3M Velcro – $7 (Home Depot)
Total – $133
Lightweight Battery Swap Weight Loss Total – 38 pounds
View Comments (13)
This "project" is about as exciting as watching grass grow. Thus far, nothing has been done to make the car perform any better than the original version, and that means mundane. To call the car a "club sport" is nothing more than a joke. K-car..........maybe.
Hey, Gary,
Thanks for the constructive comments. Bradley is off for his wedding and honeymoon, so I'm not sure if he'll comment or even see this until he gets back.
Admittedly, the first few projects were about looks vs. performance. However, we're now into the weight saving section and with two very simple projects, at a total cost under $175, we've stripped 41lbs from the car. That's not insignificant and it's something anyone could do in a few minutes once shown how (not everyone knows as much as you might).
The more "performance related" updates will come in time and that's why it's called a "project". Turning it into a "clubsport" isn't going to happen overnight...
Thanks for reading.
Keep an eye on future updates, Gary. We've got some exciting stuff coming that has never been done before. Some will like it, some might not.
Thanks for reading!
The reason the RC folks using LiPo chemistry have battery fires is they are charging the batteries at 2 X rated capacity vs the usual 0.5 X rated capacity.
Considering every Public Safety entity (Police, Fire & EMS) strap on a radio with a LiPo battery, the safety of said devices would be paramount. You don't see these folks spontaneously combusting or for that matter the millions of laptops, cameras, pads and pod with LiPo batteries playing "Chernobyl".
LiPo batteries are no more dangerous than any other battery technology when properly used.
Yes, that is true. What I should have also mentioned is that charging the LiPo battery with a car alternator is somewhat of a volatile way of charging with lots of ups and downs. Without a proper cell balancer wired in line, you could have one cell charging and draining much more than any of the others, which creates the heat/fire/explosion issue mentioned.
The other thing I should have mentioned about the Deltran LiFePO4 batteries is that they have an integrated cell balancer. Seemed like a no-brainer to me.
Perhaps I am missing something but there really is no place to find an explanation how to get more power out of a 3.2L engine besides that one can "feel". I use the car for Driver's Ed at Sebring and frankly it runs out of steam before the guy on the Cannondale. I'd like to see some reliable testing rather than hype from people selling over priced components that have a limited market (they forget that many cars are 10+ years old and spending $1,000 to get 4 HP by a computer flash doesn't make sense, whereas they probably would sell times as many upgrades at $400). Lighting the car by 38 pounds doesn't make sense as PCA wouldn't permit a battery held by velcro on the track and having it die in 3 or 4 days sitting is not practical.
Well, there really are not any "easy" or inexpensive ways to make noticeable power with a 3.2 Boxster. The engine is tuned pretty well from the factory, and with a naturally aspirated engine, pretty much the best route is the standard 'Intake+Exhaust+Tuning' route that's been used for decades. The problem is you'll end up spending multiple thousands of dollars to do that, and you'll only get 30 horsepower or so if you're really lucky. Beyond that, you're looking at turbo/supercharger kits or digging into the internals of the engine to build more power, or swapping a larger 911 engine into the car. All of those options are very expensive.
This is exactly why I've decided to not do much to this Boxster project in terms of power output. The goal of this project is to produce the best 'momentum' driving car that I can. Optimizing the power the car does have with better grip through the corners (through lighter weight, stickier tires, and better suspension options).
You are correct, my method of holding the battery in place with Velcro would not pass muster with the PCA. For your needs, you would probably need to have a metal hold-down fabricated to get through tech. In this case, that's an absurd rule, as this battery isn't going anywhere, but rules are rules. For my needs, it works perfectly, as I don't ever take my cars on track, so I don't really care if it passes tech, as I'll never need to pass tech.
As for the life of the battery when sitting, you are correct, it is sometimes a pain. Again, I drive the car everyday, so I don't have any problems with it. Also, if you're going to be storing a trackday or autocross car and not driving it between events, you should probably have the battery on a trickle charger anyway. That would alleviate 100% of the problems you seem to have with this setup.
Thanks for reading!
Better you put an Interstate in it and lose 40 lbs of body fat. No starting issues and healthier for you.
OR, lose the 40 lbs. (only 20 more to go) AND Install 2 of these batteries for better reliability and still a 76 lb. delta.
Well that's just rude...
Not really Brad, I've lost 30 lbs since last August, feel much better, exercise more, fit in my Boxster seats better and my butt dyno tells me that my Boxster is faster than it used to be. LOL!
Nice project and it sounds like fun discovering new and inexpensive tweaks! No doubt the 944 race cars started like this years ago and look where they are now. Those lacking patience may want to invest in a used GT3 Cup for a few more dollars - but there will probably still be someone eating your lunch - watch the GT3/350Z/GTI video for a reminder.
I appreciagte your comments about getting more power. I am a mechanical engineer (like Dempsey) and have a problem working the percentages against the power of a 3.4/3.6/3.8L engine vs. the 3.2L one in the Boxster. It just seems that there must be something along the lines of a restrictor plate (not quite the same but the thought is similar) to that used by Nascar on several tracks. In this case, to keep a wide distance between the Boxster and the 911. I've replace the exhaust with a Borla muffler and secondary bypass. The sound is better but I can feel nothing in the back of the seat. I've been told that a computer flash will make the car more enjoyable to drive but don't know if people are trying to justify spending the $800-$1000 to their spouse, while achieving nothing. Likewise for the plenum, throttle body expenditure.