Braille Lightweight Battery Installation and Review for EVO IX
Nov 23, 2005, 11:17 AM
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Braille Lightweight Battery Installation and Review for EVO IX
Here’s the first modification done to my 2006 Evolution MR. Aside from removing your spare tire this is probably the next best way to put your Evo on a diet. With the hold-down kit this is a pretty easy job without any custom fabrication and minimal tools.
The stock battery weighs exactly 35 pounds and the Braille battery weights 11.5 pounds, offering a 23.5 pound savings! This is not insignificant considering the high-center weight is removed from the font of the vehicle.
I’ve been using this same battery in my Type R Integra for years. The battery has proven itself to be reliable for year-round use, even during the sub-zero Wisconsin winters.
Battery installation is not rocket science, however this step by step procedure will save people time with their first attempt. It took me extra time to complete this install since I had to discover the best mounting position and discover a few tricks as explained in this write-up.
Simple 7 step procedure.
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal and then remove the positive side using a 10mm socket wrench. Then unscrew the stock battery support.
2. Remove the plastic/foam battery heat shield box to provide extra room for you hands. Then remove the OEM battery carefully without dropping it back into your engine bay or onto your front bumper!
OEM battery next to the Braille Battery.
3. Before installing the Braille battery remove the electrical wires from ALL three brass support brackets. These need to be removed to allow the positive terminal to reach the Braille battery since it resides at a lower location than the OEM positive terminal location.
NOTE: You need to pop the plastic-disconnect tab for the left two pieces to come loose. The far right plastic piece is very tough to disconnect. I simply gave it a dozen tugs and then it came off. For me this was the hardest part of the entire installation.
4. I found that the best position for the battery is on its side. You’ll need to use the “d-shaped” silver spacers with the brass terminals to clear the side molding of the battery. Using an allen wrench, install the brass thermals. Remember the larger brass terminal is for the positive side of the battery.
5. Before installing the battery hold-down kit reconnect the positive terminal THEN the negative terminal.
6. Now install the short securing rods supplied by Braille Auto (instead of the ones included in the Hold-Down Kit) at the base of the plastic battery box. Notice how the OEM arm has a larger angle than the aftermarket rod. The aftermarket rod is a little harder to lock into place because of this feature. Simply apple good pressure and rotate it back and forth and it will pop into place.
7. Finally, slide the rubber hold-down piece onto the rods and then screw it down securely.
Remember that once you disconnect your battery you’ll have to reprogram your radio stations. Fortunately there is no code to enter to “unlock” the radio. If your Braille battery is properly charged, the volt gauge (in the MR) will still indicate 12 volts with the car off and 14 volts with the car turned on.
I’ve done research on lightweight aftermarket batteries and this Braille one is probably the best to date. It costs $175 which includes shipping. The Hold-Down kit is $25 and really finishes the job professionally. Another nice touch is that Braille Auto includes custom battery securing rods when purchasing the hold-down kit (the rods included in the hold-down kit are too long).
http://www.brailleauto.com/
If you have any questions let me know. I love working on my own car but sometimes I am intimidated to do various projects because of the unknown. Hope this write-up helps you guys out!
Care to make this a Sticky Moderators?
-Josh
The stock battery weighs exactly 35 pounds and the Braille battery weights 11.5 pounds, offering a 23.5 pound savings! This is not insignificant considering the high-center weight is removed from the font of the vehicle.
I’ve been using this same battery in my Type R Integra for years. The battery has proven itself to be reliable for year-round use, even during the sub-zero Wisconsin winters.
Battery installation is not rocket science, however this step by step procedure will save people time with their first attempt. It took me extra time to complete this install since I had to discover the best mounting position and discover a few tricks as explained in this write-up.
Simple 7 step procedure.
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal and then remove the positive side using a 10mm socket wrench. Then unscrew the stock battery support.
2. Remove the plastic/foam battery heat shield box to provide extra room for you hands. Then remove the OEM battery carefully without dropping it back into your engine bay or onto your front bumper!
OEM battery next to the Braille Battery.
3. Before installing the Braille battery remove the electrical wires from ALL three brass support brackets. These need to be removed to allow the positive terminal to reach the Braille battery since it resides at a lower location than the OEM positive terminal location.
NOTE: You need to pop the plastic-disconnect tab for the left two pieces to come loose. The far right plastic piece is very tough to disconnect. I simply gave it a dozen tugs and then it came off. For me this was the hardest part of the entire installation.
4. I found that the best position for the battery is on its side. You’ll need to use the “d-shaped” silver spacers with the brass terminals to clear the side molding of the battery. Using an allen wrench, install the brass thermals. Remember the larger brass terminal is for the positive side of the battery.
5. Before installing the battery hold-down kit reconnect the positive terminal THEN the negative terminal.
6. Now install the short securing rods supplied by Braille Auto (instead of the ones included in the Hold-Down Kit) at the base of the plastic battery box. Notice how the OEM arm has a larger angle than the aftermarket rod. The aftermarket rod is a little harder to lock into place because of this feature. Simply apple good pressure and rotate it back and forth and it will pop into place.
7. Finally, slide the rubber hold-down piece onto the rods and then screw it down securely.
Remember that once you disconnect your battery you’ll have to reprogram your radio stations. Fortunately there is no code to enter to “unlock” the radio. If your Braille battery is properly charged, the volt gauge (in the MR) will still indicate 12 volts with the car off and 14 volts with the car turned on.
I’ve done research on lightweight aftermarket batteries and this Braille one is probably the best to date. It costs $175 which includes shipping. The Hold-Down kit is $25 and really finishes the job professionally. Another nice touch is that Braille Auto includes custom battery securing rods when purchasing the hold-down kit (the rods included in the hold-down kit are too long).
http://www.brailleauto.com/
If you have any questions let me know. I love working on my own car but sometimes I am intimidated to do various projects because of the unknown. Hope this write-up helps you guys out!
Care to make this a Sticky Moderators?
-Josh
Nov 23, 2005, 11:28 AM
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can you get a pic a lil farther away so i can see if this would work for me, im planning on making my own hard pipes....
and i wanted to get a braille battery and never thought of laying it down to mount it....
and i wanted to get a braille battery and never thought of laying it down to mount it....
Nov 23, 2005, 11:35 AM
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I can't tell, but what if you were to rotate the batter 90 degrees and push i closer to the fuse box, would it fit in that little space? I realize that the tie downs would not work, but that could be adjusted.
Nov 23, 2005, 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by nutrulz
I can't tell, but what if you were to rotate the batter 90 degrees and push i closer to the fuse box, would it fit in that little space? I realize that the tie downs would not work, but that could be adjusted.
Nov 23, 2005, 12:53 PM
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dry cell i believe.... but ya that pic works... im probably gonna pick one up and do a custom base/tie setup and just get it so i can use the stock box and have custom hard pipes with lilttle bends
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Nov 29, 2005, 10:24 AM
#9
itrsport.com - Very nice writeup. I am planning on doing the braille setup as well over the winter, so this will come in handy.
Just some advice - Cut the tie-down rods if you can, so they don't stick up too much. I cannot tell the lenght from the picture, but figured I would throw that out there!
Nutrulz - I am curious if your method will work as the positive terminal may not reach the battery if you moved it very close to the fuse box. But, keep us updated.
Can the posiive wire be stretched any father (is there some loom we can release it from)? Else, the leads to the fusebox and starter will need to be stretched further to help reach across by the fusebox. It could be cool to replace it with 2 gauge or something like that....
Just some advice - Cut the tie-down rods if you can, so they don't stick up too much. I cannot tell the lenght from the picture, but figured I would throw that out there!
Nutrulz - I am curious if your method will work as the positive terminal may not reach the battery if you moved it very close to the fuse box. But, keep us updated.
Can the posiive wire be stretched any father (is there some loom we can release it from)? Else, the leads to the fusebox and starter will need to be stretched further to help reach across by the fusebox. It could be cool to replace it with 2 gauge or something like that....
Nov 29, 2005, 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by EvoIXMR
itrsport.com - Very nice writeup. I am planning on doing the braille setup as well over the winter, so this will come in handy.
Just some advice - Cut the tie-down rods if you can, so they don't stick up too much. I cannot tell the lenght from the picture, but figured I would throw that out there!
Nutrulz - I am curious if your method will work as the positive terminal may not reach the battery if you moved it very close to the fuse box. But, keep us updated.
Can the posiive wire be stretched any father (is there some loom we can release it from)? Else, the leads to the fusebox and starter will need to be stretched further to help reach across by the fusebox. It could be cool to replace it with 2 gauge or something like that....
Just some advice - Cut the tie-down rods if you can, so they don't stick up too much. I cannot tell the lenght from the picture, but figured I would throw that out there!
Nutrulz - I am curious if your method will work as the positive terminal may not reach the battery if you moved it very close to the fuse box. But, keep us updated.
Can the posiive wire be stretched any father (is there some loom we can release it from)? Else, the leads to the fusebox and starter will need to be stretched further to help reach across by the fusebox. It could be cool to replace it with 2 gauge or something like that....
Nov 29, 2005, 12:25 PM
#11
Originally Posted by atomicapples
cant we use a cable thats from the batt to the started from another car?
Nov 29, 2005, 09:21 PM
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Originally Posted by EvoIXMR
itrsport.com - Very nice writeup. I am planning on doing the braille setup as well over the winter, so this will come in handy.
Originally Posted by atomicapples
how is the battery for daily driving?
Dec 13, 2005, 07:17 PM
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That would be a sweet battery to trunk mount...wouldn't take up much trunk room and you could run any kind of IC pipes you want.
Last edited by evolovinit; Dec 13, 2005 at 07:19 PM.
Feb 21, 2006, 03:54 PM
#14
The only thing I would add is you should try and retain the stock rubber cover over the positive battery terminal (or install your own). You'll fail tech with most track/racing/auto-x organizations without one.
I have an Odyssey PC680 mounted in my trunk:
16' of 4-gauge welding cable and the battery hardware weighs about 5 lbs, but I also took out almost 2.5 lbs of battery tray and hardware in the process. Also makes life much easier if you work in the engine bay a lot, like I do.
I have an Odyssey PC680 mounted in my trunk:
16' of 4-gauge welding cable and the battery hardware weighs about 5 lbs, but I also took out almost 2.5 lbs of battery tray and hardware in the process. Also makes life much easier if you work in the engine bay a lot, like I do.
Feb 22, 2006, 05:40 PM
#15
i've always wondered if these batteries are good for daily use. do these batteries handle a upgraded headunit [pioneer avic-n1 which is a NAV,DVD,MP3 player with a touch screen] and upgraded speakers? i'm running an optima right now which is slightly smaller than stock but it would be even better to go with an even smaller, lighter battery and still be able to handle audio upgrades.