Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Well I have now and I must admit I'm impressed. During starting it seems more powerful than my lead battery. The lead battery is rated 45Ah and 300 Ampere starting current. But during these cold temperatures I wasn't able to crank long enough to start. So I installed the LiFePo4 and here we go It is actually a bike battery but seems good enough for the little twin-cam. I will continue to test this winter but first I need to make an attachment bracket for it.

Sorry, for the bad picture quality, but it is this: (no connection to the manufacturer)
http://www.landportbv.com/pages/en/prod ... 4&accu=463

I've had a Ballistic Performance EVO2 16 cell in my Westfield for several years. It's very impressive. At less than 3-1/2 lb you can pick it up with just 2 fingers (very weird to do that with a car battery) yet it has no problem firing up the car in mid 30F weather after sitting outside all night.

-John

I've toyed with getting one for a couple of my motorcycles each time the old lead acid ones packed up (when they've been left too long) but the 'stories' attached to them (as well as the price) has put me off. Specifically, that they need a higher charging voltage than lead acid, (so Elan charging systems may not be a great choice ) and that they need 'warming up' before they work properly at sub zero temps.

How much of this is true or a problem I've no idea but I've just been reading on another forum about a factory fit LiFePo4 battery on a motorcycle needing jump starting in Alaska when it wouldn't crank over fast enough.

Ballistic recommends turning on the headlights for 10 seconds to heat the battery before attempting a start in very cold weather. Have to admit I've never done a comparison to see if this has an impact, but on the few occasions I've started the car in mid-30F temps, I've followed that procedure and had no problems.

However, as much as I like that battery, I'm not sure I would opt for that over something like a PC680 since weight savings isn't as critical for me in the Elan as it is in the Westfield.

-John