16 Volt Battery ?
 

I have read all the threads on here about a 16 volt system.would like to skip the alternator. Is it really necessary to run one?I charge bettween rounds and run electric fan,water and fuel pump and also an egt. There are so many mixed reviews about this not sure which way to go?After all I would not think your battery voltage would drop past 12 volts after a run?

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Do you drive the car to the starting line or tow it? Repeated starts would drain the battery below acceptable levels in my opinion.

Mark Madison

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

a fully charged 16 volt with the load your explained will make at least 5 runs without charging.

Of course, when time allows, charge between rounds. We race two cars with one 16 volt charger, just rotate between cars every 2 - 3 run

I like the 16 volt upgrade, it gives me a smile every time I engage the starter. I like buying from Make Payne at House of Payne. he sells the Rock brand.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

A lot of guys praise the 16 volt system. Guess it is a matter of personal preference. I tried the 16V but went back to the 12v with an alternator, like it much better. Have batteries fully charged on race day, no charging required between rounds, no hassles. I run 100 amp alternator and two 1000cca 12v batteries for the extra weight in the trunk. Have a racepak that I closely monitor the voltage each round and never an issue. course it never hurts to maintenance charge to keep batteries at 100% regardless of type of battery.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Listen to Woodfin. He knows.
Also I never had a 12v system with Alternator that I did not have to charge.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

I drive it to and from the lanes.always seem to have those hard starts on those hot days.seems like guys who go 16 volt stick with it.thanks for the opinions

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

I have a PerformanceV battery and today just bought a 50a idle / 105a 16v alternator. I went with a full sized alternator instead of a mini.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

I found out the hard way how many runs you can get on a 16 volt battery. All the usual draws (fuel &water pump,brake etc.) no charging system. Ran the # with a little # 2nd round and got bye 3rd. Reading et slip-why did it slow up a tenth, as engine quit. We were charging between rounds, but generator was not working properly-have since bought a new generator.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

If your running an EFI car you need to keep them charged. System voltage effects how fast your injectors open. Need to keep that constant. Also, if you change to or from 16 volts you will have to re-tune your air/ fuel. Makes that much difference. Therefore, if you take it out of the car and go put it on an engine dyno you need to use 16 volts there also.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

We initially had periodic starting issues with the 6.1 hemi AND the 5.7 hemi at 12 volts.

We changed over to the 16V battery with mini alternator.

We always charged between rounds, both 12v and 16v.

Then at one race after we went to 16c, we lost the belt on the alternator. We ran the next couple of rounds without the alternator. But we did charge between rounds. And there was no problem starting through the lanes, fuel check, and scale.

Needless to say, we put the belt back on when we got a new one.

But it is nice to know that the car will start just fine without the alternator functioning during a race cycle.

David
The New Hemi Guy

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

12V Braille Battery. 21 LBS and have not charged it all year. How do I know? We didnt race much and the battery charger said it was full charged and turned out to be defective. Didnt make many runs by comparison, but I dont know when the charger took a dump.

Stock 65 amp 1986 Ford Alternator.

Which in stock is mandatory dont forget. Unless of course I missed something.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Is there a starter upgrade needed, as well as, alternator and battery, when switching to 16v? Or does the added voltage just make the starter spin better? I would love to upgrade, someday, but not sure what all is needed. Thanks.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

All you need is the battery, alternator (for Stock) and the charger. FYI - some battery manufacturers will not warranty the battery if you do not have their charger so keep that in mind, ask questions.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Brent, the starter is fine, it easily tolerates the extra voltage. I think the extra electrical power actually helps the starter because it spins up so quick. Less operation time for the starter, less heat buildup. The 16 volt upgrade is one of those things that puts a smile on my face every time I touch the starter button.

And speaking of alternators [we were talking about alternators weren't we?] some alternators can be fitted with a 16 volt regulator upgrade. That is what we run on both our cars. An off the shelf OE alternator with 16 volt regulator. One source for those regulators is Make Payne at House of Payne Performance. He also sells the Rock battery & charger.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Good batteries, terrible chargers and worse customer service. Tried several times to talk to someone and NEVER recieved a call back when a message was left.

I use the white XS 16v batteries now, great products....

Wade

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Intresting Wade. I will have to cuss out my rep!!!!!!!!! How long ago was this?

AD>

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

So what about the alternator for a single 16 volt set up. 50 or 100 amps ? Seems like most of the race alternators are 50 amps. Would it be better to go overkill and get a 100 or 140 amp one ?

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

I just bought this one. And I also have the Performance V battery & charger. Look at the alternator and then go to their home page.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

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Super lite weight, lasts 10x longer then a lead battery, charges in minutes not hours!

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Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

With all the press on lithium batteries catching on fire in the new Boeing 787 Dream liner, and it taking the Japanese airport fire crew 40 minutes to put out the fire, is a lithium battery the way to go in a race car? I've heard reports that NHRA safety crew does not have the capability to put out a fire involving a lithium battery and the car may just burn to the ground.
If I am inaccurate, please dispel this.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

The lithium "cobalt oxide" (LiCoO2) batteries used in the Dreamliners are very powerful batteries and very volatile and very susceptible to thermal runaway.

This is very different to the Lithium Iron (LiFePo4) cells used in our Powerlite batteries. LiFePo4 cells are very safe and do NOT have the potential for thermal runaway.

H2O - Water (Safe)

HCl - Hydrocloride Acid (Not Safe)

Both contain Hydrogen!

Do your own wiki search on each chemistry to verify what I am telling you.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Thanks for clarifying. Does this type of battery require it's own special charger? I already have a 16v charger that wasn't exactly cheap.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

Jeff,

The Powerlite batteries come with a charger.

You can NOT use a 16 volt lead acid charger on a lithium battery.

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

What is the usual life of the 16V batteries?

I purchased 2 16V turbostarts in the beginning of last year, (twin battery install) used about 10 races, now have little or no capacity. My SS has no charging sytem but I used proper charger, charged between every round, use battery maintainer between races.

Any problems with this brand? Didn't expect to buy $450 in batteries every year.

Thanks!

Re: 16 Volt Battery ?
 

I would think if you maintained the batteries properly this should not have happed, but these batteries (AGM) do not typically last that long, maybe 2 to 3 seasons max...

This is a major benefit of the lithium technology, they last 10X as long!

Yes, the initial cost is more, but they pay for themselves over time plus have many more benefits... 7 lbs! , 15 minute charge time, stable voltage, no maintenance/float charging required.

Call or visit our website for more info www.Altronicsinc.com

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