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