# Noob question on batteries for 2.5ls



## tnh787 (Mar 9, 2009)

I have a 2006 2.5 and the battery died. I was wondering what you guys thought about gels as well as what battery you would recommend. I'm not running any crazy electronics i just want a very reliable battery price isn't really an issue. If you recommend a gel what size do our cars take there seems to be no direct fit. Thanks for the info.


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## _V-Dubber_ (Jan 30, 2007)

I've recently looked into lightweight batteries for my Rabbit in the hopes of extracting every last ounce of performance and just wanted to share my 2 cents with you. 

I dont know anything about the gel batteries you describe but I have found something just as good if not better. A micro-lite lithium-ion battery. It's made by Braille Battery, the same people who make batteries for several LeMans racecars like a Corvette C6R and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR as well as the Virgin Costworth Formula 1 team. So they have some credibility. 

Braille has a wide selection of batteries including standard replacement batteries, as well as long-life batteries (both are lead-acid). Then there are lighter carbon fiber batteries (still lead-acid). But the most interesting was the lithium-ion. The advantages are many including faster recharge time than typical lead-acid batteries, more stable delivery of power (since it is a solid-state battery and unaffected by g-forces), more capable of delivery maximum volts (perfect if you have large power demands like a big audio system) and a fairly decent amp hour rating and cranking amps for their size. 

The biggest advantage is weight, or the lack thereof. The smallest compatible battery for our cars weighs just 4.5 lbs (2kg)!!!! Try that with your poseur Optima battery! I chose the Micro-Lite ML14c because you never want to buy a battery with LESS cranking amps than stock or LESS amp hours than stock. This is the smallest battery that actually EXCEEDS stock rating with 773cca and 42 amp/hr and doing it all with negligible weight. This battery is also available with a custom-made battery tie down kit which is perfect if you want to relocate the battery to the trunk. 

There are some downsides, however. The first of them being the most significant....cost. Retail is set for $1250! But you already said that price is not an issue. Neither is it for me. I've already spent more than the price of a new GTI upgrading my Rabbit so the price of an upgrade is not what's important. What IS important is having the best of the best parts for my baby. And this Braille micro-lite lithium-ion battery is the lightest and best battery to replace the stocker. Another disadvantage would be that it can only be operated between a minimum temperature of 0ºF and a maximum temperature of 120ºF. 

Check it out here: http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/ml14c


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## nvsbandit (Oct 2, 2007)

1200 dollars on a battery....why dont you buy a turbo setup and stop wasting money lol 

srsly losing like a few pounds isnt going to do anything.


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## _V-Dubber_ (Jan 30, 2007)

I already have the most highly modified 2.5 in the country. 500whp capable on pump gas. AND its an automatic. And I already stated money is of no consequence when it comes to that car. This is why I hate Vortex, anytime you try to speak your mind you get blasted for it.


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## tnh787 (Mar 9, 2009)

when i said price wasnt an issue i ment like 200 to 250 not 1200 your nuts but more power to you is that what your into


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## _V-Dubber_ (Jan 30, 2007)

lol sorry for the misunderstanding. Cheers mate :beer: 

In that case, check out this Braille carbon fiber battery. Yes, it is lead-acid but because of the lightweight battery box it only weighs 11lbs, has an outstanding 904cca and only costs $249 retail! Check it out: http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b14115c/


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

kyle! lol... 

did you finally get your wheels??? 
i'm hopefully getting flashed on tuesday!  

where did you buy the battery?


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## _V-Dubber_ (Jan 30, 2007)

Sry for thread hijacking OP! 

@Fred: I havent gotten the battery yet. I'm spending what money I have now to finish the interior once and for all. Getting all the wiring stripped out, front airbags disabled & removed, excess metal in the cabin shaved off with a grinding wheel, etc. Hooray for more added lightness! 

I havent bought my wheels yet. Brad from 1552 offered to hook me up with some wheel adapters so I could run BBS wheels made for a Toyota Supra bi-turbo so I have a 9" wide wheel and run 265 section width tires. However, I'm holding off on buying those because after I read your post on converting these cars to AWD, I really want to try and convert my Rabbit to RWD by disabling the front differential so all the engine's power will be sent rearward. This means a different wheel/tire combo since the car will be RWD instead of FWD. 

We should try and pick up DSG from a wrecked 2.0T FSI or 3.2L VR6 powered car. As well as driveshaft, Haldex drive unit, differentials, rear subframes, gas tank, rear end from a crashed R32 or Passat 4Motion or an Audi with Quattro AWD (like A3 or TT) :thumbup:


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

kyle, i sent you a msg on facebook. 

OP: if you are looking into optimas, i have a redtop, relocated to the trunk. No kind of problems. 

btw, trim level 35


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## IJSTROK (Oct 2, 2007)

_V-Dubber_ said:


> I already have the most highly modified 2.5 in the country. 500whp capable on pump gas. AND its an automatic.


 Details? :what:


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## 4door1.8T (Oct 13, 2007)

just sent you a PM about your battery relocation greyt. wish that 4.5 pound battery wasn't so expensive that's impressive, especially considering how heavy factory VW batteries are.


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

IJSTROK said:


> Details? :what:


 he did a LOT to the car. 
from a custom turbo, to forged rods, to bottom end, and a lot more. 

op: 
i like my heavy battery.. it helps with weight distribution. 
as stated, i'm using a red top optima 35. 
i did the wiring from the front, through the inside of the body, under the seats, to the trunk. 
i put a fuse just before the battery, just in case. 

i bought this 2 things: 
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TAY-48000/ 
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TAY-48100/ 


it looks really good, and the car feels a LOT better... the car feels less like a soccer mom sedan, and more like a wannabe sportscar. lol... which is a HUGE improvement... maybe after the turbo and some nice seats, it will feel more like a sportier car, and full sport when its AWD. 

i'll post pics of my trunk, later on today. 

feel free to ask away. 

in MY case, i rather have a heavy battery on the trunk than a light battery, cause that way i can help even out the weight distribution, which according to my research is 65-35


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)




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## seanmcd72 (May 14, 2008)

Was it your original battery that died? If so get an OEM Varta. 5 years it pretty good for a battery. Most agree it's very good. 

Otherwise, I stick with Interstate, DieHard, or whatever battery Consumerreports suggests. A lot of them are made by the same place.


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

florida heat was killing it. 
i went with optimas, cause i have been told that they are good. 

and so far, it has proven to be that way. i dunno.. if i ever have any bad experiences with them, i'll turn to interstate. 
no real battery fan here.


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## KulturKampf (Nov 30, 2009)

My friend works at advanced auto and he has never sold an optima yellow or red top that didn't come back within 5 months but then again PA weather is all kind of crazy but if its working for you more power to you haha

Sent from my Droid Incredible


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## KulturKampf (Nov 30, 2009)

Never mind just saw you said red top my bad haha

Sent from my Droid Incredible


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## Brabbit32 (Apr 13, 2009)

Braille batterys are where its at. as far as spending 1200 on a battery, thats just not necessary. Im running the 11.5lb braille battery in the trunk of my rabbit and i love it. 

http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b14115/ 

I got the aluminum battery hold down because it looks awesome. Ran 2 gauge wire from under the hood, and used a seat belt bolt as a ground. Just make sure you sand the surface to make sure you get a good ground. You can even keep it under the hood if you want, i just wanted to free up room under the hood for turbo goodies  

Braille's cheaper batterys are lead-acid, but they are AMG. Essentially they use a acid that is a gel compound. They never leak, you can mount them any way you want, they just recommend any way but up-side down. Cheers


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

KulturKampf said:


> My friend works at advanced auto and he has never sold an optima yellow or red top that didn't come back within 5 months but then again PA weather is all kind of crazy but if its working for you more power to you haha
> 
> Sent from my Droid Incredible


 if my optima goes bad, i'll use the warranty, sell the new one, and buy interstate or braille


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## nvsbandit (Oct 2, 2007)

now the 11.5 pound battery....would this be better or worse than stock for a ...~3k watt system. (only half going to a sub other half is in my doors)?


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## 4door1.8T (Oct 13, 2007)

Looks nice in the trunk :thumbup: i will be doing this fairly soon just trying to figure out how i want to start the wiring up from so it will be able to go back to stock if i need.


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## DerekH (Sep 4, 2010)

nvsbandit said:


> now the 11.5 pound battery....would this be better or worse than stock for a ...~3k watt system. (only half going to a sub other half is in my doors)?


 http://www.kinetikaudio.com/2009/default.asp 

Kinetik power cells are the best car audio batteries on the market. Hands down however id be interested in seeing how one of those larger Lithium batteries would do.


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## Brabbit32 (Apr 13, 2009)

The braille would not last very long with a big system. Im trying to keep my car as light as possible, so a system is just not gunna happen. I mounted mine in the foam opposite the "Widow Maker" jack that comes with our cars. I cut the foam all the way threw, and mounted the battery with the bracket so it fit perfectly in the foam. Put the cover back over the spare and you cant even tell its there! ill get some pictures a little later and post them up.


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## DerekH (Sep 4, 2010)

Brabbit32 said:


> The braille would not last very long with a big system. Im trying to keep my car as light as possible, so a system is just not gunna happen. I mounted mine in the foam opposite the "Widow Maker" jack that comes with our cars. I cut the foam all the way threw, and mounted the battery with the bracket so it fit perfectly in the foam. Put the cover back over the spare and you cant even tell its there! ill get some pictures a little later and post them up.


 Sounds like a pretty sick setup, i wish i had the cash to spend on that. 

Edit: just out of curiosity how much did the wire weigh that you used to relocate the battery?


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## Brabbit32 (Apr 13, 2009)

The wire doesnt way that much. Maybe 8lbs?


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