E46 M3 OEM vs E46 M3 CSL/Mini vs F80 M3 Li-ion Battery

[pawa_k2001]

So I stumbled on a deal for a F80 M3 lithium ion battery and decided to give it a try even though my stock battery is only a year old.

I don't have a CSL/Mini battery on hand but pulled up a picture from M3Forum cache.(the image is tiny, sorry)

Specs:
CSL/Mini: 480CCA 34.4lbs
E46 M3 OEM: 640CCA, 45.65lbs
F80 M3 Li-ion: 860CCA, 29.85lbs
E46 M3 Bosch OE: 790CCA, 46.15lbs
i48CX Braille: 1520PCA, 11.15lbs

The F80 M3 Li-ion battery is larger in dimensions compared to the factory AGM E46 M3 battery but it still fits without issues. I did some research previously and per F80 forum, the Li-ion battery has the electronics inside to protect it from overcharging which was my biggest worry. From the limited tested that I did, I have not had any issues. Everyone probably knows but, you can not charge a lithium ion battery with a regular charger so I bought a CTEK charger specifically for lithium ion batteries.

Is the battery worth it with a $1100 price tag? At the moment it would not be worth it to me but that opinion can change if I find that it has a significantly longer life.

[174bpm]

I’d love to try one out too but damn that’s expensive for a car battery. Any idea how much longer these Li-ion batteries are supposed to last vs standard batteries?

[BMWahba]

I think there are some cheaper li-ion batts. There was an awesome thread on m3f about them, and I can't remember the names but they were around $600-700.

[KhanArt]

Seems promising but at that price too rich for my blood.

[pawa_k2001]

I’d love to try one out too but damn that’s expensive for a car battery. Any idea how much longer these Li-ion batteries are supposed to last vs standard batteries?

Per F80 forum, AGM battery has a life of 350 cycles while Li-ion is at 3000-5000 cycles. Hoping that is what I see, would definitely get another if its true.

[Dash1]

Per F80 forum, AGM battery has a life of 350 cycles while Li-ion is at 3000-5000 cycles. Hoping that is what I see, would definitely get another if its true.

What is considered a cycle?

[Obioban]

What is considered a cycle?

One 100-0-100% cycle
or
two 100-50-100% cycles
or
ten 100-90-100% cycles

etc

[Obioban]

I've been running a 6 lb Braile GU1R lithium battery in my M3 for 3.5 years now without any issues.

That said, it no longer sees winter use (though it's had a couple <30 degree starts) and I put it on a (lithium specific) trickle charger if I'm parking it for longer than ~2 weeks (... which I did with the stock battery, too).

Because, at 6 lbs, it's not doing anything meaningful for weight distribution, and the battery cable going to the trunk is 6 lbs, I also mounted it under the hood, like the 4 cylinder e46s do. Enabled me to save the weight of the cable and gave me more trunk space!

new battery location (and my super leggera washer tank):







Extra trunk space:



Bonus: I also got extra trunk space on the passenger side

[Dash1]

I've been running a 6 lb Braile GU1R lithium battery in my M3 for 3.5 years now without any issues.

That said, it no longer sees winter use (though it's had a couple <30 degree starts) and I put it on a (lithium specific) trickle charger if I'm parking it for longer than ~2 weeks (... which I did with the stock battery, too).

Because, at 6 lbs, it's not doing anything meaningful for weight distribution, and the battery cable going to the trunk is 6 lbs, I also mounted it under the hood, like the 4 cylinder e46s do. Enabled me to save the weight of the cable and gave me more trunk space!

new battery location (and my super leggera washer tank):







Extra trunk space:



Bonus: I also got extra trunk space on the passenger side

$549 bs $1100 for a battery that weighs 6x time more seems like a far better value

[terra]

SIs the battery worth it with a $1100 price tag? At the moment it would not be worth it to me but that opinion can change if I find that it has a significantly longer life.

How quickly were you going through batteries? The standard batteries have lasted me 7-8 years each, so it seems like it's hard to justify Li-ion money even if longevity is the concern

$549 bs $1100 for a battery that weighs 6x time more seems like a far better value

Not really a fair comparison though. Obioban's setup is unacceptable for a daily driver (which his coupe no longer is). The battery capacity in that thing is about the same as a portable jump starter. It'll get you started a couple times, but you can't run much off it for very long.

Antigravity batteries are decent middle ground from a weight perspective: https://antigravitybatteries.com/pro...es/automotive/

The 60Ah versions (which is the lowest capacity I'd be comfortable with on a daily driver) is only 18ish lbs, but your cost is pretty close to the F80 battery at that point.

[pawa_k2001]

How quickly were you going through batteries? The standard batteries have lasted me 7-8 years each, so it seems like it's hard to justify Li-ion money even if longevity is the concern

Not going through batteries fast enough to justify the purchase. I wanted a "stock" battery that weighs less than the stock AGM but without the headache to chargers or having a dead car after a few weeks. I used to have a lightweight race battery, that experience pushed me away from them probably forever.

[Feffman]

I went with the AntiGravity at a whopping 12 pounds. Not cheap ($675) but the built in restart feature is nice for peace of mind. Just ordered terminal covers yesterday.

Feff

[pawa_k2001]

I went with the AntiGravity at a whopping 12 pounds. Not cheap ($675) but the built in restart feature is nice for peace of mind. Just ordered terminal covers yesterday.

Feff

Definitely an option but the H7 60ah which would be my choice costs more than what I paid for the F80 M3 battery.

Edit: AntiGravity would save another 10lbs(H7/60ah) so it's definitely a good option for whenever I need my next battery.

[BMWahba]

I went with the AntiGravity at a whopping 12 pounds. Not cheap ($675) but the built in restart feature is nice for peace of mind. Just ordered terminal covers yesterday.

That's what it was called! Antigravity will be my next move for sure.

[Feffman]

A stock BMW positive terminal cover (Part 61218375653) fits perfectly with AntiGravity. The negative terminal cover is a generic left hand coming via Amazon.

Feff