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

[bavarian3]

We all have different requirements and things we would tolerate, so reading any post where someone shares THEIR setup, should not be read as YOU should run the same.

I don't drive in freezing cold being on west coast, I don't have a sound system, I'm ok hooking up a (trickle)charger if the car will sit for more than a few weeks. You (royal you, noone in particular) might be completely opposite of this. That is fine.

I've been running a Shorai battery in my M3. It originally came with my S2K (a popular upgrade) and I wanted to see how it would handle the bigger engine. It did totally fine. It's 36Ah, 540cca, weighs 4.5 lbs. There are periods when the M3 has to sit for a few weeks and the battery lasts about 3 weeks of sitting, after which V drops to around 13 and it self protects. It doesn't have a reset button built in like AntiGravity, so I have to reset via the CTEK Li charger, for which I attached quick connects to the battery for and it takes a second to reset. Battery costs around $330. S2K I think had sat up to 5 weeks or so and started right up without needing a charger. Obviously won't last without a charger for winter hibernation for 4 months, but no battery should sit that long without a trickle/maintenance.

S2K has been running that battery for about 5 years, with periods of time when I swapped it into the M3 (bought a separate one for the M3 few months back). I obviously can't sit in the car with ignition on (car off) and blasting 500w sound system, but that's not how I set up or use my car.

Hold down is easy and quick to make with an $8 kit from Amazon that comes with j hooks and an adjustable crossbar to attach to the stock metal tray.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

this is enticing. this the one? LFX36A3-BS12

[SFD87]

I am aiming to have a 2999lbs street E46 M3 with 5/8th tank of fuel. I am currently at 3053lbs and looking at every option since I can not remove the comfort features like A/C, cruise control, leather seats, insulation and carpet.

Did you get halogen lights as well? That will save 4 pounds.

[lapoune]

I've been running an antigravity atx30rs in my s54 mcoupe (mostly same electronics as M3s), and even with a LTE alarm system the battery lasts 2 weeks sitting before going into the "restart" mode. Happened a few times and always restarted easily.

[mrgizmo04]

We all have different requirements and things we would tolerate, so reading any post where someone shares THEIR setup, should not be read as YOU should run the same.

I don't drive in freezing cold being on west coast, I don't have a sound system, I'm ok hooking up a (trickle)charger if the car will sit for more than a few weeks. You (royal you, noone in particular) might be completely opposite of this. That is fine.

I've been running a Shorai battery in my M3. It originally came with my S2K (a popular upgrade) and I wanted to see how it would handle the bigger engine. It did totally fine. It's 36Ah, 540cca, weighs 4.5 lbs. There are periods when the M3 has to sit for a few weeks and the battery lasts about 3 weeks of sitting, after which V drops to around 13 and it self protects. It doesn't have a reset button built in like AntiGravity, so I have to reset via the CTEK Li charger, for which I attached quick connects to the battery for and it takes a second to reset. Battery costs around $330. S2K I think had sat up to 5 weeks or so and started right up without needing a charger. Obviously won't last without a charger for winter hibernation for 4 months, but no battery should sit that long without a trickle/maintenance.

S2K has been running that battery for about 5 years, with periods of time when I swapped it into the M3 (bought a separate one for the M3 few months back). I obviously can't sit in the car with ignition on (car off) and blasting 500w sound system, but that's not how I set up or use my car.

Hold down is easy and quick to make with an $8 kit from Amazon that comes with j hooks and an adjustable crossbar to attach to the stock metal tray.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[EthanolTurbo]

I'm running an Antigravity 24ah 9 lb battery. So far so good. One time I left the car sitting for weeks, came back to it dead, hit the restart button on the battery and it started up fine, which is a very nice feature.

[Cronenberged]

Did a 16° (F) cold start, after parking outside overnight, on my 8 year old Braile GU1R (6 lbs) this morning without issue.

Looks like it's holding up to the 10+ year life design

[Obioban]

Did a 16° (F) cold start, after parking outside overnight, on my 8 year old Braile GU1R (6 lbs) this morning without issue.

[ridebikes]

My two cents: I found that the o'Riley super start extreme is a low cost replacement ($120ish) that shaves 10 lbs without any tiny battery headaches. Considering how much folks spend to shave ten pounds, seems like a worry free alternative to the 1K battery arms race

[pawa_k2001]

while it's commendable to see the labor involved and the weight savings achieved, it really is a disservice to this community for you to always be highlighting this setup you created. it makes no sense to 99.99% of owners out there for so many reasons including


- that battery bracket has long been discontinued, because
- that battery has long been discontinued, in addition to
- that battery capacity is so laughably low that even Braille didn't/doesn't recommend running something that small on our cars


it's telling that the best summary you ever give of this project is "it works for me". hopefully others can make the connection that this is an extreme weight savings setup at the cost of extremely limited battery capacity

Let people use whatever battery they wish. I used those small batteries, I won't do that again since making sure your car is on a leash every time you park your car is annoying. I park my car, don't touch it nor leash it for 6 months and it still starts.

For 99% of the people, I don't see why they would want to go away from a OE battery, it works perfectly. I made this thread about my experience about achieved the result I want which is OE+ battery power without a leash.

[Obioban]

while it's commendable to see the labor involved and the weight savings achieved, it really is a disservice to this community for you to always be highlighting this setup you created. it makes no sense to 99.99% of owners out there for so many reasons including


- that battery bracket has long been discontinued, because
- that battery has long been discontinued, in addition to
- that battery capacity is so laughably low that even Braille didn't/doesn't recommend running something that small on our cars


it's telling that the best summary you ever give of this project is "it works for me". hopefully others can make the connection that this is an extreme weight savings setup at the cost of extremely limited battery capacity

Idk. I DD my M3 on nice days and it’s fine. I’ve done some 30° starts at hotels by track events, and it’s been fine. I hold back on the endorsements because the lower capacity certainly makes it less idiot proof, but so long as your car does not have a ton of parasitic loss, and you don’t do anything stupid, there’s no reason it can’t be used for a DD.

Braille still offers the same battery electronics/cells, just in a smaller exterior case. They recommend it for four and six cylinder cars.
https://www.stableenergies.com/Brail...ctinfo/BB-G30/

I don't think I ever mention my battery setup without some level of disclaimer, but 50 lbs for $600 is pretty unrivaled-- I don't think it's a disservice to people to know it's an option, with some basic level of caution/reality.

[usdmej]

Is this setup suitable for a daily driver?

I've never had any battery issues.

while it's commendable to see the labor involved and the weight savings achieved, it really is a disservice to this community for you to always be highlighting this setup you created. it makes no sense to 99.99% of owners out there for so many reasons including


- that battery bracket has long been discontinued, because
- that battery has long been discontinued, in addition to
- that battery capacity is so laughably low that even Braille didn't/doesn't recommend running something that small on our cars


it's telling that the best summary you ever give of this project is "it works for me". hopefully others can make the connection that this is an extreme weight savings setup at the cost of extremely limited battery capacity

[eljay]

My car sometimes functions as a fair weather DD, depending on my mood. I've never had any battery issues. I do plug the car in if it's going to be sitting for longer than a ~week.

I did keep the pyro fuse. BMW put the battery in the location I'm using in 4 cylinder e46s, including the pyro fuse, so I'm reasonably confident it should not be creating any safety issues.

Thank you! And yes, good point about the 4-cyl setup already being OEM approved.

[Obioban]

Is this setup suitable for a daily driver? What if I had to run errands around the city with multiple short trips and starts in a day? Any concerns about having enough juice to start every time?
You did keep the pyro fuse on the cable, correct? I think I see it there, so just making sure. Any concerns about that thing firing in an accident scenario so close to the engine bay even if it's in a separate compartment? I guess the wall separating it from fuel lines is about the same as the sheet metal separating it in the rear from the fuel tank, right?

Thanks!

My car sometimes functions as a fair weather DD, depending on my mood. I've never had any battery issues. I do plug the car in if it's going to be sitting for longer than a ~week.

I did keep the pyro fuse. BMW put the battery in the location I'm using in 4 cylinder e46s, including the pyro fuse, so I'm reasonably confident it should not be creating any safety issues.

[jet_dogg]

Is your car a gutted race car? Why pay $1500 for a lighter battery? Not sure I understand what 35lbs will do for 90% of the people driving these cars?

Even I wouldn't pay that, and that's saying something.

[eljay]

Now at ~6 years, no issues.

Is this setup suitable for a daily driver? What if I had to run errands around the city with multiple short trips and starts in a day? Any concerns about having enough juice to start every time?
You did keep the pyro fuse on the cable, correct? I think I see it there, so just making sure. Any concerns about that thing firing in an accident scenario so close to the engine bay even if it's in a separate compartment? I guess the wall separating it from fuel lines is about the same as the sheet metal separating it in the rear from the fuel tank, right?

Thanks!