Quote:
Originally Posted by cr45
The battery seems quite big for a 1.2 SI engine - 66AH and CCA 520 - but I assume this is because this vehicle has stop start.
|
Any alternative chemistry will kill your OEM stop start unless you have the abilities to hack and reprogram it.
However if you do all highway miles where S/S doesn't matter (or your car allows you to key off manually - most S/S cars don't really like that), the economy gains are impressive (~10%).
You're looking for a 14.4Ah battery ideally. The car will start easily on 7.2Ah, but the peak charge current coming off the alternator is a bit too close for comfort, especially on 'smart' alternators.
I don't think it's essential to relocate the battery, as a hypermiler your underbonnet temps should be just about LiFe friendly. OE batteries are already located with cooling in mind.
Sub zero temps, you're on your own though.
Another simple thing you can do is grid charge the OE battery regularly. That way the alt will stay off for the first several miles of your trip.