I have been researching lithium batteries and I am thinking about finding one that will work in my 2005 TL. I know they are expensive but have heard it will be worth the price. Also I need it to be able to handle my upcoming car audio setup which will include one 3000 watt mono amp and one 400 watt 4 channel amp. I hope I can find one that will eliminate the need for 2 batteries. Is anyone running a lithium battery in their car?

 

Ok, a couple things.
1) what from your research has led you to want a Li battery? Cliffs notes version is fine.

2) 3400 watts of actual power is a lot. Like really, a LOT of power. I'm not going to sit here and tell you you need a 350 amp alternator to run it, but you'd likely want in excess of 200 even for normal listening with that much power.

3) 3000 watts vs. 400 watts is quite a disproportionate ratio for power to speakers. Unless you are going full bore SPL. For a regular street system 2:1 bass:mid/high is a ratio I like to aim for.

This is assuming it is an actual 3400 watts of power, not some bs peak rating.

 

Cliff notes lol. But I read a post from a guy who changed out his AGM battery for a lithium battery is his 2009 Honda Accord v6. He paid about $899.00 for the battery. Yes that is high for a car battery. The lithium battery weight 5.25 lbs while his previous battery weight over 40 lbs. He said he had no issues with the lithium battery. But of course he's not running a high power car audio system like I am. I am running an AD Designs setup in my TL. My bass amp is rated @2500x1 rms @2 ohms. I have my stock battery up front and an XS Power 3400 AGM battery in the mounted in the rear. I am simply trying to find another option that saves space that's why the lithium batteries caught my attention.

 

Are you wanting to get more runtime without the engine running? Unless you already have an upgraded alternator, a second battery isn't a good idea as it puts more load on the alternator. If it's already upgraded, disregard.

I like lithium batteries but are they even safe to run in a car with their unique charging requirements? I assume along with a lithium battery for automotive use comes some sort of smart charger?

I would definitely have an AGM up front too. I had 2400w on the subs, and 1200w on the fronts and while I got some light dimming, it worked pretty well. I didn't worry about the dimming because I rarely cranked it up even close to full output. Most of the time mine was only pulling an average of 80w and it was surprisingly loud. I was also running class D amps which are more efficient, what are yours

 

My sub amp is class D also. I don't play it real loud either. But my car club has started going to sound off competitions and i will be competing in some in the next month or so.

 

The batteries i have checked out do have smart meters and i have been told that they are safe.

 

Also i am still running my stock alternator and haven't had any issues. I will eventually upgraded it and i have already have the big 3 upgrade. So what setup are you running?

 

I'm not sure if you were talking to me but my system was 2 JL HD 600/4 amps for the front and eventually a 1200/1 for each sub. All Class D.


To eliminate the need for another battery would probably require an alternator upgrade, battery upgrade as you suggested, and more efficiency in your system.


Maybe look at pro audio drivers for the front and use only class D amps on everything. I assume your sub is in a ported enclosure already but if not, that would by far be the way to go for efficiency and output. You're probably not looking to change your subwoofer but larger, more efficient subs should help.


If you're looking at doing SPL competitions I don't see a way to help. Even if you end up with a more efficient sub setup you're going to want to run the same power to it for more output.


I can't help with the lithium battery but I'm very interested in it. I'm sure it's in a different league than a regular AGM battery. People talk about internal resistance a lot when talking batteries and big systems. Basically can the battery supply a large spike in power for a shot period of time when the bass hits. Supposedly some batteries are better at this than others and I have no idea where the lithium fits in but it would definitely be worth looking into.


If you don't go lithium, I suspect another AGM in the stock location should show an improvement. When I went from a stock style battery to an AGM, it was a huge improvement in light dimming. The system sounded more dynamic with this battery even though some say that's impossible. I really like the Sears Diehard Platinum. It's made by Enersys and this particular one gets branded as both an Odyssey and a Diehard. Exactly the same battery but $100 cheaper through Sears.


The one thing I keep thinking of with a lithium in our cars is the way the car charges the battery. It's not a steady charge like the way older cars charge. These car usually charge as needed and when the alternator is on, it's full bore most of the time. I don't know how a lithium would handle it over the long term. Lithiums are no joke and can be very dangerous, especially when charged improperly. I hope the electronics on the one you're looking at are up to the task.

 

Thanks bro.