Lightweight Battery?

[JeffYoung]

Mike, I agree. That's my problem with the rule. From the above posts, we seem to think we will all just "know" when someone has abused the rule. My guess is what we "know" will depend on which side of the protest line you are on.

The battery rule always ranked right up there with the washer bottle as one of the sillier ones we have left over from the dual purpose days (and this is from someone who has a battery in the trunk stock).

[shwah]

The battery rule is not silly at all. It is simple. Go to the auto parts store and buy the right battery for your car. Weigh a few if you want, but in almost all cases the cheapest one you find will be the lightest.

One more thing that we DON'T have to do to the cars to race them. Yay.

Said the guy with the battery in front of and above the left front tire on a fwd front heavy car.

[JoshS]

The battery rule is not silly at all. It is simple. Go to the auto parts store and buy the right battery for your car.

I agree. It's a great rule.

Unless your car is like mine, where the battery is in the passenger compartment (under the hatchback's floor, separated from the driver only by the stock carpeted plywood floor), in which case, scratch your head a few times to figure out how to be compliant with the rules.

[JeffYoung]

Sure it's simple, until you see a stock battery on a competitor's car that you don't like and you spend 2-3 hours in arguing and a protest over what "reasonably equivalent" means.

Likewise, we all have different opinions of which rules are silly.

[shwah]

Josh - what rule would you be in violation of?

Looks like GCR 9.3.9 says you must use a battery box, but I don't see what is non-compliant about your car.

[mossaidis]

[JoshS]

Josh - what rule would you be in violation of?

Looks like GCR 9.3.9 says you must use a battery box, but I don't see what is non-compliant about your car.

Well, the cradle that holds the stock battery isn't big enough for both the stock battery AND a box around it. Not to mention that you'd lose the ability to use the quite stout factory clamping methods.

I ended up being forced to replace my perfectly good stock battery with a non wet-cell battery in the stock size (group 48). The box is only required for wet cells. It's about 5 lbs heavier but it's the only solution I could come up with. I'm fortunate that these things are available in my stock group number, that doesn't appear to be the case for very many cars.

[ScotMac]

Yes, simply rule. But what does mean, in terms of compliance and enforcement?

I jumped into this old thread, because i had people that were arguing that "similiar" meant very little (valid argument, since is not quantitative at all), and that even if it did, similar to what? There are no weight specs for stock batteries.

[Knestis]

Yes, simply rule. But what does mean, in terms of compliance and enforcement? ...

It means, if you think a competitor is out of compliance, protest them. Or not. Or have a friendly talk with them about the issue. We have exactly the same "problem" with every other part, with the allowance that we can use aftermarket bits...

K

[TomL]

I keep seeing discussions on this topic referencing stock group size as a criteria (e.g., Josh's comment above)and I keep wondering why. As I recall, the rule used to require stock group size, but now all it says is "similar amp-hour capacity and weight." When they made that change to eliminate the "group" language, my interpretation is that it now means: automotive batteries with amp-hour ratings to similar to stock. Based on the discussion above, I don't think anyone could define what "similar weight" really means (since for starters, I 'm not sure anyone could tell definitively what "stock weight" is.) Or put another way, the rule is now (roughly) "no lawn tractor batteries".

Does anyone still think that a non-standard group size battery would be deemed illegal (assuming it has similar-to-stock amp-hour rating?)

[JoshS]

I keep seeing discussions on this topic referencing stock group size as a criteria (e.g., Josh's comment above)and I keep wondering why.

Fair enough! I chose to stick with the same group size because A) I can use the factory clamping mechanisms, and B) because I can't imagine anyone would find it illegal. In my specific case, anything that would fit inside a plastic container in the stock location would have had to be quite a bit smaller (and therefore lighter) than the stock one.

I too would be curious to know why the "group" language was stricken if in fact it used to be there.