Shorai FAQ - Vancouver Battery
Contents
1. Starter batteries of any type contain a large amount of energy During a short circuit ALL that energy is released in a matter of seconds creating an extremely hot arc welder possibly causing fire or explosion You MUST be very careful at all times to avoid short circuit of the positive and negative terminals Do NOT wear jewelry on wrist or neck while handling batteries INSURE that when installed the positive and negative terminals are properly covered and insulated from the vehicle Do NOT use carbon fiber battery hold down units as carbon is an electrical conductor Be CAREFUL Q Cold Weather Performance Expectations A Down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit 7C most users find that they can start normally on first crank If your headlight comes on at key ON it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather The suggested headlight on time before cranking depends on the temperature If starting at 40F SC 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance If at OF 17C leave the lights on for 4 5 minutes before cranking The result will be a better first crank and longer battery life If the engine fails to start on first crank that first crank has warmed the battery and the second attempt will be much stronger Other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose such as heated gear radio etc Insuring that the battery is fully charged a2. Frequently Asked Questions Q How do I maintain my Shorai LFX Battery It s not hard to maintain your LFX properly LFX batteries should be recharged whenever voltage drops to 13 1 volts or sooner If you have a vintage custom or off road vehicle which has NO draw on the battery when key is OFF then you should only need to charge your LFX battery once a year However most modern street bikes have a draw even when key is off to support clock computer alarms or other devices This draw will eventually drain the battery which is damaging and could void your warranty So if you are not riding twice a month then you should charge the battery every few weeks Smart lead acid chargers with automatic cutoff may be used for periodic charging but will NOT work as a tender maintainer and should be disconnected immediately after charge has finished Older lead chargers without automatic shut off should never be used Improper charging is dangerous and will void your warranty A Shorai BMS Charger with Store Mode is highly recommended for anyone who rides less than twice a month Alternatively you may disconnect the negative cable from the battery for storage and charge once per year in that case Q What is the best way to facilitate long term storage Stay cool in storage for a long long life A Cool storage is good for any type of battery You may remove the battery from vehicle for summer storage and pl
3. ace in a cool dry location with terminals taped to avoid short circuit ideal is about 34F IC so a refrigerator is great Avoid storage at temperatures below OF 18C or above 90F 32C whenever possible Any charging during storage should be performed at temperatures above freezing for best results If you want to keep the battery in the vehicle during storage but are uncertain when you ll ride next a Shorai BMS Charger connected in Store Mode is the best choice to maintain battery charge An hour before riding unplug the BMS charger and disconnect from wall power then reconnect and start Charge Mode to fully charge and balance the battery Q How does the LFX PBeq AHr capacity rating compare to lead acid Ahr ratings A First we need to understand that the primary job of a starter battery is to flow a large current amperage for a short time in order to start a vehicle In order to do that efficiently the battery must have low internal resistance Holding all other considerations equal the larger the battery is in capacity the lower the resistance and the better able it is to crank a vehicle under high loads Lead acid makers have therefore used AHr capacity ratings as shorthand to indicate cranking ability rather than a real usable capacity The lead acid capacity rating itself is based on a complete discharge at a low discharge rate Under actual cranking conditions they will deliver considerably less than spec capacity An
4. d because lead acid batteries begin sulfating when only a small percentage of the capacity has been used and their internal resistance rises as they are discharged the actual capacity which can be USED may be as little as 20 of the mfg rating Discharge in excess will not only damage the lead acid battery it may not allow proper starting as voltage sags Shorai LFX are based on a completely different chemistry Not only do they have less than 1 3 the internal resistance per capacity than do lead acid they are also the ultimate deep cycle battery The internal completely discharged capacity of a Shorai LFX is 1 3 the rated PBeq capacity For example the LFX18 12V series have 6Ah cells internally But the cells are capable of 80 discharge without damage and while retaining more cranking ability As such the USABLE capacity or reserve capacity of an LFX18 12V battery is on or very near par with 18AHr rated lead acid batteries while providing superior cranking performance and a vast reduction in weight The Shorai PBeq AHr lead acid equivalent rating system therefore allows users to compare a very different technology from lead acid but on a close apples to apples basis when making a choice Q Addressing Water and Corrosion A WATER CORROSION Avoid high pressure power washing around the battery case or constant exposure to water If the battery may be occasionally submerged we highly suggest application of sealant to fill the
5. d lead acid battery Current alone won t start anything It is the current multiplied by voltage that does the work watts In reality this means that you can multiply the LFX CCA rating by 1 5x to compare to a Lead Acid battery CCA For example our 270A CCA LFX18 series provides about the same cranking voltage as a 405A CCA rated lead acid battery from a quality lead acid maker some CCA specs we ve tested on the cheapest lead acid seemed to be plucked from thin air Q Can I use Lead Acid battery chargers or charger tenders No Load No Load Voltage Voltage Capacity Do not allow resting voltage to fall below 12 86V for 12V LFX or 6 43V for 6V LFX A Yes HOWEVER you may NOT use a charger tender if it has an automatic desulfation mode which cannot be turned off If you are storing your vehicle and want to check the remaining capacity or you re a racer with a constant loss system you ll want to know how resting voltage i e with no load or load under 200mA maps to remaining capacity LFX batteries should be maintained such that 20 capacity remains at minimum as best practice Use a good quality voltmeter to check remaining capacity and consider recharge whenever the battery capacity falls to about 50 remaining Of course if you get the Shorai dedicated BMSO1 charger you can just hit the Store Mode button and leave it to do the work for you Q What about Safety Precautions SY the terminals
6. fter storage also improves first start performance in cold weather Q How can I verify Warranty Coverage Do I qualify for warranty coverage You only need to visit http shoraipower com PRIOR TO INSTALLATION and use our year make model finder to verify that you have purchased the correct battery for your vehicle Use of an incorrect battery in your vehicle can be dangerous and will void any guarantee or warranty If your LEX battery is not recommended for your vehicle contact your seller to exchange it for the proper battery See the included User Manual for warranty details
7. horizontal seam between top and bottom of the battery case and that the 5 pin port be fully packed with dielectric grease dielectric grease is a good idea in any case to insure no pin corrosion Also heavy grease should be liberally applied to terminals for wet environments Q How does the LFX CCA cold cranking rating compare to lead acid Ahr ratings A CCA ratings another way that lead acid makers have tried to convey starting power Unfortunately their typical spec is based on a half nominal voltage delivery That is at their CCA spec you can expect 7 2V delivered at best and 7 2V isn t useful as you won t start a vehicle with it In any case CCA ratings aren t about actually drawing that much current from a battery The typical vehicle which uses a 200A CCA rated battery for example will only draw 45A 80A from the battery What the CCA rating really intends to convey is how much voltage will be delivered Higher CCA rated batteries will deliver more voltage at the same actual cranking current Our LFX are CCA rated to deliver 9V for a 5 second crank at the CCA rated current in fact our average voltage delivered will be even higher during a 30 second crank But our CCA ratings are intended to indicate not only a measure of voltage at true cranking currents but also proper usage which lead acid do not At actual cranking currents which are always well below CCA LFX deliver up to two volts more than an equivalent CCA rate
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