Smallest useable battery for a Mirage

[Wallythacker]

I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

Has anyone taken the time to try a variety of sizes of powersports or tractor type batteries? Some are more powerful than I imagined. My Weedeater garden tractor had the "normal" size lawn tractor battery with no specs on it but my battery tester showed it having a 425 CCA capacity. That really surprised me. I was expecting 2-250 CCA tops. An older powersports gel type battery tested 130 CCA, and it was marked 130 CCA. Not bad for an 8 year old battery stored in an unheated garage and charged once in a blue moon. Another powersport type battery was marked AGM and tested 115 CCA and it, I think, is older than the one testing 130 CCA.

I think Loren experimented with smaller sized batteries. I suppose I could even put a pair of the powersport types in parallel but one battery is simpler, nicer, cheaper.

ETA: I have a lithium ion booster which is rated to produce 600 CCA. That amazes me because it's about the size of 4 16650 lion cells which are 3.7v 1600mAh cells. How they get the current is a mystery. However, it looks like there might be a small supercapacitor or two in the leads to the battery. I have to press a small button on the side of the leads unit which generates a loud buzz and the manual says there are now 30 seconds to hop in and turn the key.



This booster will cold start my Mirage in the dead of winter, -15C with no effort. A couple seconds cranking and starts right up. As I mentioned, it's pretty small.

[Mark]

My experience with motorcycle, ATV, & UTV batteries has not been positive, & that's using them as they are intended to be used. Thankfully, my two Honda ATVs are easy to kick start.

I bought a cheap 600A Lithium-ion jump starter (see below) last year. I keep it in the storage area of my Kawasaki Mule, which doesn't have an alternative method of starting. My Mule battery died for good earlier this winter, and I used the jump starter until I was able to replace the battery.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Everstart...e&athbdg=L1100

I used the Lithium-ion jump starter on a 2003 Mercury Sable that wouldn't even crank last week. It had been parked for a long time, and my jump starter had been left in the cold for several weeks. It started the 6-cylinder Sable! I was impressed, because it's not much bigger than a cell phone. A simple cell phone charger charges it up, too. It's been a good $50 investment for me. If that small jump starter can start a 6-cylinder Sable, I'm confident it would do well with a Mirage.

I'm sure there are some good motorcycle/ATV batteries out there, but none of them have overly impressed me. I already have enough crappy batteries (add John Deere Riding lawnmower & 4WD Bolens G174 diesel tractor to my list) to deal with. The last thing I need is one of those in my Mirage. I wish my Mule used a car battery, and I think some guys have converted their machines to car batteries or cheaper lawnmower batteries.

My brother has a Honda UTV, & he has constant issues with batteries for that machine, too.

A factory Mirage battery in the States is only 356 CCA. You can buy a 340 CCA lawnmower battery at Walmart or a 350 CCA one at my local Farm & Fleet store. I'm sure they would start a Mirage.

I am going to Walmart to pick up a group size 35 battery when my factory battery dies. On a positive note, my 2011 Forester takes the same group size 35 battery.

[Fummins]

I too have had many powersport batteries die. I scrapped the little battery from my rzr and tossed a 27 group battery in the bed. I never had another problem. The battery died in my current side by side was drained once and that was the end of it. Now I have a big(I can't remember the size) agm car battery mounted under the seat and tossed the stock one.

I don't see any advantage of going with a smaller battery unless you're trying to loose weight in the car for racing or crazy fuel economy. I have seen people try using capacitors instead of a battery, it kinda worked but wasn't ideal.

The batteries in these cars are spec'd pretty low already, I think they're only rated at 350 cca or so? The replacement ones I install are around 600cca. Running a weaker battery will likely increase your chances of it not starting, especially in the cold. I see Nissans in the fleet that will often will crank fine but won't start if the battery is getting weak.

[Wallythacker]

My experience with motorcycle, ATV, & UTV batteries has not been positive, & that's using them as they are intended to be used. Thankfully, my two Honda ATVs are easy to kick start.

I bought a cheap 600A Lithium-ion jump starter (see below) last year. I keep it in the storage area of my Kawasaki Mule, which doesn't have an alternative method of starting. My Mule battery died for good earlier this winter, and I used the jump starter until I was able to replace the battery.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Everstart...e&athbdg=L1100

I used the Lithium-ion jump starter on a 2003 Mercury Sable that wouldn't even crank last week. It had been parked for a long time, and my jump starter had been left in the cold for several weeks. It started the 6-cylinder Sable! I was impressed, because it's not much bigger than a cell phone. A simple cell phone charger charges it up, too. It's been a good $50 investment for me. If that small jump starter can start a 6-cylinder Sable, I'm confident it would do well with a Mirage.

I'm sure there are some good motorcycle/ATV batteries out there, but none of them have overly impressed me. I already have enough crappy batteries (add John Deere Riding lawnmower & 4WD Bolens G174 diesel tractor to my list) to deal with. The last thing I need is one of those in my Mirage. I wish my Mule used a car battery, and I think some guys have converted their machines to car batteries or cheaper lawnmower batteries.

My brother has a Honda UTV, & he has constant issues with batteries for that machine, too.

A factory Mirage battery in the States is only 356 CCA. You can buy a 340 CCA lawnmower battery at Walmart or a 350 CCA one at my local Farm & Fleet store. I'm sure they would start a Mirage.

I am going to Walmart to pick up a group size 35 battery when my factory battery dies. On a positive note, my 2011 Forester takes the same group size 35 battery.

Mark, the world is a weird place at times. I think I have the identical LION as you do, in addition to the 1 I posted. My LION has an issue with either a cell or what I presume is the small supercap in the leads. Until it failed it would sit in my motorbike glove box for 2 years at a time and always start me when I left a drain on the battery. The LION unit posted was used for nearly 18 months starting my 2014 Mirage during the pandemic. For some weird reason I could not find a group 35 under $150, even on sale. Now I see them as low as $99 plus the core of $20.

I too have had many powersport batteries die. I scrapped the little battery from my rzr and tossed a 27 group battery in the bed. I never had another problem. The battery died in my current side by side was drained once and that was the end of it. Now I have a big(I can't remember the size) agm car battery mounted under the seat and tossed the stock one.

I don't see any advantage of going with a smaller battery unless you're trying to loose weight in the car for racing or crazy fuel economy. I have seen people try using capacitors instead of a battery, it kinda worked but wasn't ideal.

The batteries in these cars are spec'd pretty low already, I think they're only rated at 350 cca or so? The replacement ones I install are around 600cca. Running a weaker battery will likely increase your chances of it not starting, especially in the cold. I see Nissans in the fleet that will often will crank fine but won't start if the battery is getting weak.

I got lucky I guess buying the used 27 battery for $50. It's Kirkland which from my reading was still available in Canada after Johnson Controls sold their battery division in the US? In theory I could maybe get a replacement, it might be pro-rated but I still might get 75% the cost of a new battery which is pretty good, except the 27 I have passes all the tests thrown at it.

Anyhow, a few days after I bought the 27 I sold my garden tractor and it was nagging me that the battery in it should be in great shape. It wasn't. After 2-3 days it would go flat. I had left that battery on a maintainer with the desulphation feature since Christmas thinking it could not hurt leaving it in trickle mode. The night before I was to deliver the tractor I was looking for a medium cost solution for the tractor. I had settled on an AGM with 210 CCA from Amazon in powersport format. Before I pulled the tractor battery I thought, what the hell. Test it, use it to try starting. It tested fine, 415 CCA. It started the tractor just fine.

The only conclusion I'll make is the desulphation feature on the maintainer really worked. It likely "burned" off the boundary layer of sulphides that hamper all wet/agm/gel (not sure) batteries. Oh, also that a lawn tractor battery from Walmart has more than enough CCA to start a Mirage.

So now I think the used 27 will live in the Vue. I'll use the dual post currently in the Vue in my 2014. I'll buy a lawn tractor battery when my dual post gives up. I see 270 CCA batteries from Walmart US for $30-35. Up here they go on sale rarely for $79-89. I only got ~30 months from my factory battery. I can't fault the battery. It sat without being charged during one of the hottest summers ever experienced in Ontario. Lead acid don't take kindly to even a single deep discharge unless they are built for it.

[sunbeam]

Check this out:

https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...attery-Project

[Tommyptr]

There are videos where people started cars up with a 12/15volt drill battery.. and I suppose its quite possible if under ideal circumstances... such as the car is in proper working order (doesn't need long cranking times ect)... I suppose the alternator would charge up the battery and prevent overcharging... and it might work for a little while (week or two) if you do not use the accessories, like headlights or A/C. It probably could get you out of a bad jam (being stranded)... but there is almost 100% probability you will have the main battery in the bay, and all you would need it for is a jump.

[Mark]

Check this out:

https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...attery-Project

I lived through that thread. My take away from using small batteries -

I wish I could use full size car batteries in all my toys (ATVs, UTV, riding lawnmower, etc....)

I HATE small batteries! Life spans are usually short, and the cost adds up over time.

If I can't afford a nice car battery when my factory car battery dies, I am selling my Mirage. I see no benefit in small batteries (only headache).

[Wallythacker]

I decided to leave the stock replacement 35 in my 2017, leave the 27 I bought cheap in my 2014, my Vue has a dual post of some CCA, and finally my Puma has a battery from a garden tractor with normal posts and 450 CCA. My Puma engine is 1.7l 150hp and starts easily with the battery.