Re : The Alpine A110 (finally) cometh | PH Fleet

[100 OCTANE]

a110au said:

i know a porsche snob or two laughed when I said i will fit an aftermarket dual cup holder, but I did and it looks right and works great and cost almost nothing.

https://pasteboard.co/ISKNiWD.jpg

this shows that while a light car may lack a few things, they can be added, but a heavy car is heavy forever.

I’m in the process of fitting a battery charger socket in the front luggage compartment of my Alpine. I was going to earth it to the chassis, however this is not possible, because everything is bonded and riveted, so I’m going to have to earth it to the battery. As Alpine actually sells a after market battery charger, I would have thought they would have fitted a socket, as the battery is in-assessable without removing a panel.

[Miserablegit]

100 OCTANE said:

I’m in the process of fitting a battery charger socket in the front luggage compartment of my Alpine. I was going to earth it to the chassis, however this is not possible, because everything is bonded and riveted, so I’m going to have to earth it to the battery. As Alpine actually sells a after market battery charger, I would have thought they would have fitted a socket, as the battery is in-assessable without removing a panel.

I've done the same- managed to get to the battery by just pulling out the panel beneath the windsceen. It's not the most inaccessible battery- mercedes take the prize for that with their good idea of installing it beneath the driver's seat carpet requiring the carpet to be cut to access (yes that is the way to do it)

[a110au]

bcr5784 said:

What's not too like - do you have a link to the source?

many vendors, same item:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-Cup-Mount-Universa...

[100 OCTANE]

Miserablegit said:

100 OCTANE said:

I’m in the process of fitting a battery charger socket in the front luggage compartment of my Alpine. I was going to earth it to the chassis, however this is not possible, because everything is bonded and riveted, so I’m going to have to earth it to the battery. As Alpine actually sells a after market battery charger, I would have thought they would have fitted a socket, as the battery is in-assessable without removing a panel.

I've done the same- managed to get to the battery by just pulling out the panel beneath the windsceen. It's not the most inaccessible battery- mercedes take the prize for that with their good idea of installing it beneath the driver's seat carpet requiring the carpet to be cut to access (yes that is the way to do it)

It’s beyond me, that manufacturers believe we’re going to be driving our cars regularly, if you don’t you run the risk of a flat battery. Surely they could fit a small backup battery for the electronics if the main battery drops below a certain level, ie, enough so you can start the car, is this possible, or am I missing something.

[Miserablegit]

To be fair to them it is extra weight..

As for use - I anticipated I’d use mine now and again. I’ve done nearly 13000 miles in it and it’s other cars’ batteries that have gone flat!

[bcr5784]

Anyone tried charging via the 12v socket? In Porsches the socket stays "alive" when a charger is plugged into it. Would be the most convenient way if it works.

[bcr5784]

a110au said:

many vendors, same item:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-Cup-Mount-Universa...

Thanks - been looking for "cup holder" not cup "mount" so never came across it. Did you have to cut off the bottom to make it fit - the current cup holder isn't very deep?

[100 OCTANE]

bcr5784 said:

Anyone tried charging via the 12v socket? In Porsches the socket stays "alive" when a charger is plugged into it. Would be the most convenient way if it works.

Do you mean the 12 V accessory socket in the cock pit?

[100 OCTANE]

Miserablegit said:

To be fair to them it is extra weight..

As for use - I anticipated I’d use mine now and again. I’ve done nearly 13000 miles in it and it’s other cars’ batteries that have gone flat!

They could have fitted a lighter main battery.

[bcr5784]

100 OCTANE said:

Do you mean the 12 V accessory socket in the cock pit?

I do, by the cup holder.

[a110au]

100 OCTANE said:

They could have fitted a lighter main battery.

buying a lithium battery to replace the stock one has a bigger weight bang buck than most other cars.

[bcr5784]

a110au said:

buying a lithium battery to replace the stock one has a bigger weight bang buck than most other cars.

Certainly better than a carbon fiber roof.

[100 OCTANE]

bcr5784 said:

a110au said:

buying a lithium battery to replace the stock one has a bigger weight bang buck than most other cars.

Certainly better than a carbon fiber roof.

Hang on a minute , I have a carbon roof, for me saving weight high up is a good thing

[cerb4.5lee]

100 OCTANE said:

bcr5784 said:

a110au said:

buying a lithium battery to replace the stock one has a bigger weight bang buck than most other cars.

Certainly better than a carbon fiber roof.

Hang on a minute , I have a carbon roof, for me saving weight high up is a good thing

I always used to laugh about the carbon roof on my E92 M3...the car weighed 1650kg!!

A carbon roof is about as useful as a chocolate teapot for me!

[bcr5784]

100 OCTANE said:

Hang on a minute , I have a carbon roof, for me saving weight high up is a good thing

True, but it's less than 2kg saving and a Lithium battery would save so much more that it would lower the centre of gravity more, even though the battery is lower than the roof. I trust you are using the lowest seat position and are on a strict diet too!

[DoubleD]

bcr5784 said:

100 OCTANE said:

Hang on a minute , I have a carbon roof, for me saving weight high up is a good thing

True, but it's less than 2kg saving and a Lithium battery would save so much more that it would lower the centre of gravity more, even though the battery is lower than the roof. I trust you are using the lowest seat position and are on a strict diet too!

How much does it cost to save 2kg?

[bcr5784]

DoubleD said:

How much does it cost to save 2kg?

£2200 for the roof - very difficult, to say the least, to justify on the basis of weight alone. But given that paint options can cost up to £4440 (yes really!) clearly people will pay a lot for the aesthetics they want.

[100 OCTANE]

bcr5784 said:

DoubleD said:

How much does it cost to save 2kg?

£2200 for the roof - very difficult, to say the least, to justify on the basis of weight alone. But given that paint options can cost up to £4440 (yes really!) clearly people will pay a lot for the aesthetics they want.

It’s relatively easy and cheap to save weight initially, however as you progress it gets more difficult and expensive. I have saved 7kg overall, so I reckon over time car, I’ll save a considerable of petrol to recuperate some of the cost. I also choose a white car and felt it would look a bit stark, so the carbon sets it off nicely and yes for me the look is important

[bcr5784]

100 OCTANE said:

It’s relatively easy and cheap to save weight initially, however as you progress it gets more difficult and expensive. I have saved 7kg overall, so I reckon over time car, I’ll save a considerable of petrol to recuperate some of the cost. I also choose a white car and felt it would look a bit stark, so the carbon sets it off nicely and yes for me the look is important

How have you managed to save another 5kg? Alpine have done a pretty good job to start with, so difficult for me to imagine how to save much more without removing sound insulation, trim or infotainment.

[DoubleD]

100 OCTANE said:

bcr5784 said:

DoubleD said:

How much does it cost to save 2kg?

£2200 for the roof - very difficult, to say the least, to justify on the basis of weight alone. But given that paint options can cost up to £4440 (yes really!) clearly people will pay a lot for the aesthetics they want.

It’s relatively easy and cheap to save weight initially, however as you progress it gets more difficult and expensive. I have saved 7kg overall, so I reckon over time car, I’ll save a considerable of petrol to recuperate some of the cost. I also choose a white car and felt it would look a bit stark, so the carbon sets it off nicely and yes for me the look is important

You will have to go to the moon and back before you see any fuel saving back from a 7kg weight loss!