My dilemma: Car choice

Technical discussion on converting internal combustion to electric
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hyper24
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My dilemma: Car choice

Post by hyper24 »

I currently have a TX5
http://www.motorsm.com/aus/cars/used/im ... J545-1.jpg
It cost me $100 and came with a blown motor, perfect start for a conversion.
Problem is, this car weighs 1200kg.

Orh I cold get one of these fairly cheap
http://www.violinkid.com/wp-content/upl ... a_1995.jpg
Barina, weights about 860kgs.
But it would probably cost around $1,500 - $2000

The weight difference would be great.

But if I keept with the car that cost me nothing, I could spend the extra money on batteries.
What do people think?
zeva
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My dilemma: Car choice

Post by zeva »

Generally I'd say.. go with whichever car you would prefer to own and drive!

But if it were me I'd probably go with the TX5, and use the money saved to get better components.

The EV components will last a very long time, so there's no reason why you couldn't transplant everything over to a new car in the future if you decide you want something more efficient (e.g need longer range), or even if you simply get bored with the TX5 Image
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hyper24
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Post by hyper24 »

Yeah, good point. I would def want to drive the TX5 than the barina.
At least the TX5 has some type of mascularity still associated with it. Barina just has no hope haha
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Post by Striker »

I drive a Mazda 626 Turbo every day, it's the same as the 1988 Ford Telstar TX5, and it's a beautiful car to drive.

The down side is, being a front wheel drive, you're probably up for an Impulse9 by NetGain motors. It's certainly not a slug of a motor, and should make for a decent daily driver in a 1300 kilo car, as long as you don't expect any miracles.

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hyper24
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Post by hyper24 »

1300kgs? car starts at 1200 then the removal of the ICE and its components then the addition of 500kgs of lead... Would have to be at least 1500kgs?

Yeah also the older probes were same as the mazda/tx5s.
Was on alot of the american probe forums when doing repairs on my brothers 89 AT TX5

But not sure about the 93+ models if they had same components or not.

Why does the Impulse9 lead itself to front wheel drive cars?
I had my eyes on the X91-4001, is this not a good pick for this?
Also I thought front wheel drive would be easier for a conversion?
Last edited by hyper24 on Wed, 23 Jul 2008, 19:36, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by zeva »

500kg of lead, ugh, the poor little chassis! 120kg of lithiums will get you the same range as half a tonne of lead; usually a vehicle's converted weight is about the same as the original weight if you use a typical sized lithium pack. (Plus lithiums actually work out cheaper in the long run anyway!)

The Impulse 9s were designed with a short body specifically for front wheel drive vehicles with narrow engine bays, i.e there often isn't much width between the gearbox and the side of the engine bay for a long motor. The Impulse 9's body is about 35cm long; the X91s are actually a couple of inches longer, plus due to the smaller diameter they are a significantly less powerful motor; about 2/3rds the power rating.

I'd usually say the 6.7" motors are a bit too wimpy for vehicles over a tonne, but if you're not after too much performance (or hillclimbing ability) it should be OK.
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Richo
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Post by Richo »

On the plus side some places will give $3 per lead batt when dead!
hyper24
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Post by hyper24 »

The SP20-12 Greensavers are looking good at the moment.
for my 70km range I would need $9200 worth of lithiums that includes the BMS. At a weight of 160kg
If i choose the greensavers it works out to be $3100 and a weight of 360kg.
So 200kgs more but $6000 less.

Hmmm so tough now, 3 times cheaper. But of course in the long run the lithiums will win.

In regards to the motor choice I guess ill have to measure up the bay once I decide on a car and strip it.
Last edited by hyper24 on Thu, 24 Jul 2008, 07:55, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Striker »

hyper24 wrote:1300kgs? car starts at 1200
Good luck finding a 1988-1992 TX5 at that weight.
I dragrace at WSID, and the car weighs in at 1350 kilos (on the WSID scales) with less than a quarter of a tank of fuel
But not sure about the 93+ models if they had same components or not.
The 1993 TX5/626/Probe were built on a completely different platform to the 1988-1992.

Why does the Impulse9 lead itself to front wheel drive cars?
The Warp and Transwarp series of motors are longer, and tend to not fit in the front wheel drive enginebays. The Impulse was designed shorter just for the front wheel drive cars.

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hyper24
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Post by hyper24 »

I should of mentioned that it is a 93+ model TX5 which you can see by the picture. Not the 88-92 model range.
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Post by Haakon »

Motors in front wheel drive cars dont have to in sideways! Get a rear diff from a Subaru or Commode (or your car of choice that had rear drive and independant suspension) and mount it right onto the motor. Ususally enough room forwards of the front axle line for the assembly.

Its how I will do my conversion (one day...) as it was originally a front drive car with a lengthways motor ;)
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Post by Mr Camouflage »

That's something I've never thought of. I suppose you could use the front diff from a four wheel drive (like a nisan patrol) and mount the motor behind the axle line also.
Last edited by Mr Camouflage on Sat, 26 Jul 2008, 15:44, edited 1 time in total.
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woody
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Post by woody »

Or the rear diff from anything and mount it both backwards and upside down, or run your electric motor backwards. Or the rear diff from a Honda since their engines go the opposite way to most.
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Richo
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Post by Richo »

Mmmm that'd be cool.
The BMW I have has a diff with IR suspension.
Also has the speed sensor in the diff.
So put that in a front wheel drive would prob work ok.
And you keep the speed sensor as well.
Also come in LSD options!

Be interesting to see the motor mounted veritcally on it.

So the short answer is NO but the long answer is YES.
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Mr Camouflage
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Post by Mr Camouflage »

If you mounted it upside down all the diff fluid would leak out through the vent hole.

If you mounted a diff vertically it may not get lubricated correctly.

I believe you cant run diffs in the opposite direction they were designed to run for an extended periods either. The crown wheel and pinion gears are cut specifically for forward running.

It would work, but I expect it would be very noisy (like when you drive in reverse), and have a limited lifespan before the diff failed.
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woody
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Post by woody »

Oops, sorry, I have been watching too much Scrapheap Challenge recently. (6 nights a week on ABC 2). Mr Camouflage is right.
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Mr Camouflage
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Post by Mr Camouflage »

Yeah thats a great show. Amazing what they can come up with out of junk.
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