16v Battery and Alternator in TR

[Mike Washington]

I am contemplating putting a 16v system in my GN. I run 16v stuff in all my Mustang race cars. Is the GN/TR wiring, ECM and Electronics up to 16V. Thanks in advance

Mike Washington

 

[gnxtc2]

I've done it but running XFI. Got to remember to charge a 16v battery, the alternator puts out around ~18.5v.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[Nick Micale]

Can someone give a good reason to go with the 16V conversion?

We have 8 and 9 sec. GN's running 8's and 9's with stock alternators, and some with two 12V batteries, and have seen no electrical issues?

We make sure we are seeing at least 14-15 volts during the 1/4 mile run, especially at the last of the half track.

Seems like more expense and complication for no gain?

 

[A2000RICH]

Can someone give a good reason to go with the 16V conversion?

We have 8 and 9 sec. GN's running 8's and 9's with stock alternators, and some with two 12V batteries, and have seen no electrical issues?

We make sure we are seeing at least 14-15 volts during the 1/4 mile run, especially at the last of the half track.

Seems like more expense and complication for no gain?

lots of reason-------just ask the guys selling them------nick i really agree with you------its really silly------why stop at a mere 16-------why not 24 or 48-------heck might as well go with 120 and plug it in with a long cord..........RC

 

[Louie L.]

Two sides of that coin. We have also ran very well on 16 v. I like to have the xtra voltage all the time. And In all honesty were seeing more than 16V. On my fastest pass I was @17V on the XFI.

Oh if you are looking for a non race "Buick" reason, think of the improvement on those slow G body power windows @ 16-17V. Its quite impressive on some cars.LOL

 

[Nick Micale]

Two sides of that coin. We have also ran very well on 16 v. I like to have the xtra voltage all the time. .......

I agree Louie, I love the extra voltage too. My TR logs 15-16V on a run, but I have a stock GN 120 amp alt.

I do run 2 batteries, and never have to charge them at the track, even if it is a weekend event.

 

[SS/GN]

Info

Google ignition systems, their are a couple products,voltbooster etc.It is a box like msd and steps up the voltage to only the systems that need it.You don"t want 16 volts to your dash lights for example.We track and dynoed tested these(I will post the exact name tonight)and we found nothing on a carbed superstocker.Maybe on an injected car you would see more.We also tried the 16 volt stuff with no luck,just expensive and the battery charges alway failed.

 

[Scott Atk]

Hey Nick, Can you teach us how to get 15-16V out of a stock alternator. Is there a simple mod involved or ???

 

[SS/GN]

info

Their are 2 companies www.cfmvoltguard.com and ACCEL :: Welcome! that offer a step up transformer.These are better than the 16 volt stuff out their IMHO.Have a look and see what you think.

 

[Bent6]

I wouldn't recommend one for street use but i personally prefer 16v in an all-out race car vs. 12volt systems and I've run them both. The 16v batteries have come a long way now that they are available in AGM versions.

I've run a 16v system on my race car for years.

PROS:
Voltage cushion - you can run without an alternator (race car) - fully discharged 16v battery still puts out more than a 12v due to the simple fact it has an extra cell - granted the amperage will be lower
Less weight than running two 12v batteries
Designed for deep cycling/quick recharge
Hotter spark - increased fuel pressure - faster injector response - the tuneup is different going from 12v to 16v because of this.

CONS:
Requires a specially setup alternator to charge (I don't run one on the race car)
Smaller gauge wiring needs to be upgraded
Hard on some light bulbs
Most electronics are fine with 16v but some don't like it and require a step down resister.

FWIW -

 

[gnxtc2]

And the bulbs don't like 16v.

The starter sounds awesome with16v also, that thing cranks

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com