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MeLe Design Firm Lightweight Battery Mount

Messages
6
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11
Location
Eugene
#1
Hello all. This is my first post on the forum but I’ve been around for a bit.

I’ve recently started working with a startup co. MeLe Design Firm and we were the first company to offer a direct fit lightweight battery mount for the FiST among many other vehicles.

They are made local out of the portland area, cut in house, and come in a raw aluminum, texture black powder coat, or custom colors if you contact them.

Raw Aluminum
B3FA11F5-249E-44AF-954D-DED8B522B4AA.jpeg

My custom powder coated mount

E5845C5A-F601-4C86-90A2-1FDFD28C0A62.jpg

E654A65C-357D-48E8-A805-E11E2D224910.jpeg

It fits the Odyssey PC680 and XS Power D680 battery and gives you a 16 lbs weight reduction from the battery assembly.

I known weight savings isn’t super important to everybody but the product is beautiful and would go great if you have a custom looking engine bay.

Raw aluminum starts at $145 and the texture black starts at $155 battery and terminals not included.

If you have any questions but leave them here and I’ll get back to you when I can. If you reach out on social media let them know that Ryan sent you over. I don’t get anything from it at all I just want the team to know.

www.meledesignfirm.com

This is the info from the web listing.

-5052 marine grade, locally sourced aluminum

-CNC cut in house

-Hand formed, hand finished, hand riveted

-Each mount comes with a unique serial # for authenticity and quality control

-Comes with 304SS mounting hardware including proprietary coated mount plate

-Direct fit, no drilling required

Benefits:

-Sheds 16 lbs. from the nose of the vehicle, a 49% reduction in battery weight.

-Creates usable space to custom mount various items

-Cleans up engine bay

-Track tested (MeLe is currently being used in various forms of racing)
 


Perfblue15

1000 Post Club
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341
Location
Canyon country
#5
Wow really nice product. I just saw yesterday that JST is selling these. I will make sure to pick one up from Brian soon.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 


OP
S
Messages
6
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11
Location
Eugene
Thread Starter #7
pics of the side where the ECU mounts?
B736AF3D-6974-45DB-AB8A-E62E70DF34BD.jpg

ECU harnes is bolted on bottom and the clip of the harness rests on the mount. Foam is to put some distance between terminal and ECU harness.

Edit: I have no idea how to rotate the image otherwise I would.
 


Last edited:
Messages
475
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227
Location
Dublin, OH
#8
I would worry about the bottom of the battery resting only on the 3 protruding nuts (one with the end of a bolt protruding) and one hex cap screw. Also, I don't see anything to keep the battery firmly locked into the mount so it does not vibrate, though the cables might do this so then the battery will be locked in place by the terminals--maybe not a good thing. Am I missing something? It would be nice to hear from the OP on this.
 


OP
S
Messages
6
Likes
11
Location
Eugene
Thread Starter #9
I would worry about the bottom of the battery resting only on the 3 protruding nuts (one with the end of a bolt protruding) and one hex cap screw. Also, I don't see anything to keep the battery firmly locked into the mount so it does not vibrate, though the cables might do this so then the battery will be locked in place by the terminals--maybe not a good thing. Am I missing something? It would be nice to hear from the OP on this.
There is foam lining around the inside of the mount which holds the battery very well in place to stop vibrations. It’s a tight fit by design for this exact reason.

As for the hardware on bottom the battery is actually resting on another piece of foam in the bottom of the mount. And an additional one on the top of the latch that sandwich the battery in place. Then the latch is secured with a locking pin. So it’s supported all the way around.

Also from our engineer, “That hardware was chosen so it wouldn't dig into the battery. The only time it could potentially dig in is if the battery was physically vibrating and moving around which is restricted by the foam and mount design.”

Did that answer your question?
 


Messages
475
Likes
227
Location
Dublin, OH
#10
There is foam lining around the inside of the mount which holds the battery very well in place to stop vibrations. It’s a tight fit by design for this exact reason.

As for the hardware on bottom the battery is actually resting on another piece of foam in the bottom of the mount. And an additional one on the top of the latch that sandwich the battery in place. Then the latch is secured with a locking pin. So it’s supported all the way around.

Also from our engineer, “That hardware was chosen so it wouldn't dig into the battery. The only time it could potentially dig in is if the battery was physically vibrating and moving around which is restricted by the foam and mount design.”

Did that answer your question?
Yes. 100%. It was not evident from the YouTube video but you did answer my questions. It looks like a very well done accessory.
 


anticon

Active member
Messages
602
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525
Location
Sherwood
#14
I saw one of these installed this weekend. It was a really nice piece of hardware, very solid, and located in an ideal spot for some weight reduction.
 


JDG

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Premium Account
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Location
Conshohocken, PA
#15
Definitely going to be ordering this kit with PC680 once the temperatures warm up here! This is really slick.
 


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325
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
#17
I've run a PC680 on a Mustang for over five years... battery does last longer than standard 2-3 year life batteries, but it need to be charged on a battery tender if the car is stored more than 3-5 days as the car does drain it over time. I have this on the FiST now but I just installed it a few days ago.

About the installation... I think it's easier if the ECU is removed from the mounting plate, and speaking of the mounting plate it will only be bolted in one spot on the forward side... and the clip loosely fit flopping on the MeLe battery box... seems flimsy to me, so I added an angle mount to the back side. Other issue is that the ECU mount is moved outboard several inches, so the harnesses wiring is strained to bend this far. On the positive side, it provides more space between the ECU and Turbo/manifold so it seems to be in a cooler area not cooking the ECU as much.
 


Woods247

2000 Post Club
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Location
Atl
#18
How are these things holding up for you guys in the colder temps? Anybody let their car sit a week or so with the PC680?
I have to keep my battery on a tender. I also have to unplug my AP. The AP drained the battery completely after a few days. Honestly, it’s a pain in the ass if you ask me.

Edit: I have the XS Power D680
 


JDG

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Premium Account
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Conshohocken, PA
#19
I have to keep my battery on a tender. I also have to unplug my AP. The AP drained the battery completely after a few days. Honestly, it’s a pain in the ass if you ask me.

Edit: I have the XS Power D680
Think I’m gonna stick with OEM... thanks for the info, kind of what I expected to hear but thought maybe folks would be presently surprised with the battery performance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


M-Sport fan

9000 Post Club
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6,699
Location
Princeton, N.J.
#20
Yeah, if I were looking for the most zero weight battery, in OUR climate, I would seek out one of the lithium setups that still retain FULL stock/factory specs as far as CCA/CA/reserve capacity/etc.

Yes, they ARE crazy $$$$$ though. [:(]
 




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