Learn Stock Battery Lead
You can’t just throw money at upgrades and expect top performance-that’s a rookie mistake. Start by understanding your stock battery leads, because chances are, that’s what’s in your ONYX right now. Bigger battery leads aren’t just about size; it’s about knowing how and why they make a difference.
Battery Lead Upgrade
If you plan to modify your controller settings, upgrade the controller, or switch to Torque Mode, Champ Mode, Plaid Mode, or Sicko Mode using AC Aduser or Qdash, you must upgrade to a QS8 6 AWG 14-inch battery lead.
Battery Lead Comparison
| Connector | Wire | Length | Amps | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB50 | 8 AWG | 18" | 50a | 70a |
| QS8 | 8 AWG | 18" | 100a | 120a |
| QS8 | 6 AWG | 14" | 150a | 180a |
Battery Lead ONYX RCR LTD
Owning an ONYX RCR LTD is an absolute blast, and no battery lead upgrade is needed. It already comes with a QS8 6 AWG 14-inch battery lead, providing a spark-free connection, a sleeker, more compact design, and support for higher continuous and peak amp loads.
QS Connector Burnout Snap
The QS8, QS9, QS10, and QS12 connector’s 5-ohm resistance is inadequate for providing effective “anti-spark” protection at higher voltages such as 72V, 84V, or 96V. The “snap” sound from inrush current at these voltages can lead to gradual erosion of the connector.
To mitigate this, always connect the QS8, QS9, QS10, and QS12 at an angle, ensuring the flat positive (+) side makes contact first. Alternatively, a custom QS8, QS9, QS10, and QS12 connector with a 15 mΩ pre-charge resistor can be used to address the anti-spark “snap” issue.
ONYX New Battery Upgrade
A battery isn’t just about its rated numbers-it’s the internal build quality, cell arrangement, wire gauge, and overall design that manage temperature, prevent hot spots, and maximize power output.
ONYX Mode Madness
The ONYX MODES post is your VIP pass to the wild world of custom madness-brought to you by ONYX Motors, the ONYX community, and yours truly!
WARNING! WARNING!
Pushing battery lead wires to their limits is an art-one with complex processes that can’t be ignored. Essentially, you’re trying to ride the edge of setting the wire on fire-without actually lighting it up. When testing, take plenty of notes and do your test rides in winter to benefit from the cold. Just remember, summer heat changes the results, so plan ahead.
Thermal Camera
Dumping max current isn’t the goal-it’s inefficient and creates excess heat instead of real power to the ground. Use a thermal camera to monitor battery leads, the battery, controller, and motor temps. A battery lead is more than just wire thickness and a connector; it’s part of the overall setup. But for this post, we’re focusing on battery lead connectors and wiring.
Battery Lead Heat
A battery lead hitting 150°F is normal, but as copper and brass heat up, resistance increases, reducing current flow and efficiency. Copper dissipates heat better than brass, but higher temps still hinder conductivity. As the lead heats up, it spreads to terminals, controller leads, the BMS board, and the enclosure. Heat dissipation depends on ambient temperature, insulation, and how much the rider eases off the throttle.
Battery Lead Length
Wire length directly impacts performance and temperature-a 19" 6 AWG wire performs differently than a 8" 6 AWG wire. Wire composition, including strand count, jacket material, and finish, also affects performance.
The goal is to use high-quality silicone oxygen-free stranded copper wire, paired with electrical joint compound for thicker copper lugs, 44 lead flux-cored solder wire, and proper soldering, crimping, shrink-wrapping, and PET expandable braided sleeving for the best results to push limits.
Battery Lead Amp Limits
Shorter battery leads under 14", like 6", mean ditching the battery terminal and crimping the lead straight to the controller leads and other crazy modifications I will share in future posts.
Wire Limits
| Gauge | Rated | 18" | 6" | Temp/Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 AWG | 85a | 135a | 150a | 150°F/400°F |
| 6 AWG | 120a | 150a | 175a | 150°F/400°F |
| 4 AWG | 145a | 185a | 210a | 150°F/400°F |
| 3 AWG | 190a | 230a | 255a | 150°F/400°F |
Battery Lead Bigger Configurations
These wire gauge and connector configurations are based on DC line amp ratings provided by their respective manufacturers, along with the real-world numbers we’ve pushed to the limit. Because let’s be real-that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re finding out just how much we can get away with while efficiently dumping raw power from the battery all the way to the motor with the perfect setups.
Battery Lead Ratings
| Plug | Wire | Length | Amps | Peak | Plug Max | Wire Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QS8 | 8 AWG | 14" | 100a | 130a | 300°F | 400°F |
| QS8 | 6 AWG | 14" | 150a | 200a | 300°F | 400°F |
| Dual QS8 | 6 AWG | 12" | 300a | 400a | 300°F | 400°F |
| QS9 | 6 AWG | 12" | 160a | 220a | 300°F | 400°F |
| Dual QS9 | 6 AWG | 12" | 320a | 440a | 300°F | 400°F |
| QS10 | 4 AWG | 10" | 210a | 270a | 300°F | 400°F |
| QS12 | 3 AWG | 6" | 250a | 320a | 300°F | 400°F |
Dual Battery Leads
The ONYX battery compartment makes a dual battery lead setup easier than using a single larger connector and wire with the same discharge rating. Whether dual leads are justified depends on the battery’s constant and peak discharge amperage.
High-performance batteries fully utilize dual leads, featuring 45A or 60A cells with excellent temp ratings, sustained discharge, larger internal wiring, thick bus bars, a high-discharge BMS, thicker copper, and a smart cell layout to prevent heat spots.
Dual Battery Lead Rating
Not all dual discharge batteries are created equal. A 55Ah Samsung 50S/50E dual discharge battery? Total gimmick. It’s like putting racing stripes on a minivan-looks cool, but doesn’t do much. Top-tier batteries truly justify dual leads, while others use them for show or fail to realize their low-rated cells gain no benefit.
| Rating | Cell Amps | Internals | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10a | Sm / Med | No |
| 2 | 15a | Sm / Med | No |
| 3 | 25a | Sm / Med | No |
| 4 | 45a | Large | Yes |
| 5 | 60a | Large | Yes |
QS8 Discharge Connector
QS8 connectors are commonly used with 6 AWG wires. They are a popular choice for ONYX’s as a higher-power, more compact alternative to the stock SB50 connector. The QS8 connector is officially rated for 110 to 180 amps but is capable of handling peaks of up to 300 amps in short bursts.
QS8 Discharge Connector Specifications
- Maximum Wire Size: 6 AWG
- Compatible Wire Sizes: 8 AWG to 10 AWG
- Temperature Range: -20°F to +300°F
- Metal Material: Pure Gold-Plated Brass
- Plastic Material: Nylon Reinforced with Fiber
- Flame Retardant Rating: UL94 V0
- Rated Voltage: DC 500V
- Peak Current: 180A
- Continuous Current: 110A
- Resistance: 5-ohm
- Recommended Usage: Up to 1,000 cycles
QS9 Discharge Connector Specifications
The QS9 connector is available in four physical variations: “S,” “U,” “D,” and “L.” The configuration best suited for an ONYX is the “QS9-L.”
- Maximum Wire Size: 6 AWG
- Compatible Wire Sizes: 4 AWG to 6 AWG
- Temperature Range: -20°F to +300°F
- Metal Material: Pure Gold-Plated Brass
- Plastic Material: Nylon Reinforced with Fiber
- Flame Retardant Rating: UL94 V0
- Rated Voltage: DC 500V
- Peak Current: 220A
- Continuous Current: 160A
- Resistance: 5-ohm
- Recommended Usage: Up to 1,000 cycles
QS10 Discharge Connector Specifications
The compact variationof the QS10 connector, without the center bus pins, that is best suited for an ONYX is the “QSP10P-L.”
- Maximum Wire Size: 4 AWG
- Compatible Wire Sizes: 4 AWG to 6 AWG
- Temperature Range: -20°F to +300°F
- Metal Material: Pure Gold-Plated Brass
- Plastic Material: Nylon Reinforced with Fiber
- Flame Retardant Rating: UL94 V0
- Rated Voltage: DC 500V
- Peak Current: 270A
- Continuous Current: 210A
- Resistance: 5-ohm
- Recommended Usage: Up to 1,000 cycles
QS12 Discharge Connector Specifications
The QS12 connector variation best suited for an ONYX is the “QS12-M.”
- Maximum Wire Size: 4 AWG
- Compatible Wire Sizes: 3 AWG to 4 AWG
- Temperature Range: -20°F to +300°F
- Metal Material: Pure Gold-Plated Brass
- Plastic Material: Nylon Reinforced with Fiber
- Flame Retardant Rating: UL94 V0
- Rated Voltage: DC 500V
- Peak Current: 320A
- Continuous Current: 250A
- Resistance: 5-ohm
- Recommended Usage: Up to 1,000 cycles