The battery stay of the Lancer Evo 10 is made of black painted steel and is heavy, so I replaced it with a CUSCO battery stay made of red aluminum that matches the body color to reduce weight.
CUSCO battery stays
The package comes in a simple plastic bag with a tag and a CUSCO sticker enclosed.
There are two sizes of stays: S size with three triangles in the center, and L size with five triangles.
Replacing the battery stay
First, remove the battery cover from the rear trunk.
In the Lancer Evo 10, the battery is installed at the back of the trunk, making it too difficult to work with.
First, remove the stock battery stay.
Since it is only held in place by bolts, it can be removed by loosening the bolts little by little with a wrench. I tried to use a ratchet wrench to remove the bolts, but the bolts at the back interfered with the body and I couldn’t use it, so I used a wrench to remove them.
After loosening the bolt, it took about 10 minutes to turn the bolt because it was too hard to turn with my fingers.
The weight of the battery stay is less than half that of the stock battery stay, so if you want to reduce weight, this is a good option.
The stock stay holds the battery from the side as well, but the CUSCO stay only holds it from the top, so the fixation is a little weak. The CUSCO stay only holds the battery from the top, so it is a little weak. However, it holds the battery firmly enough that it will not fall over, so it is just a matter of feeling.
The “L” shaped metal rod that supports the battery along with the stay is only hooked to the battery tray, so to fix the bolt, you have to hold the part that is hooked to the tray. This was quite difficult, and it took me about 20 minutes to turn the bolt while holding the metal rod at the back, as I could barely get my hands in and the work space was too small.
I managed to finish replacing the battery stay, but it took almost five times as long as the work I had expected.
In a normal car, the battery is located under the hood and is easy to work with, so it should be quicker and easier to replace.
The Lancer Evo has the battery in the back of the trunk, so I can’t show off this red battery stay to everyone.
