Cover your battery terminals for some peace of mind!

By: David John Stevenson

Have you ever noticed that some racers use duct tape on their battery terminals?  Did you ever wonder why?

These racers are actually wrapping their battery terminals as a safeguard from short circuits or possible fires.  If your vehicle is involved in a severe impact, sheet metal or other vehicle components may come in contact with your battery terminals.  This could make for a very dangerous situation.  Wrapping the terminals with duct tape will help insulate the terminals in the event of an accident.   Another cleaner looking option would be to pick up rubber or plastic battery terminal protectors from your local auto parts store for under $5.

It would be bad enough smashing up your favorite ride at the local track, now just imagine that ride burning up in a subsequent fire as well?  This would be a severe case of adding insult to injury, especially if you’re still in the vehicle!

Actually, you don’t have to be in an actual accident to have something come into contact with your battery terminals.  I’ve seen everything from a dropped wrench to screwdriver bridge the gap between the positive and negative terminals.  Let me tell you, this makes for a very nice fireworks display.  In addition, an old friend of mine almost lost his ring finger when his wedding band came into contact and got stuck on a battery connector.  His burnt black finger and melted ring were nothing to brag about.  Occurrences like these could have been avoided if the battery terminals were properly insulated.

Relocated/rear mount batteries are a great way to help with the handling and traction of your vehicle.  Unfortunately, many enthusiasts carry a full trunk load of parts, tools and or other items that may come into contact with the terminals by mistake.  For this reason, it’s especially important for rear mount batteries to be enclosed in a battery box or at least have the terminals insulated from possible contact with other items stored in the trunk.

Also, a quick release/connect battery terminal goes a long way in the safety department.  These simple devices allow you to spin a knob or engage a switch to cut the vehicles power. This time saver eliminates the need to find the right size wrench and cuts the disconnecting process from minutes to seconds.  In a situation when the power must be turned off quickly, this could mean the difference between fixing your car in the pits or flat bedding a burnt out shell to the junkyard.