RE: Battery pack
Agreed^^^^
Plus I found that keeping the steering ball ends and post lubed with something like "copperkote"(was for heavy duty oilfield use but now illegal becasue of high lead content but there's nothing better) or some kind of water resistant graphite lube, make your steering smoother and quicker.
And the stock tires are really heavy so switching to somethign light can help also. eg: masher 2000s