battery suggestions

[deez]

I have a stainless battery tray that someone here was selling to mount a smaller battery by the strut tower, and was wondering what battery to use. I have a decent stereo with amps in the car, so I need something that can handle that, but has to be small enough to mount in the tray. Any suggestions?

 

[Lonewolf64]

I've been perfectly happy with my Odyssey PC925. It's about half the size of a regular battery but I have never had a single issue with starting, even in cold weather or after long sitting time.

It is about 2 years old and cranks immediately every time. My car sat for 2 1/2 months and when I put the battery back on it cranked immediately as well. Good product imo.

 

[Dan D]

I've had a PC680 which was a good battery, but could not be left connected for over a week of not driving without being really low on juice. The PC680 did last 4.5 years including some abuse though. I have a red-top in the trunk now and it has much more reserve capacity and starts faster. I would not go back to the small battery.

 

[throughfaith323]

those small betterys are not supposed to be used with a big system so i think you should just go with say an optima or something good and mount it in the trunk. a nice kit from summit is 100 and good battery varreys but i wouldnt spend more than 200.

with it in the trunk..all your stereo wiring for subs and what not is very simple and short.

 

[496of2000]

Sears DieHard Platinum

 

[throughfaith323]

they cost like $189 incase you were wondering. good stuff.

 

[iLLeffeKt vr-4]

I had a DieHard from Sears in my car. That thing was a monster, car started right away in the winter time even though I didn't start it for more than a month. I used to have one of those small batteries (not Odyssey) and if I didn't start the car for a week or so I would have to jump it. Winter time it didn't even work at all.

 

[KiNgMaRtY]

I had an optima yellow top and took and took a poop. I heard they are good but didn't work out or me. I have a yellow top Duralast battery in 4 of my cars and don't ever have any problems with them. As mentioned, just stay away from the smaller batteries. I also have my battery in the location of the stock filter neat the strut towers. I bought a shorter and wide battery though as it the og size was putting a dent in my hood

 

[Hertz]

I switched to Optima because running around with a non-sealed lead acid battery in the trunk is not the smartest thing to do.

 

[Struc]

Apparently, as the previous owner of 56/1000 found out as well.

 

[slugsgomoo]

optima yellow tops aren't really designed for our cars, they're deep cycle and a bunch of shallow draw & charge cycles will cause 'em to die with quickness. Red tops are a much wiser choice for our purposes, generally speaking.

 

[Dialcaliper]

^ agreed - deep cycle batteries like yellow tops don't make good starter batteries - they're designed for power low current devices like electronics or refrigerators/freezers. Red tops are cranking batteries, and are better able to handle high current, shallow cycle and quick recharge. They are also fairly light. If your car sits for long periods, or you have a lot of stereos and accessories, the blue-top marine batteries might be a better choice. They can handle both moderately high current as well as both shallow or deep cycles. The disadvantage is that they are typically larger and heavier than the red-tops for a given cranking power. Can't have everything.

 

[uncleben4rice]

Deez,

Red top in the trunk is the only way to go.

 

[Romanova]

Quoting Lonewolf64:
I've been perfectly happy with my Odyssey PC925. It's about half the size of a regular battery but I have never had a single issue with starting, even in cold weather or after long sitting time.

It is about 2 years old and cranks immediately every time. My car sat for 2 1/2 months and when I put the battery back on it cranked immediately as well. Good product imo.



My Odyssey was great, till it took a sh*t. Got almost 7 years out of it I guess... never complained during WA winters where it got pretty cold.

 

[VR_IV_MR]

what i plan on doing is the pc680 in the front for cranking and then a yellowtop in the rear for my system/accessories

and maybe even some way to have the yellowtop be able to crank if the pc680 dies or have the yellowtop be able to jump the pc680. im not too sure the best way to run this but i dont have the money for it yet which is why i haven't figured it out yet lol

 

[chucklesas]

I ended up getting a Braille brand battery for my latest build. When compared to an Odyssey Battery with similar dimensions the Braille had more cold-cranking amps and reserve capacity for the size and weight. I don't know about their longevity though.

 

[1qkfwd]

I run the 680 in my drag talon. It's a great battery for just start ups. I will say though with the alt I run I can have all my lights on, one fan running, and two walbro 255's at 75 psi under a full load and still see 13.7 volts. One thing to remember is our alternators really suck. They get the job done but that's it.

 

[Dan D]

I would not put an odyssey in parallel with an Optima. They are two different battery chemistries and cell designs. You can use some diodes/isolators to run both (one for start, one for stereo, isolated from each other), but don't let them sit there and charge/discharge each other. You'll end up with dead batteries very fast, a screwed up electrical system, and possibly a dangerous ending.

 

I run the pc680 and it starts up perfect everytime, as well as runs all of my accessories. I've had it down for well over a week at a time and it has always started right back up again. I love it so far. It allowed me to actually run an intake with my intercooler piping without having to relocate the battery. Also, I live in Tucson, so it's dealt with some pretty high temps over this past summer and it's still performing like new. I got it at the beginning of summer, so I can't say that it's lasted especially long, but to say that I haven't had any hard starts at all with such a small battery is a pretty good feat to me. But seeing as how you have some amps back there you'll want something bigger. One of the larger oddyssey batteries might be up your alley.
Good luck!

Then again, I do understand why everyone is iffy about them. They aren't made to handle all the stuff we'd be throwing at them. But I'm gonna see just how long I can keep this thing down here in this heat.

 

[curtis]

Do a daily check at auto zone and advance for a optima in the used batteries. Advance sells there used ones for 24.99 if you have a core. My last 3 were bought that way. 2 different reds and a new blue one that was bought on a friday evening and brought back friday night before close. I picked it up Saturday morning before lunch , I think they milked me for 49.99 for it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif Its been in my wifes xterra for 3 years now.