12 volt batteries???????????????????

[RdHuggr68]

I have had it with the Optima battery in my car, I am on my second red top in 4 years and they are junk. I have been looking at the Odyssey gel cell and was wondering if anyone out there has used that brand or knows of a good battery. I checked to see if there is any electrical drain on the system and everything is ok. I even keep a trickle charger on it since it only sees the road maybe 2 or 3 times a month. Any suggestions?
Thanks:cheers:

[Sieg]

You might look into these: http://www.braillebattery.com/

[Ron in SoCal]

I read over on the vette forum Braille is made by these guys:

http://www.dekabatteries.com/

Find the size you need, contact Deka and order the same and save 30-50%. Just sayin'...:cheers:

[Sieg]

I read over on the vette forum Braille is made by these guys:

http://www.dekabatteries.com/

Find the size you need, contact Deka and order the same and save 30-50%. Just sayin'...:cheers:

I didn't see the lithium, lightweight, or carbon series? Maybe just the endurance series?

[Ron in SoCal]

I didn't see the lithium, lightweight, or carbon series? Maybe just the endurance series?

Not sure about the carbon, but def remember lightweight. I'll see if I can find the link...

EDIT: did a search, Deka us mentioned many times on that forum... http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1580369206-post12.html

[RdHuggr68]

Thanks for all the info, I think I am going with the Odyssey battery, it has a great warranty and I still have it in the front of the car on my 68 Camaro. I still have the original style battery support and the Braille doesn't have the lip on the battery for the support.
Kevin

[Ron in SoCal]

One thing to keep in mind if your car sits for a long time RD, the Odessey by design will hold a nice charge - especially if you leave it on the trickle - but does require about a 40 minute drive after start up to repalce the drain of intital start up.

Last time I used one under these conditions and went for 10 minute spurts the battery would constantly run down. I could never understand why I would keep it on the trickle, drive for 10 mins and then next time it would turn over slow. I spoke w the factory rep who confirmed this. The idea is to put it away in a fully charged state if possible.

[RdHuggr68]

One thing to keep in mind if your car sits for a long time RD, the Odessey by design will hold a nice charge - especially if you leave it on the trickle - but does require about a 40 minute drive after start up to repalce the drain of intital start up.

Last time I used one under these conditions and went for 10 minute spurts the battery would constantly run down. I could never understand why I would keep it on the trickle, drive for 10 mins and then next time it would turn over slow. I spoke w the factory rep who confirmed this. The idea is to put it away in a fully charged state if possible.

I usually let it run for 20 minutes during the winter once a month and I have a battery tender on it all other times.
Thanks for the info.
Kevin

[TheJDMan]

Just for the record, Odyssey is not a gel-cell it is a true AGM battery. I have a pair of Odyssey's in my Duramax and one in Dust Off. They have a design life of 10-12 years and are considered to be the top of the line in AGM batteries. I can't speak to the reliability since I have only had them in the truck for a couple of years, but I have been pleased with their performace to date.

[RdHuggr68]

[QUOTE=TheJDMan;420136]Just for the record, Odyssey is not a gel-cell it is a true AGM battery. I have a pair of Odyssey's in my Duramax and one in Dust Off. They have a design life of 10-12 years and are considered to be the top of the line in AGM batteries. I can't speak to the reliability since I have only had them in the truck for a couple of years, but I have been pleased with their performace to date.[/QUOTE Is your battery in the trunk? I checked on the specs on these batteries and the one for my car weighs 49 lbs, I thought that was a little heavy that is the PC1500DP. Which model is in your Camaro?

[RdHuggr68]

Ok so the Odyssey is not a gel cell. Is the gel cell a superior battery compared to the AGM battery? I am going to have to research the difference. The gel cell probably is lighter and more expensive. Anybody have any insight on the difference?
Thanks, Kevin:lateral:

[TheJDMan]

Ok so the Odyssey is not a gel cell. Is the gel cell a superior battery compared to the AGM battery? I am going to have to research the difference. The gel cell probably is lighter and more expensive. Anybody have any insight on the difference?
Thanks, Kevin:lateral:

The quick answer is NO, AGM is better.

There are basically three types of automotive batteries. 1. Flooded cell, which is a conventional wet battery and will leak if turned over or punctured. 2. Gell Cell, these are similar to flooded batteries in construction and operation except the acid is mixed with a gelling agent to limit how much the acid flows and the case is normally fitted with a pressure relief valve. This was the first attempt at a battery that would not leak. 3. Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) are the latest technology in lead acid battery design. They feature stacks of very thin, very pure lead plates alternating with a fiberglass mat between each lead plate. These stacks are then compressed and inserted in the battery case. The glass mat is then saturated with just enough acid to do the job but no more. This results in a battery that can be used in any position, does not out gas, is extremely vibration resistant and cannot leak if punctured.

There are several good sources of info on battery construction.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/batteries.html

Here is a discussion on pro-touring.com about this topic.

http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?85220-Battery-Recommendation-Optima-Battery-s-Completely-100-Suck!&highlight=odyssey

Also, here is some info from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM_batteries

Optima is also an AGM battery but due to the nature of the cell design there is approximately 15% less lead plate surface area avaliable which results in a corrispondingly lower capacity when compared to the flat plate design. The extra weight of the Odyssey is the result of more lead which, to be honest, is a good thing.

[RdHuggr68]

Thanks for all the info, I appreciate it!
Kevin:hail:

[TheJDMan]

BTW, for anyone thinking of installing an Odyssey AGM battery in the trunk there is a very nice billet mount available that is made specifically for this battery.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/fullsize/pc1500_billet.htm

Also FYI the Odyssey battery is manufactured by Enersys which, it turns out, also manufactures the Sears Diehard Platinum AGM battery on the exact same assembly line. The Diehard is the same battery as the Odyssey with a different color case but sells for about $80 less.

http://www.sears.com/diehard-platinum-automotive-battery-group-size-34-78dt-price/p-02850090000P?prdNo=8&blockNo=8&blockType=G8