One more time; Batteries
04-29-2012, 03:35 PM
#21
Melting Slicks
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St. Jude Donor '13
My car came with a new platinum battery from advance. One day the car wouldn't start. It took a couple of head scratching hours to figure out the battery was fine. However the positive sidepost had some internal defect. I removed the battery and found minor frame damage and corrosion on the computer under the battery box. So no more acid batteries for me. I went with a redtop. It worked well for two years. I praised it but abused it by not starting it for two or three weeks. It finally started showing 10 volts after sluggish starts. Oh oh. They warranteed it after charging it all night and it actually dropped voltage. Gave me a new one. Now it gets a float charger after I drive it. We'll see how long it goes. The leaky platinum went in my jeep hooked to the top posts and still lives on.
04-29-2012, 03:40 PM
#23
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Most people seem to chose a battery withouth thinking how they use the car
Is it a daily driver? If so the battery should be getting a good top up every day so any battery works. Is it a DD but you do short trips? If so you'll be taking a lot out of the battery every time you start. For a short trip, say less than about 20 mins, you won’t top it off properly. Eventually it'll drain.
Is it a weekend car. If so, this takes a lot out of your battery. There’s a 20MA drain even dormant. If you don’t drive the car for a reasonable time every week or so, it'll kill the battery. In this case you really do need a battery tender.
For daily drivers, a lead acid which meets the minimum spec will be fine. The leaky AC Delcos are long gone. The GM spec for the Vette requires a Cold Cranking Ampage (CCA) of 500A and a reserve capacity of 80 minutes. If you still want to guarantee a battery that won't leak, you need an AGM but they dont take kindly to being discharged. I went with a Yellow Top for that reason but it was expensive.
Just be sure that the recommendations fit with your driving profile.
Is it a daily driver? If so the battery should be getting a good top up every day so any battery works. Is it a DD but you do short trips? If so you'll be taking a lot out of the battery every time you start. For a short trip, say less than about 20 mins, you won’t top it off properly. Eventually it'll drain.
Is it a weekend car. If so, this takes a lot out of your battery. There’s a 20MA drain even dormant. If you don’t drive the car for a reasonable time every week or so, it'll kill the battery. In this case you really do need a battery tender.
For daily drivers, a lead acid which meets the minimum spec will be fine. The leaky AC Delcos are long gone. The GM spec for the Vette requires a Cold Cranking Ampage (CCA) of 500A and a reserve capacity of 80 minutes. If you still want to guarantee a battery that won't leak, you need an AGM but they dont take kindly to being discharged. I went with a Yellow Top for that reason but it was expensive.
Just be sure that the recommendations fit with your driving profile.
Last edited by DeeGee; 04-29-2012 at 03:43 PM.
04-29-2012, 03:56 PM
#24
Melting Slicks
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Most people seem to chose a battery withouth thinking how they use the car
Is it a daily driver? If so the battery should be getting a good top up every day so any battery works. Is it a DD but you do short trips? If so you'll be taking a lot out of the battery every time you start. For a short trip, say less than about 20 mins, you won’t top it off properly. Eventually it'll drain.
Is it a weekend car. If so, this takes a lot out of your battery. There’s a 20MA drain even dormant. If you don’t drive the car for a reasonable time every week or so, it'll kill the battery. In this case you really do need a battery tender.
For daily drivers, a lead acid which meets the minimum spec will be fine. The leaky AC Delcos are long gone. The GM spec for the Vette requires a Cold Cranking Ampage (CCA) of 500A and a reserve capacity of 80 minutes. If you still want to guarantee a battery that won't leak, you need an AGM but they dont take kindly to being discharged. I went with a Yellow Top for that reason but it was expensive.
Just be sure that the recommendations fit with your driving profile.
Is it a daily driver? If so the battery should be getting a good top up every day so any battery works. Is it a DD but you do short trips? If so you'll be taking a lot out of the battery every time you start. For a short trip, say less than about 20 mins, you won’t top it off properly. Eventually it'll drain.
Is it a weekend car. If so, this takes a lot out of your battery. There’s a 20MA drain even dormant. If you don’t drive the car for a reasonable time every week or so, it'll kill the battery. In this case you really do need a battery tender.
For daily drivers, a lead acid which meets the minimum spec will be fine. The leaky AC Delcos are long gone. The GM spec for the Vette requires a Cold Cranking Ampage (CCA) of 500A and a reserve capacity of 80 minutes. If you still want to guarantee a battery that won't leak, you need an AGM but they dont take kindly to being discharged. I went with a Yellow Top for that reason but it was expensive.
Just be sure that the recommendations fit with your driving profile.
Thanks in advance.
04-29-2012, 07:17 PM
#25
Race Director
As long as you drive your car long enough to keep the battery charged, an "every few day" or weekend car does not need a battery tender. I have one in case I need to take a trip that leaves my car sitting for 3 weeks or more but normally, my 3 day per week driving schedule keeps the Kirkland battery fully charged.
04-29-2012, 07:39 PM
#27
Safety Car
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I have a Sears Die Hard..Great battery, never any issues..I only drive my vette 2 to 3 times a week and she fires up every time..My 3rd Die Hard(had 2 in 2 different daily drivers over the last 10 yrs)
04-29-2012, 08:24 PM
#28
Melting Slicks
go for best free replacement warranty
Bought a Duralast Gold from Autozone in Oct 2009 and it has been flawless. Paid less than 90.00 and it comes with a great waranty, 8 years if I remenber correctly. Never had a problem starting, even after sitting for more than a month, No BS. Sears or AC Delco will give you good results too, never really heard anything bad about them, exept they cost a little more.
First 36 months is free replacement, I had one fail at 35! months in the Z, got a free battery. All my cars have 36 free replacement autozones now. (note-just bought one for the equinox, but cost has gone up to $99) They are all probably a crap shoot now, but I look at the free replacement warranty period. There may be some better batteries out there, but if they only offer one year free......I don't want to take a hit.
04-29-2012, 09:04 PM
#29
Melting Slicks
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As long as you drive your car long enough to keep the battery charged, an "every few day" or weekend car does not need a battery tender. I have one in case I need to take a trip that leaves my car sitting for 3 weeks or more but normally, my 3 day per week driving schedule keeps the Kirkland battery fully charged.
04-29-2012, 10:53 PM
#30
I've been buying Die Hard batteries for 25+ years with only one premature failure. The replacement was covered 100% so I was, and still am, a happy camper with Sears batteries. I do use a Battery Tender, Jr. if one of the cars will be setting for a week or more.OBD
04-30-2012, 03:36 AM
#32
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Good info.. So are you guys that have more of a weekend/every few day driver hooking up the tenders everytime you park it? Also... I bought a Deltran battery tender plus from O'Rielly Auto Parts. Says it charges up to a certain point then floats.. I had seen quite a few folks post that they use a CTEK... Since I am ignorant to which and why I have to ask the dumb questions Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.I don't bother with the tender if I drive the car every week. Over Winter, when it can sit for weeks without being driven, I hook it up. Depending on the drain on your battery would decide how long you could leave it. With the typical 20MA drain you should be good for at least 2 weeks if you follow GM's advice. GM suggests a 30MA drain and recommend 3 weeks before topping the battery off. My Yellow Top is 6 years old and going well. It has sat for 3 weeks and started fine. That said, I killed an older red Top when my car shipped to England. It was in transit for 8 weeks and the battery died.
If I bought a new battery now I would probably go with a cheaper lead acid battery as I understand my car and its needs a lot better now.
Last edited by DeeGee; 04-30-2012 at 03:48 AM.
04-30-2012, 07:02 AM
#33
Instructor
Thread Starter
And in The End......
So I wound up buying a gold top from Advance auto. 700 cca and 95 min reserve. three year replacement. The old one was 650 cca Exide three years old. I believe the Advance brand is Johnson control. It was labeled manufactured Feb 2012. 15% off made it less than 100 dollars.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
04-30-2012, 03:46 PM
#34
Melting Slicks
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I fitted a yellow Top which is a deep discharge battery. That said, I was a victim of an AC Delco "leaker" which colored my judgement for many years. It was way more expensive than a traditional lead acid battery but copes well with being discharged.
I don't bother with the tender if I drive the car every week. Over Winter, when it can sit for weeks without being driven, I hook it up. Depending on the drain on your battery would decide how long you could leave it. With the typical 20MA drain you should be good for at least 2 weeks if you follow GM's advice. GM suggests a 30MA drain and recommend 3 weeks before topping the battery off. My Yellow Top is 6 years old and going well. It has sat for 3 weeks and started fine. That said, I killed an older red Top when my car shipped to England. It was in transit for 8 weeks and the battery died.
If I bought a new battery now I would probably go with a cheaper lead acid battery as I understand my car and its needs a lot better now.
I don't bother with the tender if I drive the car every week. Over Winter, when it can sit for weeks without being driven, I hook it up. Depending on the drain on your battery would decide how long you could leave it. With the typical 20MA drain you should be good for at least 2 weeks if you follow GM's advice. GM suggests a 30MA drain and recommend 3 weeks before topping the battery off. My Yellow Top is 6 years old and going well. It has sat for 3 weeks and started fine. That said, I killed an older red Top when my car shipped to England. It was in transit for 8 weeks and the battery died.
If I bought a new battery now I would probably go with a cheaper lead acid battery as I understand my car and its needs a lot better now.
So I wound up buying a gold top from Advance auto. 700 cca and 95 min reserve. three year replacement. The old one was 650 cca Exide three years old. I believe the Advance brand is Johnson control. It was labeled manufactured Feb 2012. 15% off made it less than 100 dollars.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
04-30-2012, 10:09 PM
#35
Instructor
My 2004 vert had the original battery in it and it worked fine. However, I figured it was 8 years old and maybe I should replace it.....and so I did. I replaced it with another AC Delco. Hey, if the first AC Delco still works after 8 years, that is a pretty good recommendation for another one, right? So I went to my favorite Chevy dealer.
Costs as follows:
Battery $129.95
Labor $ 19.95
Misc $ 2.11
Total $152.01
S. Tax $ 9.44
Total $161.45
So I could've saved 20 bucks by putting it in myself, but they have great coffee and donuts......
Costs as follows:
Battery $129.95
Labor $ 19.95
Misc $ 2.11
Total $152.01
S. Tax $ 9.44
Total $161.45
So I could've saved 20 bucks by putting it in myself, but they have great coffee and donuts......
05-01-2012, 01:21 AM
#37
Le Mans Master
Cant really comment on that. Mine have been done and undone a few times, I always tourque them back to spec, never had a problem. I even put aftermarket lugs on the side terminals so I can screw my Ctek charger cables to them and ran the jack out the vent on the side of the car. Reach in, hook up and good to leave, reach in, unclip and good to go. Works for me 
http://www.mysears.com/DieHard-Plati...change-reviews
05-01-2012, 09:59 AM
#38
Drifting
So I wound up buying a gold top from Advance auto. 700 cca and 95 min reserve. three year replacement. The old one was 650 cca Exide three years old. I believe the Advance brand is Johnson control. It was labeled manufactured Feb 2012. 15% off made it less than 100 dollars.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
The next bigger was not the correct physical size. so I figured the Exide worked for three years so just get the Advance which was a little more powerful.
Of course I had an accident on the way home. Another thread.
05-01-2012, 01:01 PM
#39
Safety Car
This is where I am seeing all the side terminal problems reported...
http://www.mysears.com/DieHard-Plati...change-reviews
http://www.mysears.com/DieHard-Plati...change-reviews
However I do note:
3.47 of 5 (by 19 reviewers)
I looked to see how may they sold last year, couldnt redily see that number but Im pretty confident that its 1000 x the 20 reviews here. Id bet on a 0.01% failuer rate
Not an expert, just what I chose for me.
05-01-2012, 01:36 PM
#40
Melting Slicks
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Follow DeeGee's advice. I also have a yellow top (7 years and counting), but that may be overkill for your situation. A good lead acid will serve most people's needs.