I see fairly regular questions being posted about the "best battery" for our C5's. Doing some cleaning in the garage this last week, I came across the receipt for the Diehard Platinum in my '98 MN6. Date of purchase was 11/22/2008, price was $189.99. It's still going strong and easily starts the car after it's been sitting for a couple of weeks. Never been on a tender - when it has got low on occasion, my "last century" Sears charger does the job.

Those batteries were made by Odyssey, same specification as their current Extreme. That will cost around $300 these days, but there's nothing better, IMO.

 

I don't care about the name of the battery or where you buy it from as long as it is an AGM battery. If you buy a lead acid battery for a C5, you are playing Russian Roulette.

 

 

You can buy the Diehard AGM at Advanced Auto. It's made by Odyssey. Usually you can get a 20% off coupon from their website. Buy online and pickup in store. I got one in September with a 25% off coupon. $150 before tax in my area. So far so good. The DieHard brand is now owned by AA.

 

too...

 

Or you can do as I did (bought 2) and not buy the overpriced AGM battery and buy this for protection. JMHO.

Black Battery Mat | Acid Neutralizing Mat | Battery Mart

 

I’m sure we all have our own ways of doing things. And I’m good with it. In my case with batteries, after owning the vette for 23 years. I have had better luck with a regular battery. I have never had one leak in all my days of owning cars. Just so have it the battery I had the most problems with was an Odyssey AGM. Every 5 years if it needed it or not I changed the battery in the corvette. The AGM was dead in 3 years. The only one that didn’t last 5 years. I do have the battery mat I add this year with my replacement for the AGM.

 

Payed $100 from costco "interstate" Don't own a tender and drive my car maybe twice a month and still works great. I've heard that Walmart batteries are really good for the money.

Myself, I wouldn't pay more than $120 for a battery unless I'm making a race car but for a C5, heck the AcDelco worked and lasted a long time for me.

I've used Optima twice on 2 different vehicles and I didn't like them. Would not hold a charge plain and simple.

 

Of course it's an AGM. Having experienced the delights of a split Delco, why would I use anything else?

 

ACDelco Professional Battery #88863999 ADO-78AGM

 

I may be wrong, but I think you only "need" an AGM if you have the side terminals.
My 2004 Z06 has top mount terminals, thus no need for an AGM as it is very unlikely to ever leak.

 

I have been buying batteries at Walmart for decades with my corvettes, and never had failure with them.

 

I bought AC Delco battery from a vendor here on Corvette forum about 10 years ago, in Tempe, AZ.

It was a little weak from the car sitting so bought a new Costco Interstate battery for Corvette as going on road trip Sept 2017 and wanted to not get stranded, kept the AC Delco battery and gave Costco a old dead battery core from my 1965 C10 chevy truck, they didn't care it was not same battery.

Trickle charged AC Delco and had it tested at O'Reilly, perfect shape so put it in the old Chevy truck and converted it to side cables, starts great still.

Costco battery is good too.

My daily driver PT Cruiser got a new battery at walmart, $50.00 catch only one year warranty, still working fine.

I have learned that letting batteries get too low on charge makes them sulfate, and once that happens you can bring it back somewhat by de sulfating, but it's not as good as it was, it's weaker.

I have had several batteries in the C5 go bad and it was from not driving enough, the C5 seems to drain batteries enough that if you don't have a battery tender type trickle charger, or disconnect the negative cable they get low and sulphate and time for new battery.

I fixed a battery on a motorcycle that was empty of liquid and full of sulphate, boiled distilled water and stirred in epsom bath salt, 1.00 for distilled water, 1.00 for 1 lb bag of regular bath salt walmart brand, trickle charged about a week and it worked!

Battery had been sitting 10 plus years.

Motorcycle batteries are expensive for size and have 90 day warranty only, that's why I did that battery just to see if motorcycle ran etc. It was old man's motorcycle that passed away and last registered 2006, girlfriend's stepdad, I was going to register it and get new tires battery, but GF worried about me getting hurt if hit by car, and she's right too many bad driver's.

So I'm thinking any battery is good, just keep it charged up and it can last and last, low charge and not last so long.

By the way I trickle charge with harbor freight little charger I bought with coupon for $5.00 but I don't leave it on cars all the time, just enough to get battery to 12.6 volts, then remove it.

 

I've had a red top optima in my '01 Silverado since 2006, still going strong. The Vette needed one a few months ago so thought I'd try one for that. See how it goes as I heard they aren't made the same anymore.

 

I have a Die Hard AGM in the vette that I got when the Sears near me went out of business. I keep it on a battery tender and after 2 years is going fine. I just got a Champion AGM for my 4runner as Pep Boys is running a promotion. Feedback on the forum shows they have a 4y warranty while Die Hard offers only 3 (sorry McClane)!

 

I hear what your saying about using a battery tender but check out a CTEK. Tenders are trickle chargers which are the best for storing. A CTEK's configuration is such that it will only provide the charge your battery requires thereby eliminating the possibility of overcharging.

 

I had a Die Hard Gold in my 2004 and decided to replace it last year just to be cautious. When the old battery was taken out, it had already split open but was not leaking. A stitch in time (barely!).

 

More or less related: I've read that AGM batteries should use a tender designed for AGMs. First off, is this true? if so, any recommendations for AGM tender? Thanks, Larry

 

I've been using Deltran Battery Tenders for many years. I have 3 of them and they all work great.
Never had a problem with any of them, and I believe they are made to charge any type battery.
I saw their biggest one yet (5 amps) at Costco for only $35. They are guaranteed for 5 years.

 

Battery tenders and trickle chargers are not the same thing. Tenders only turn on and charge when the charge level drops to a certain point, then turn off. Trickle chargers charge the battery, all the time.
I use a ten year old Sears battery charger, with 2A and 5A tender setpoints. When it's hooked up, it only runs occasionally as it keeps the charge level topped off.