Battery Recommendation - Based on my situation

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May 16, 2008 | 03:54 PM

#21

bestvettever

Pro

Joined: Sep 2007

Posts: 735

Likes: 7

From: Bucks County Pa

Odyssey Battery

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padrino

Timing is everything and I started another thread in the last day regarding the AGM Odyssey batteries. Some other folks were kind to chime in with some excellent examples of using a smaller 925 series of the Odyssey as it not only seems to be working well but cuts about 25 lbs out of the weight.

However, I realize I'm pretty lazy about worrying about battery tenders, etc and I daily drive my car

and love it. I was about to order the smaller Odyssey but after this thread I believe I'll just go with the type 78 as recommended for my 1999 C5 however, I'm going to use the AGM. Bought my C5 used and noticed the acid wash on the frame rail directly under the battery area when she's on the rack. Obviously, previous owner had a problem and I'm not going to risk it a second time. I'm not going to the RedTop for reasons they seem to have a high failure rate. These Odyssey AGM's are getting very high durability ratings on other web forums.

Can anyone give me their 2 cents on this before I spend a 2 hundred bucks??

Padrino

Hi, I've not had any first hand experience with an Odyssey AGM, so I did a bit of checking. It appears that it is a typical AGM with all the advantages, and also the disadvantages. If you are going to use an Odyssey, keeping it charged is still every bit as important as any other battery. And there are many chargers that won't keep it charged. Below is an excerpt from Odyssey's web site on charging. It is important reading if you use this type battery.
A good quality lead acid battery designed for daily charge/discharge cycling may be advertised to have a 2,000-cycle life, when discharged 20% each time (80% charge remaining) where as the Oddyssey is advertised to have a 400 charge/ discharge cycle life, which is typical of deep cycle batteries,(These batteries are capable of providing engine cranking pulses in excess of 2250A for 5 seconds as well as 400 charge/discharge cycles to 80% depth of discharge (DOD). A typical starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) battery can do one or the other, but not both. ). They advertise it as a combination starting/ deep cycle type, but there is always a trade off when using lead acid which it does even though it is AGM.
Bottom line as far as my opinion is concerned FWIW, is that it is super expensive for a car battery, when Delco pro will do everything you want it to do. and cost a lot less. If you needed it for a construction vehicle or boat, or airplane, it might be worth the cost for ruggedness sake, but not really neccessary for a car. I'm not saying it is a bad battery, just not worth the cost. INMO. Also the warranty for the one that would fit in the vette is 4 years, where as the Delco Pro is 50 months, and the remainder of 7 years pro rata.
Good Luck
SEE BELOW
Charging ODYSSEY® batteries
The information on this page discusses battery charging. For available battery chargers, click here
Proper Charger Selection
A critical factor in the proper use of a rechargeable battery is charging. Inadequate or improper charging is the most common cause of premature failure of rechargeable lead acid batteries.
Small, portable automotive chargers may be used to charge your ODYSSEY® battery. These chargers are essentially designed to bring a discharged battery to a state of charge (SOC) that is high enough to crank an engine. Once this is successfully accomplished it is up to the engine alternator to fully charge the battery. It is important to keep this design philosophy in mind when using this type of charger.
There is another class of chargers that is designed specifically to maintain the battery in a high state of charge. These chargers, such as the 1.25 amp Battery Tender® from Deltran are not capable of charging a deeply discharged ODYSSEY® battery. This is due to the fact that these chargers have very low output power. They should only be used either to continuously compensate for parasitic losses or to maintain a trickle charge on a fully charged stored battery.
(A) Selecting the right charger for your battery
Small portable automotive chargers can also be used, as long as certain suitability criteria are met. Qualifying these chargers for your ODYSSEY® battery is a simple two-step process.
Step 1 - Charger output voltage
Determining the charger output voltage is the most important step in the charger qualification process. If the voltage output from the charger is less than 14.2V or more than 15V for a 12V battery do not use the charger. This output voltage is measured on the battery terminals with the charger charging, the voltage is steady and the output current has begun to decline. For 24V battery systems the charger output voltage should be between 28.4V and 30V. If the charger output voltage falls within these voltage limits when the battery approaches a fully charged state, low output current, proceed to Step 2; otherwise pick another charger.
Step 2 - Charger type — automatic or manual
The two broad types of small, portable chargers available today are classified as either automatic or manual. Automatic chargers can be further classified as those that charge the battery up to a certain voltage and then shut off and those that charge the battery up to a certain voltage and then switch to a lower float (trickle) voltage.
An example of the first type of automatic charger is one that charges a battery up to 14.5V, then immediately shuts off. An example of the second type of automatic charger would bring the battery up to 14.5V then switch to a float (trickle) voltage of 13.6V; it will stay at that level indefinitely. The second type of automatic charger is preferred as the first type of charger is likely to undercharge the battery.
A manual charger typically puts out a single voltage and has to be manually switched off to prevent battery overcharge. Should you choose to use a manual charger with your ODYSSEY® battery, do not exceed charge times suggested in Table III below.
(B) Selecting battery type on your charger output
While it is not possible to cover every type of battery charger available today in a product guide such as this, this section will try to give the ODYSSEY® battery user some general charger usage guidelines to follow, after the charger has been qualified for use with this battery.
In general, do not use either the gel cell or maintenance free setting, if provided on your charger. Choose the deep cycle option, should there be one on your charger. Table III below provides suggestions on charge times based on charger currents.
Table III: Suggested charge times for ODYSSEY® batteries
Model
Charge time for 100% discharged battery
10A charger
20A charger
PC 310
48 minutes 24 minutes
PC 535
1.5 hour 45 minutes
PC 545
1.5 hour 45 minutes
PC 625
2 hour 1 hour
PC 680
2 hour 1 hour
PC 925
2.5 hour 1.25 hour
PC 1200
4 hour 2 hour
PC 1700
7 hour 3.5 hour
PC 2150 9 hour 4.5 hour
Note that the charge times recommended in Table III are based on an assumption that the ODYSSEY® battery is fully discharged with an open circuit voltage of 11.6 volts. If the battery is only partially discharged the charge times should be appropriately reduced.
Sealed Rechargeable DrycellTM - Deep Cycle Batteries

Last edited by bestvettever; May 16, 2008 at 04:06 PM.

May 18, 2008 | 09:26 PM

#22

Bob Chapman

Pro

Joined: Jun 2002

Posts: 726

Likes: 45

From: Marquette MI

Zack - you need to drive you car more. I live in Marquette [north of you] and drive my Vette 7 months out of the year - yes we have 5 - 6 months of winter up here - but you live in

May 18, 2008 | 09:27 PM

#23

Bob Chapman

Pro

Joined: Jun 2002

Posts: 726

Likes: 45

From: Marquette MI

Zack - you need to drive you car more. I live in Marquette [north of you] and drive my Vette 7 months out of the year - yes we have 5 - 6 months of winter up here - but you live in LOWER MICHIGAN!

May 18, 2008 | 10:39 PM

#24

ZeeOSix

Le Mans Master

Joined: Mar 2002

Posts: 5,955

Likes: 161

From: PNW

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldvetter

Battery location dictates an AGM Battery. Battery maintainer a must if you don't drive car for 3 days or more.

I wouldn't go as far as saying "3 days or more". I've measured the battery voltage drop with time on my Optima Red Top (while it's in the car), and it takes ~ 3 weeks before it gets down to around 12.2 volts, which I would consider the lowest you'd want it to discharge to.

If I don't drive it for 3 weeks, then I put the Battery Tender on it.

Last edited by ZeeOSix; May 18, 2008 at 10:42 PM.

May 18, 2008 | 10:51 PM

#25

MagneticRed1977

Racer

Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 355

Likes: 0

From: Dayton Ohio

Quote:

Originally Posted by bighank

If you want a mat buy it.

BIGHANK

May 19, 2008 | 01:03 PM

#26

YLWFVR75

Thread Starter

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Joined: Apr 2000

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From: Motor City Vettes Ringleader

SE Michigan Coordinator

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Chapman

Zack - you need to drive you car more. I live in Marquette [north of you] and drive my Vette 7 months out of the year - yes we have 5 - 6 months of winter up here - but you live in LOWER MICHIGAN!

LOL.... I know.. tell me about it. This last year we had a baby, and built a new house. Therefore, the vette didn't see much road action! Hoping to get it out more this year!

May 19, 2008 | 01:19 PM

#27

peebee_c5

Instructor

Joined: Jul 2006

Posts: 210

Likes: 2

From: Elkins Park PA

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeeOSix

3 days or more of sitting, on a regular basis, would certainly be long enough to justify putting a battery tender on. Batteries HATE to be left sitting around with no charge on them, and doing so will shave life off of them. Sulfate crystals start growing on the plates the minute that charge is removed from the battery, reducing its current output and eventually killing it altogether. This all holds true regardless of the type of battery and regardless of the voltage you're measuring.

If you want your battery to last, and it's not getting a good daily charge from driving the car, then you should keep a float charge on it.

PS -- It's for this same reason you should always check the date code sticker on the battery when buying a new one. Sulfination happens while the battery is sitting on the shelf at the store -- you want the freshest battery possible to ensure the least possible sulfination on your new battery.....

May 19, 2008 | 02:36 PM

#28

ZeeOSix

Le Mans Master

Joined: Mar 2002

Posts: 5,955

Likes: 161

From: PNW

Quote:

Originally Posted by peebee_c5

From a theoretical viewpoint this might be true, but from a practical viewpoint I'd have to disagree. I've had many vehicles that were not driven every day and I've only put a Battery Tender on them if they sat for more than 2 weeks. The batteries in them have lasted many years. The Optima Red Top I currently have in my Z06 is about 4 years old now and is as strong as the day I purchased it. I only put the Battery Tender on it if I don't drive the car for 2 or even sometimes 3 weeks during winter months.

Certainly putting a Battery Tender on it any time it's not being driven wouldn't hurt anything, but at least for me it has worked just fine putting the Battery Tender on the batter after the car has sit up to a couple of weeks without being driven.