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battery suggestions

digglesworth

Well-Known Member
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1,789
Location
illinois
I'm considering a new battery since I dunno what kind of shape my duralast battery is in. I guess I could get it checked but I'd like the piece of mind of a new one that I know is good. So what are you guys using? I'm not gonna run a dual setup (at least for right now) and I'm not looking to drop hundreds on one. Maybe $200 at the most.
 

Bigunit

Hammer Down!
Staff member
Messages
6,561
Location
Arizona
I took Dwaine up on his suggestion and offer and got this one. It's an agm Odyssey 34/78 class. Best battery I have ever bought. You can get the Sears Diehard version for a few less bucks.

ava8amup.jpg


I like the fact that it has some great cold crank power and the side terminals to power the winch.

2etese3y.jpg


Fits perfectly. I am very happy with this battery and absolutely no negatives.



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Last edited:

digglesworth

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Location
illinois
I've seen the AGM designation before and it appears those are good for off road use... Is that something to do with construction or materials used?
 

Bigunit

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Arizona
Both. They also hold up real well to extreme heat.

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digglesworth

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1,789
Location
illinois
I'm assuming I could get the version without the front terminals since I don't have a winch. Although I don't know about a year or so from now..... They may come in handy.
 

Bigunit

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Arizona
You might as well get the one with the front terminals since you will have it for more than a year and you never know if/when you will decide to get that winch. Better to have it and not need it today than to not have it when you might need it someday.

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Bigunit

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I never was any good at math but I remember hearing that in high school at some point, so what do I know! ;)

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alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,674
Location
Scottsdale
Well, I think it could be argued that most car batteries only have one set of connections, not two. Might even be 99% of the batteries are that way, which puts you in the 1%. Therefore, I'm going to camp in your front yard until you redistribute your battery wealth to those of us in the 99%
 

Best4x4

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Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
I used to run nothing but Optima Yellow Top's then they started being made in "Mexico" and the quality went downhill extremely fast. I've been using the Diehard Platinum/Diehard Platinum Marine battery now and I'm extremely happy with them. I have one in my Alpha and 930AMP vs the wimpy OEM 550AMP is a nice improvement. It'll fit in the OEM battery tray with just a little dremel work.
 

Bigunit

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Arizona
Check your source Big...... When I got my Odyssey they recommended I order the "MJ" version of the battery because the Metal Jacket on them helps protect the AGM battery from the heat.

Chook, I was just making a general statement in response to the general question of an agm designation (not the merits of an Odyssey "MJ" version vs. the non-MJ version) and the basic difference between an agm battery vs. a traditional flooded/wet battery's performance in hot weather (i.e., the fact that water evaporates, water in a flooded battery leads to calcification, the more water you add over time to a flooded battery the more calcification that will form, calcification happens in a flooded battery because they loose their charge faster - especially in hot weather - calcification leads to more resistance, more resistance leads to more internal heat, more internal heat leads to failure) - agm batterys are thus better in extreme heat than flooded batterys.
 

chaos254

Well-Known Member
Messages
577
Location
United States
I went with an advance auto gold battery. I dont need a fancy battery since I dont have off road lights, winch, etc

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alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,674
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Scottsdale
In the hot climates like AZ, having an AGM battery helps a lot. The heat degrades our batteries quickly to the point that we have to replace them every two years. The plates break without warning too - I've pulled into a convenience store to only have the H3 not start when I came back out. The AGM batteries do not suffer this same material breakdown. I'll likely upgrade with my next replacement, which will probably be in about a year.

Off road driving also breaks down the batteries as well from the vibration and bumps. Again, the AGM batteries do not suffer this fate.

Last, we had a beater Dodge Ram in our wheeling group once. His AGM battery was not strapped down and when we came back from dinner we found it had fallen against the exhaust manifold. The plastic melted around the header tube and cave in about an inch. I bet if it were a traditional lead acid battery the battery could not have caved or flexed so well, and that the header heat would have eaten through the casing.

I'm on my 4th conventional battery right now in seven years.
 

digglesworth

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,789
Location
illinois
I was looking on the oddesey site and they gave me a different group than that 34/78. The one they recommended was of smaller capacity. I think I'm gonna save my pennies and get the one Bigunit mentioned.
 

rascole

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,848
Location
Bellflower, CA
Optima. Have had one in every car I have ever owned since they came out. Never have had a problem with them, even since they have been made in Mexico, where ALOT of batteries are made by the way. As far as the side terminals go, what ever manufacture you use, verify with them that you can connect a winch to them. They generally are not rated for long duration high amperage usage like a winch. But they are helpful for adding accessories. I am actually finishing up my dual battery install today with 2 yellow tops.
 

Bigunit

Hammer Down!
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Optimas are so '80s! :D JK! But FWIW, the same company that owned Optima and Odyssey, sold off Optima because Optima technology was outdated and surpassed by Odyssey technology.

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rascole

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Bellflower, CA
Optimas are so '80s! :D JK! But FWIW, the same company that owned Optima and Odyssey, sold off Optima because Optima technology was outdated and surpassed by Odyssey technology.

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That's why you see Odyssey in every auto parts store. What tech is outdated? They are both AGM, the only difference is Odyssey is a flat plate AGM Optima is spiral. Hardly outdated compared to lead acid design. Nothing against Odyssey but the flat plate technology has been around longer than spiral wound. Yuasa, aka EnerSys, aka Odyssey, first developed the flat plate for UPS systems years before Optima, so if anything Optima copied Odyssey. By the way, EnerSys has manufacturing plants in Mexico too. Just sayin. Buy what your gut tells you to, your going to find both pro/cons no matter what forum you go to. Heck, factory battery has lasted in my dads 2001 Silverado for almost 10 years before it went bad, when I replaced it, the truck had close to 200k miles of LA freeway miles on it.
 

MaxPF

AGNTSA
Messages
1,394
Location
The dark side of the globe
I'm considering a new battery since I dunno what kind of shape my duralast battery is in. I guess I could get it checked but I'd like the piece of mind of a new one that I know is good. So what are you guys using? I'm not gonna run a dual setup (at least for right now) and I'm not looking to drop hundreds on one. Maybe $200 at the most.

Anything but Optima animatedCrap.gif
 
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