Battery recommendations?

[KE7WOX]

So I'm getting back to Prescott on Monday. After a full month of being parked in the cold, my TB will probably be out of battery and I'll get a new one.

I'm looking for recommendations on batteries with top terminals so that they can be used with a compressor or winch. I was thinking DieHard or Optima, but I wanted to hear from others to see what they recommend

[cbbryan]

Optima red top for sure

[Trail X]

Optima has reportedly been having quality control issues and recently restructured their warranty (http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_p ... /index.php). They added a clause to the red-top about abusive use/deep cycle/audio applications that voids warranty. Off road use could be "abusive use" and the mere presence of a winch on the vehicle can void the warranty entirely. Just goes to show the red top is nothing more than a standard car battery that happens to be AGM.

Sears discontinued stocking the Optima batteries in 2007 for a few reasons. One of them had to do with failures (high-rate on red tops), which brought about their introduction of their Platinum line. Sadly, they (Optima) have gone down-hill in the past few years and aren't worth the $$$. Of course, that's a personal opinion so take it as such. I'd personally buy a DieHard Gold / SUV battery before a red top for use when major power draws aren't a factor.

The Platinums (mfg'd by EnerSys, who also does Odyssey and Naval submarine bats) are pretty good options and the warranty is hard to beat for when major draws are a factor. It's 4yr full, then an additional pro-rated out to 100 months [aka 48/100]. Price is up there at about $190. Their Gold (Johnson Control) is 36/100 for $110 and their SUV (same MFG as platinum, EnerSys) is 36/100 for $118.

So the way to go is a Die-Hard Platinum. It's essentially an Odyssey battery, just with a different cover. Excellent warranty too. I know Gordinho and I are using them... no complaints yet. It has my vote.

(here's a thread you may have found if you searched: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=103)

[HARDTRAILZ]

DieHard Platinum...do not waste your money on an Optima

[KE7WOX]

Sounds like I will get the Platinum if my battery is infact dead.

From looking at the other post, looks like this is the right size/type of battery
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... +Batteries

am I correct?

[teebes]

There are a couple comments on that Sear's link regarding potential issues with the side posts (which our vehicle use by default). Not sure if this was an old design or current.

Sure Optima's have had some negative comments lately, but considering they've been the standard for offroad use for some time, not everyone is going to be giving them a 5/5 rating (especially considering environment use can drastical differ with our style of driving). I'm running two of them and still have nothing negative to report.

Just my $.02

[KE7WOX]

And what color are you using teebees? red top?

Those comments regarding side posts worry me, and I'm thinking that off-road use (and all the washboards in the Arizona roads) might aggravate this issue

[Philberto]

Another thing to bear in mind is that Teebes's batteries are a couple years old IIRC, and not the newer ones, which are the optimas that everybody's complaining about. As far as I know, the Red tops are getting the most complaints, while the yellow tops aren't as panned (deep cycle). That said, I still think the Diehard Platinums are the best out there, both for the value, and for the extraordinary warranty. Can't go wrong even if the side posts do fall off... just splice on some top-terminals and keep on going, or warranty the battery.

[The Roadie]

I have a 4 year old Red top that's been absolutely perfect - although I know I should consider replacing it before it goes bad on me.

[Zero]

i have had red and yellow tops. i used top and side posts with no problems. but they were the older models.

[teebes]

Red top about 3 yrs.
Yellow top under 1 yr

[cbbryan]

My battery actually dies last month and I went to O'reilly's to pick up a new one. I got a superstart with 800 cold cranking amps for $89 + tax. I could have gotten a 650cca like the stock battery for $84 + tax. It has a 3year waranty no questions asked and then it's prorated after that. Not a bad deal if you asked me.

[KE7WOX]

Is there anything on the Die Hard warranty that might give me issues if I'm the one who installs the battery and not Sears / kmart?

[Doratus]

I have a 4 year old Red top that's been absolutely perfect - although I know I should consider replacing it before it goes bad on me.

That said, will you be looking at another red top amidst all the negative comments lately?

[The Roadie]

No way on another Optima. But don't ask me what I've decided on yet because I haven't even started serious research, but the Platinum is high on the list just from noticing all the good words.

[HARDTRAILZ]

No way on another Optima. But don't ask me what I've decided on yet because I haven't even started serious research, but the Platinum is high on the list just from noticing all the good words.

Well... What is on the list???

[Philberto]

I'm gonna guess he's also considering the Odyssey batteries, from the same parent company... Can't say what else he's looking at though.

[teebes]

I'd keep an eye out for LI based batteries. I've been running one in my supermoto for about 8mo with absolutely great results. Advantages:

• weighs less: as much as 80% weight saving;
• much smaller: 1/3 or less of the space;
• has a longer service life: more than 5 years instead of 2 to 3 years;
• recharges many times faster: 45 to 60 minutes instead of 7 to 15 hours;
• has a low self-discharge rate.


*Note, the pic is an early model design. The newer ones are completeled weather sealed.

[Trail X]

Don't you have to have a special charge controller for it?

I know we have entire departments here dedicated to designing the charging sequences for Lithium packs.

They also have the potential for explosion if improperly charged... could be the reason you don't see them for regular vehicles very often. Are they used in hybrids?

[teebes]

Sorry, these aren't normal Lithium Ion but Lithium Iron Phosphate. I'm not into all the various technical details, but they can be used with standard rectifiers and chargers. There's a huge back and forth discussion over on thumpertalk about why these aren't mainstream yet.

For my bike I was specifically looking for weight savings. Of course, you still need a strong battery to crank the high compression single cylinder, so far so good.

The vendor I purchased my lil battery has some details on his page: http://turntechbattery.com/TurnTech%20Battery/FAQ.html