Which battery do you have?

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

Not only do I have an Odyssey in my ZR-1 but I've converted everything else except my C5 Z06 to Odysseys and when the OE battery in the C5 goes, I'll put an Odyssey in that, too.

I've been testing the Odyssey battery since the mid-'00s. I find the last longer than Optimas and Delcos. They certainly are more tolerant of deep cycles.

Not well-known secret...the top of the line Die Hard is an Odyssey with a grey case.

Hib,
Thanks for sharing about the Odyssey batteries; very good to know. Which model do you recommend for the ZR-1s?

Thanks,

Craig

[Brad Sewell]

Odyssey recommends the 75-PC1320 for th ZR-1.

[cvette98pacecar]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

Not only do I have an Odyssey in my ZR-1 but I've converted everything else except my C5 Z06 to Odysseys and when the OE battery in the C5 goes, I'll put an Odyssey in that, too.

I've been testing the Odyssey battery since the mid-'00s. I find the last longer than Optimas and Delcos. They certainly are more tolerant of deep cycles.

Not well-known secret...the top of the line Die Hard is an Odyssey with a grey case.

The Original Delco is still in the Pace Car so that Battery is just about 14 years old, I do however keep all of my vehicles on a tender.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Optima

[BigJohn]

You can get an Optima to fit????

[scottfab]

Originally Posted by cvette98pacecar

The Original Delco is still in the Pace Car so that Battery is just about 14 years old, I do however keep all of my vehicles on a tender.

Those tenders sure work great. At last count I have 5 of them on various batteries including the lawn mower.

[cvette98pacecar]

Originally Posted by scottfab

Those tenders sure work great. At last count I have 5 of them on various batteries including the lawn mower.

I have two Deltran 4 banks and one two bank. They have paid for themselves over the years. All of my cars stay on a tender always unless the vehicle is away from home or the storage facility. Best investment I have ever made.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by scottfab

Those tenders sure work great. At last count I have 5 of them on various batteries including the lawn mower.

Yeah, buddy!

I've had 'em for 13 years on various vehicles. Ami's battery is a plain ol' Walmart issue that has been in her C3 for 9 years now. Went out in the middle of this -16º degree cold snap and that battery cranked that 11:1 compression L46 SBC like new.

When the BTs came out they sported much the same so-called "smart charger" technology that was reminiscent from my days of maintaining unmanned radio relay stations in So Cal. Those sites would have banks of lead-acid batteries and some sophisticated battery switching/redundancy circuits, and they were charged and pulsed (de-sulfated) by these big LaMarche tenders. I have NO idea how old some of those batteries were, but 10 years + at least.

Yep. Whenever the Z and the "3" are parked, they go on the BT. (I can't speak for Ctech chargers, but I understand they've similar technology and work well too).

I never have to give winter storage a second thought, far as batteries go. Never!

[Paul Workman]

Some may NOT know that name brand batteries are often made by more than one manufacture, depending on where the regional warehouse locations are vs. the battery manufacturing facility. And, truth be known, many competing brands are often built by the same manufacture!

Delphi Automotive & Johnson Controls are two of the bigger automotive manufactures that make batteries for a variety of labels - sometimes under the same label. And, there are other manufactures as well.

My point is, don't be fooled by all the marketing hype! Regardless of the label on the battery, it may have come from one of may different manufactures. For example, a well marketed battery like the Die Hard has other lesser known and less expensive (in many cases) competing labels...made to the same specs by the same manufacture! Armed with this knowledge...it pays to shop around!

For example, here is a partial list of manufactures and the labels they supply product for. Kinda eye-opening!

Johnson Controls Inc. [JCI], (US) +1-414-524-2434, 1-888-867-8462 or http://www.jci.com/ or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Acura, (US) contact local Acura dealer; 1-800-383-7323; or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Advance Auto Parts, (US) please see Advance Auto Parts

AutoCraft [Starting]

Western Auto [Starting] please see Advance Auto Parts or Sears

Tough One [Starting]

Alliance, (US) please see Battery Alliance or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Amara Raja Batteries Ltd. (Joint Venture with Johnson Controls), (India) +91-44-821-3270

American Hardware

Ames

Autocraft, (US) please see Advance Auto Parts or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Gold [Starting]

Titanium [Starting]

Auto-Tiele-Unger [A.T.U], (Europe) contact local A.T.U store http://www.atu.de/

Varta [Starting]

AutoZone [Duralast], please see AutoZone or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Battery Alliance, please see Battery Alliance

Blain's Farm & Fleet, (US) contact local Blain's Farm & Fleet store; 1-608-754-2821; http://www.farmandfleet.com/; 1-800-383-7323; or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Bosch, (US & Europe) 1-888-715-3616 or http://www.boschautoparts.com/

Car and Driver, (US) contact local Target store

Carrefour, (Europe) contact local Carrefour store http://www.carrefour.com/

Costco [Kirkland Signature], (US) please see Costco or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Champion [beginning April, 2007], (US)

Enertec Mexico (formally Joint Venture with Grupo IMSA), (Mexico) +8-329-9500, 1-800-835-4800 or http://www.enertec.com.mx/

Advantage

América [Starting]

America 500 [Starting]

Celtik Y Nationwide

Cronos [Starting]

Diener [Starting]

Duralast [Starting]

Durex [Starting]

Everlite

EverStart [Starting]

MAXX

Fulgor [Starting]

Full Power

Full Tech

GES [Enertec], (US) +1-817-589-1225

V Series [Starting] for Interstate

LTH

Bateria Marina [Marine]

Hi-Tec [Starting]

Moto-Bateria [Powersports Starting]

Monterrey

Nationwide

Prestolite [Starting] for Exide

Varta [Starting]

Enertec South America (formally Joint Venture with Grupo IMSA)

Bestia Negra [Starting]

Durex [Starting]

Fulgor [Starting]

Heliar [Starting]

Taxi [Starting]

Power [Starting]

Prestolite [Starting]

Equalizer, (US) contact local O'Reilly, Pep Boys, VIP Discount Auto Center, Weatbelt members, PX/BX or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Evercycle

Eveready, (US) contact local O'Reilly, Pep Boys, Weatbelt members, Walmart Canada, or militay locations

EverStart, (US) please see Walmart store or http://www.autobatteries.com/

High Power [Starting]

Extreme [Starting]

MAXX [Starting]

Delphi Automotive, (US) +1-248-813-2000

ACDelco, (US) please see General Motors

Amoco

Atlas

BlueStar, (Canada) +1-604-543-4350

Platinum

PlatinumMax

BJ's Wholesale Club

Pep Boys, contact local Pep Boys Auto Parts store or http://www.pepboys.com

Maintenance Free DieHard Starting, (US) 1-800-383-4273 or http://www.diehard.com/

Gold [Maintenance Free Starting]

Dynavolts, (Truck)

Delco Freedom [Maintenance Free Starting]

Deltek, (South Africa)

Double Eagle, (US) contact local Goodyear Auto Service store or http://www.goodyeardealers.com/

Dura-Power

EverStart, (US) please see Walmart

MAXX

Extra

Ford, contact local Ford dealer

Freedom [Maintenance Free Starting]

Extra [AGM]

Plus, (Europe)

DieHard, (US) 1-800-383-4273 or http://www.diehard.com/

Freedom Intelli-Guard

International, (Truck)

Freedom LiPo Tek

Goodyear, (US) contact local Goodyear Auto Service store or http://www.goodyeardealers.com/

Kmart, contact local Kmart store or http://www.kmart.com/

Middle East Battery Company (Joint Venture with Delphi), (India)

Opel Freedom (Europe)[Starting]

O'Reilly Auto Parts

Super Start [Starting]

Professional

Platinum [AGM]

Marine Freedom

Tough One, please see Advance Auto Parts

Sam's Club, (US) please see Sam's Club

Shell, contact local Shell service stations

Standard, (Europe)

Trak-Auto, please see Advance Auto Parts

Lastcell [Starting]

Permacell [Starting]

Ultracell [Starting]

TSC patrouille [Starting] (Europe)

Voyager Marine

Western Auto, (US) please see Advance Auto Parts or Sears

DieHard, (US) 1-800-383-4273 or http://www.diehard.com/ or http://www.autobatteries.com/

Gold, [Starting]

DuraLast, (US) please see AutoZone

Energizer, (US) please see Sam's Club, contact local Walmart Canada store or http://www.autobatteries.com/

For sources (herein) and links to many other specific manufactures see

THIS LINK

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

I disconnect the negative terminal when I store the car for long periods and during the winter. I also have a hypothesis that by disconnecting the battery, it minimizes oxidation due to electrolysis.

Oxidation? No. But you're correct insofar a lead acid battery capacity will diminish over time by chemical reaction, and is of course hastened by any current drain too.

The chemical part occurs with or without the battery connected. This is due to "sulfation"; a slow chemical reaction where the sulfur (in the sulfuric acid (H2SO4) combines with Lead (Pb) to form Lead Sulfate (PBSO4.)

The lead-sulfate crystals (sulfation) will remain in solution for a time, but eventually the molecules attache themselves to the lead plates and arrange themselves into a non-conductive crystalline bond structure that spreads over the lead plates. As the non-conductive crystalline coating spreads, the effective area of the plates is gradually reduced, and thus the area of the plate available to the electrolyte to produce current is reduced.

The crystalline formation is disrupted when the battery is charged. A car that is regularly driven charges the battery often enough that the sulfation is not a problem. However, for occasional use vehicles (toys), sulfation will occur (which, by the way, results in the battery self-discharging; the rate of which depends on temperature and the state of the battery condition, but typically around 4% per month).

To maintain the battery during extended periods of non-use, a trickle charge will help. However, trickle chargers can over-charge a battery and eventually "boil" it dry and hasten the formation of lead precipitation that settles in the bottom of the case (eventually shorting out the lead plates resulting in a dead cell). However, a special battery conditioning charger (e.g., the fore mentioned BTs or Cteks to name a couple) will monitor the battery charge level and pulse the battery to break up the sulfation without overcharging or boiling the battery, AND be able to carry the normal electric load imposed by the ECM, etc, as well. So! If you use one of the conditioning chargers, you have the best of both: peak performance and longivity and you can leave the battery connected which preserves all your radio pre-sets, and BLM memory, etc.

Sorry. I sometimes revert to my electronics teaching days and get carried away.