Optima or Odyssey

[Tim]

pc 1700
pc 1700 mj (metal jacket)?
pc 1700 mjt (metal jacket t???)

what's the "T" for?

[Stu Olson]

Originally posted by Milan
This won't add anything of value but I want to get in on the discussion a little.

Here the Orbital DC (battery X) is cheaper than Yellow Top (battery Y). So the choice for us was simple. That was until Costco started selling the Blue Top (battery Z) for even less than the battery X. Then a local store chain started offering the same battery Z on sale, so I ordered one and ended up with Blue Top but of the starting kind (black case or battery W). In frustration I went and searched for the proper battery Z but did not buy it just yet. By then I also already installed the battery W as it had higher cranking amps (as a starting battery should) and same reserve capacity. Then a buddy with battery X rolls in and we compare. The battery X has less in terms of parameters listed on the tag. Then we notice that the tags are put on by the distributors/sellers not the manufacturers. Some phone calls and we find out the distributors "do their own tests and ratings". Whatever. I send buddy to Costco to get me the battery Z. He comes back with 2 Z batteries as he could not resist not getting one and compare it long-term to his battery X. Then my other buddy needs a battery bad, so I mention a guy who's selling his 1 yr old battery Y for cheap. He never contacts the guy so I get it myself and after a brief thought of saving it for him I promptly install it in our other vehicle. It is rated at even less CCAs and reserve capacity than battery X. Then buddy #2 shows up in my garage and just takes the yet uninstalled battery Z and puts it in his vehicle saying it will take me 3 years before I even get to install it in mine as that's how long any project takes me. So now we have 1 guy with 1 X and 1 Z, 1 guy with a Z, and I have 1 W and 1 Y in two different vehicles. The X has been behaving well for a year and is used heavily as a starting/winching battery. It supposedly started the vehicle easier and before Z was installed it powered the stereo and lights most of the night during camping and only dropped down to 10.3 V (my buddy # 1 likes to measure things) and still started the vehicle in the morning. The Z now looks pretty on a cargo rack powering a cooler, power inverter and some auxilary items like a shower, lights, etc. Not much of a good comparison really. I have a W battery for starting and winching duties and we'll have to wait and see. Had it for 6 or 7 months. So far so good. But it did not seem to make the starting any "faster". The Y battery serves in our daily driver and the starter seems to crank easier and the vehicle starts quicker even with the under-rated unit Y. Buddy #2 has Z battery and only had it for about 3 months now. One night he forgot to turn lights off and in the morning the battery was dead and required several minutes to even be charged enough to start the vehicle (i don't think 5 minutes is bad). After driving for an hour it still would not start the vehicle once it was turned off. Must have been really dead. This buddy does not like to measure things. Buddies #3 and #4 (not mentioned yet) sport 2 X and 1 X batteries respectively. No issues yet. But time will tell. The stock TJ battery served well starting and winching in cold temperatures mostly and survived 6 years and is now performing starting duities in an old daily driven Ford Bronco with a 351 V8. Starts very well and no issues so far. I hope the different other batteries last as long and as well as the stock battery.

As far as what's bad for a battery - heat or cold. I went to Phoenix one winter and stayed till summer time. My battery made for Canadian winters died a quick death once the temps went above 100. I quickly purchased a used but working battery made especially for hot AZ weather. Worked like a charm. Got me around AZ, Mexico, Nevada and all the way home and the battery worked well for a month or two. Once we got frost on the ground, on regular bases, the battery died within a week. I would think either of the W, X,Y, Z batteries would fair better.

With so many batteries amongst ourselves I'm tempted to conduct a test on how fast they drain and recover, but I guess only repeated abuse will tell you what really lasts and what doesn't in your particular application.

Excuse the length of the post. I thought it would be fun but now I see it's just a long drivel and I'm tired enough from typing it to even bother deleting it. So I think I'll post it anyway.

That was NOT a post about batteries, it was a frickin' Algebra test.

1X + 2Y + 1W + 2Z - (1X +1Y) =

Damn fuzzy math!

[Dan-H]

Originally posted by Stu Olson
That was NOT a post about batteries, it was a frickin' Algebra test.

1X + 2Y + 1W + 2Z - (1X +1Y) =

Damn fuzzy math!

the answer is 12V

[Milan]

LOL. Thanks for taking it lightly guys.

Main thing is old batteries out, math out, new spiral cells in and let's go wheeling. Unless of course you have a bad (whichever it is) or badly installed battery, in which case you go nowhere.

Stu, Blaine or other electrical gurus, what do you think a good bench test would be? Plug the battery to an inverter and hook couple of high wattage appliances and watch the current drop? I think this would just show reserve capacity which should be similar. Plus I'm not sure if I want to drain my starter battery since it is not even designed for may high drain cycles.

[Stu Olson]

I have a buddy of mine that maintains several mountain top radio sites. He is semi-retired so when he goes up to work on a radio system, he often makes a day of it. He runs a Blazer that does pretty well, although his only 4x4 operation is getting to the radio sites. He ran a pair of Yellow Tops (bad battery x 4) the last time I checked. He also carry's an electric grill in the Blazer so he can BBQ burgers for lunch on the mountain top (I told you he enjoys his semi-retirement). He uses a massive power inverter to "fire up" the electric grill. He says it does a pretty good job of load testing the batteries.