vehicle batteries - whats a person need to know?
Heya people, just curious about car/truck batteries. Whats a person need to know about them???
I believe i'm in the market for one, with winter coming. My jeep is brutal, last year if it hit -30C i'd be lucky if my jeep started. That being said what i have found out about the battery is:
58-5YR 12 Volt Auto & Lt Trk Battery, Group 58, 440 CCA, 70 RC, w/ Top Post SAE
(i'm not 100% sure what all that means, nor am i sure how old it is, couldn't find a datestamp or anything)
Previous to that, in my car, i'm not sure what kinda battery i had but it was fairly new (within a year or two). I could leave my car (90tbird sc 3.8L supercharged) sitting for a week straight in a headon wind of -40C weather, and it'd start up with no trouble at all. Never did i have a single bit of trouble starting it up.
So that being said, winter is on it's way, and i'm thinkin maybe i should look for a new battery - which i believe is the main component in this all. Talkin with some, i find out that 450 cold cranking amps is apparenlty pretty weak! I'm told like 600 or so, would definitely be a lot better, but again, i don't know much about batteries.
What can you guys tell me about my current situation as well what should i know when purchasing a battery. It won't be specifically for car audio or anything, just a solid battery that'll allow me to get around, start my vehicle in the winter, and won't break down on me!!
I believe i'm in the market for one, with winter coming. My jeep is brutal, last year if it hit -30C i'd be lucky if my jeep started. That being said what i have found out about the battery is:
58-5YR 12 Volt Auto & Lt Trk Battery, Group 58, 440 CCA, 70 RC, w/ Top Post SAE
(i'm not 100% sure what all that means, nor am i sure how old it is, couldn't find a datestamp or anything)
Previous to that, in my car, i'm not sure what kinda battery i had but it was fairly new (within a year or two). I could leave my car (90tbird sc 3.8L supercharged) sitting for a week straight in a headon wind of -40C weather, and it'd start up with no trouble at all. Never did i have a single bit of trouble starting it up.
So that being said, winter is on it's way, and i'm thinkin maybe i should look for a new battery - which i believe is the main component in this all. Talkin with some, i find out that 450 cold cranking amps is apparenlty pretty weak! I'm told like 600 or so, would definitely be a lot better, but again, i don't know much about batteries.
What can you guys tell me about my current situation as well what should i know when purchasing a battery. It won't be specifically for car audio or anything, just a solid battery that'll allow me to get around, start my vehicle in the winter, and won't break down on me!!
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 410
450CCA's? Wow... even my cavalier came with a stock 550CCA, and what a difference when I stepped up to a Optima Yellowtop! But for your needs, it sounds like an Optima Redtop would work well. Pick one up at Wallmart or Costco and you're good to go.
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 756
Optima does not make a group 58 battery, at least one that's not readily available.
A group 58 is a Ford battery. Commonly found in Mustangs, Tempos, and yes, Jeep's. Group 58's cannot be found any bigger than 600cca really...
In a Jeep, one can retrofit group 34's, and group 34 Optimas, sometimes. 34's can be found in anything up to 900cca.
You can stick the biggest baddest battery in your car, and unless your car is in tip top mechanical condition, it won't start at -30, unless you plug in. Some cars just NEED to be plugged in at -30, no matter what the battery.
And thinking "Oh I'll just crank the hell out of it on my good battery until it does start..." Is a good way to end up having to buy a battery every two years, and starters... And if you keep cranking until the battery gives up, and it's -30 outside, *POOF* Instant ice cube. Now it needs to thaw for 4 to 6 hours before you can try charging it back up again.
Car batteries, in Alberta, last 4 or 5 years on average, if you treat them nice. Less in warmer climates, like 3 or 4 years in California, and 2 or 3 in Arizona.
A group 58 is a Ford battery. Commonly found in Mustangs, Tempos, and yes, Jeep's. Group 58's cannot be found any bigger than 600cca really...
In a Jeep, one can retrofit group 34's, and group 34 Optimas, sometimes. 34's can be found in anything up to 900cca.
You can stick the biggest baddest battery in your car, and unless your car is in tip top mechanical condition, it won't start at -30, unless you plug in. Some cars just NEED to be plugged in at -30, no matter what the battery.
And thinking "Oh I'll just crank the hell out of it on my good battery until it does start..." Is a good way to end up having to buy a battery every two years, and starters... And if you keep cranking until the battery gives up, and it's -30 outside, *POOF* Instant ice cube. Now it needs to thaw for 4 to 6 hours before you can try charging it back up again.
Car batteries, in Alberta, last 4 or 5 years on average, if you treat them nice. Less in warmer climates, like 3 or 4 years in California, and 2 or 3 in Arizona.
heh the vehicle actually is in pretty solid mechancical condition! a lot better than the car was
I spent some time lookin at the optima website earlier. But i still don't understand what makes them apparenlty so much better htan other car batteries?
I spent some time lookin at the optima website earlier. But i still don't understand what makes them apparenlty so much better htan other car batteries?
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 756
K, 26R is one of the smaller batteries around, and no, Optima doesn't make one that size. But you may be able to squeeze a Group 35 battery in it's place. These are slightly longer, an inch taller, much more common, and can be found in many variations, including a 35/75DT Optima. If you can't squeeze that in you'll have to go with a Kinetic Battery or something similar.
Why are Optima's better? Well they're completely different, it's like comparing VW's to Porshe's...
But okay, in a nutshell (albeit a BIG nut) a normal battery is constructed with flat, vertical plates. There are several plates in each cell, 6 cells in a 12v battery. The plates are all connected together at the top through internal connectors, the + ones with the + ones and the - ones with the - ones. Then finally out through the posts. All the plates and everything is set in a liquid electrolyte solution. Without getting into chemistry, this is how a battery stores power.
An Optima, does not have loose vertical plates. They take the plates and make'em super thin, then wind them up in a spiral, soak it in a "starved electrolyte" solution (read - not liquid, but gelly, or pasty), and set it in a cylindrical cell'ed case. This makes them vibration proof (I have the old sales videos from 10+ years ago where they stick one in a paint shaker for 10 minutes and it still works). It also makes them bullet-proof (in the video, they blow out one cell with a 12ga. shotgun, and it still starts a dieseltruck right after). They are also extremly low in resistance. What this does is give you more power under load - if you snap a given load onto an Optima, it'll hold it at say 10.8v, an equivalent liquid battery will do it at 9.8. That's a whole extra volt for your amps. Also, since they are low resistance, this also makes your alternator work more efficiently.
Hope it helps [img]smile.gif[/img]
Why are Optima's better? Well they're completely different, it's like comparing VW's to Porshe's...
But okay, in a nutshell (albeit a BIG nut) a normal battery is constructed with flat, vertical plates. There are several plates in each cell, 6 cells in a 12v battery. The plates are all connected together at the top through internal connectors, the + ones with the + ones and the - ones with the - ones. Then finally out through the posts. All the plates and everything is set in a liquid electrolyte solution. Without getting into chemistry, this is how a battery stores power.
An Optima, does not have loose vertical plates. They take the plates and make'em super thin, then wind them up in a spiral, soak it in a "starved electrolyte" solution (read - not liquid, but gelly, or pasty), and set it in a cylindrical cell'ed case. This makes them vibration proof (I have the old sales videos from 10+ years ago where they stick one in a paint shaker for 10 minutes and it still works). It also makes them bullet-proof (in the video, they blow out one cell with a 12ga. shotgun, and it still starts a dieseltruck right after). They are also extremly low in resistance. What this does is give you more power under load - if you snap a given load onto an Optima, it'll hold it at say 10.8v, an equivalent liquid battery will do it at 9.8. That's a whole extra volt for your amps. Also, since they are low resistance, this also makes your alternator work more efficiently.
Hope it helps [img]smile.gif[/img]
Ah....very much wonderful. So they are useful heh. Alright, well i'm gonna rip down to the local battery place...see what they have to say...see what they have for prices and all sorts of fun stuff, maybe have them test my battery see if they laugh at me or what....
