Any suggestins on a new battery for my VX
Cranking Amps?
Cold Start Amps?
Warranty?
Manufacturer?
Cost?
VX driven in Florida
Thanks for any suggestions
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Any suggestins on a new battery for my VX
Cranking Amps?
Cold Start Amps?
Warranty?
Manufacturer?
Cost?
VX driven in Florida
Thanks for any suggestions
Some folks run Optima red tops, $$$$ but worth it in my opinion, I have optimas in both of my trucks(red top in VX, Yellow in Expy), paired with battery buddies, which means it is almost impossible to have a dead battery.
Put a Diehard Platinum in my VX a month or two after I bought it after reading reviews that had it #1 or 2. Been very pleased so far. :thumbup:
Btw Marlin, what's a battery buddy?
If you can swing the cash, I would say to go with an Optima. I used to have a standard battery in the VX and the posts and cables kept corroding. I had to constantly clean them off, and the corrosion ate into the heat/sound mat on the underside of the hood. Since I installled the Optima I haven't had any corrosion problems. The Optima's are sealed so they can be mounted in any position and have a high vibration resistance.
I know they're expensive, but in my opinion, they're worth the price.
Optima for sure, I have had redtop and yellowtop in other VX and have the yellowtop in the current VX. Drycell is far superior especially in the heat.
RED-TOP...:heart:
I put in a Red Top Optima after advice on the board. The battery didn't even last the warrenty. I think it lasted only 35 months. I got it at Sears and the guy told me they started having a lot of complaints with Optima. He said the quality controll wasn't the same as it has been a few years ago. I don't think they even sell it anymore. Anyway, Sears honored the warrenty, and I put in a Diehard Platinum in it's place. That was over two years ago and haven't had any problems yet.
Peace.
Tom
good warranty full replacement none of this pro rated crap
die hard platinum if you can swing it.. its $190..880CCA.. 4 year full replacement warranty plus an addional 4 years prorated (8 years total) only stipulation of the warranty is that the battery must be tested at a sears auto center
all the qualities of an optima battery but with a better warranty
i do work at sears auto center just fyi.. right now ive got an optima blue top thats serving me well, once its gone ill be replacing it with the diehard platinum
Optima Yellow top works great in Protons:)
VT, a battery buddy is an electronic device that is installed in series with the positive lead on the battery. If the voltage drops too low, the battery buddy isolates the battery from the electrical system (shuts down). Theoretically it shuts off with just enough juice left to restart the vehicle. You have to actually pop the hood and push a button on the battery buddy to start the car if it's been tripped.
Sounds like a really good idea. Where would someone pick up one of these mythical devices?
I have the watercraft/marine version "Battery Buddy" in my ski-boat. It has saved my bacon on countless occasions, and you definately don't want to be out on the open water with a dead battery!!! Most vehicles have things that always draw power; namely the clock on the stereo is the biggest culprit. The "Battery Buddy" is best for vehicles that are operated infrequently (like a boat); situations where it may be hard to get an actual jump from another vehicle (like a boat), or isolated locations such as a boat marina without a nearby electrical outlet (like a boat).
For cars that are driven daily, the "Battery Buddy" is really not necessary. Stored cars (garage queens) should always have a high quality Battery "Maintainer" plugged into an electrical outlet at all times anyway, thereby keeping the battery at full charge capacity. Every vehicle in my detached 8-car capacity 1800SF garage/shop has a high quality Battery "Maintainer" plugged into it (always ready to go).
As far as battery brands, I've always used Sears DieHard's over the past 30+ years in all of my many vehicles (cars & boats) with great success. There is always a Sears (& now K-Mart) nearby, and their build quality, high CCA rating and battery warranty on the entire DieHard line is the best in the industry. I've never used Optima due to their very expensive price. The Sears DieHard (also @ K-Mart) gets my vote everytime for ease of purchase availabilty, high build quality, great monetary value, high CCA rating, and the best warranty in the business.:yeso:
Well, that is always my fear. I am building up my Trooper to be my hard-core expedition vehicle. After I am done, she is going to be pretty stout. The last thing I want is to get stranded 60 miles from the nearest paved road because of a dead battery. I guess I should always park near a hill so I can do a push start if I get stuck. :eek:
Bart
VT,
Try here:
http://batterybuddy.com/
Looks like they've discontinued the 'battery buddy' so that they can introduce the 'battery brain' for more $$$ (but still less than $70 so that's not too bad).
The only experience I've had with them was when we installed some surveillance equipment on some Suburbans for the Boarder Patrol years ago. We didn't want them to use the equipment for hours on end without the engine running and then not be able to start the Burb for the final chase.
$29.95 at Pepboys but you needed to keep it charged as well. I do not see why you could not create a one way circuit that would allow a running motor to charge up a battery. Then have a switch that you could hit that if your car would not start would reverse the flow so the always charged battery could then jump the car.
That's my major problem with the chargers, I'm too forgetful to make sure it's charged all the time. :o The battery brain/buddy isn't a replacement for a charger, but it should at least help to avoid the drain situation, which in my experience is what caused all of my battery flatlines.
Want to eventually have both, but chargers can be big $$$ if you want a really good one.
There is no button to push on the battery buddy. It has a solenoid that disconnects the battery somewhere around 13V terminal voltage. If you push the brake pedal or flash the brights, it reconnects the battery. No wiring required, just connect it in series with the battery's positive cable. For those with lots of accessories, they all have some small amount of leakage current, amps, monitors, GPS and so on. My expy sits for 5-6 days at a time, so it needs a battery buddy. But as said before, having a dead battery in BFE National Park would not be a good thing. It also could save your battery's life. Running a lead-acid battery to dead reduces its life dramatically.
I will break down the benefits of one battery vs another when I get home from work(I teach all this stuff at school, so I can make it understandable.)
Tom--- Don't feel bad. I was in the second wave of Covered Wagons behind your main lead caravan with the Lewis & Clark expedition. Yes, my vintage (circa 1994) marine/watercraft "Battery Buddy" on my ski-boat has an actual "button" (circuit breaker) that has to be physically re-set by pushing down on the re-set button. It's kinda' a pain in the neck to remove the engine cowling cover, but the peace of mind is always worth it when you re-try the starter and it fires right up. Plus, I always love the look on my friends faces when they say "Oh Boy, now we're really stranded without a prayer." I just smile and say "Not so fast boys with your judgement, just give me a quick moment and we'll be on our way".:yeso:
:dance:
Riff Raff,
Rekin it's up to us to keep these 'know it all' snot nosed kids in line. They still ain't figgered it out that old & sneeky beats young & energetic EVERY time.
which red top would fit as there are for different ones listed on their website
a group size 34 is what ive got
Thanks for all the help.
I can't decide between the Die Hard or Optima.
The Optima has a $ 25.00 rebate.
Will do some price shopping this weekend.
FYI- Don't forget to check out Amazon.com as they have some really good prices, FREE shipping, and you still can send in for the rebate. I got 2 blue tops from them a few months ago, killer prices, free shipping, no sales tax, plus 2 rebates from Optima. :thumbup: