new battery's

[jacks906]

i'm after a pair of matching batteries as i have got all i can get out of the one i have and this "artic" weather were having has finaly killed it soooooooo

what to go for i was thinking of the X-eng twin battery and split charge offer

twin batteries of another make (open to any idea's of make/size)

and some that will last proper cold once i move

unless there is a single huge battery that will fit in the box and is better

all of which which will have the X-eng charge (split chargy thing) as i need the X-zag at the same time

have winches to power get used quiet abit and lighting to power too

any help would be great

cheers

dave

[Eightpot]

There's a an ebay shop I can thoroughly recommend selling Bosch Silver 069 batteries for £52 each.

I ordered one a few weeks ago and it arrived within 24 hours in the best packaging I've ever seen. See item no 130279573186

Hope that helps!

[landy andy.]

For the best batteries go for Odyssey's. I brought a pair last year, far better than optima's, BUT £200 EACH.

They are small for their power, and a pair easily fit in to a batt box, with loads of other stuff

X-split thing seems good unless you've got a TD5, then use a VSR.

Keep it simple.

You do not need a split charge to charge two batteries, it is there to seperate the batteries when dis-charging. You can just join them together if you are not running fridges ect.

Andy

[Jake Lloyd]

I run 2 Odyssey PC1500's

Awesome batterys, never let me down and just keep on runnning

B)

[western]

2 x Ody pc1700 in my 110, 100amp alt & split charged.

[Anderzander]

X-split thing seems good unless you've got a TD5, then use a VSR.

Excuse my ignorance - but why is that?

[western]

Think it's something to do with the different type of alternator system.

[simonr]

For the best batteries go for Odyssey's. I brought a pair last year, far better than optima's, BUT £200 EACH.

Can you qualify 'Best'. I'm not saying Numax are better - but I'm interested in why you think that?

They are small for their power, and a pair easily fit in to a batt box, with loads of other stuff

Again, small for their power?

Do you mean Power in an electrical sense or a subjective "P-O-W-E-R" sense?

In terms of cranking current or Ah capacity per unit volume or mass, there is really nothing to call it between any of the gel / agm batteries.

(I will come to what makes Odyssey batteries good in a minute)

X-split thing seems good unless you've got a TD5, then use a VSR.

VSR's are a good solution - but X-Charge works perfectly well with a Td5. It's Diode based split charges do not.

You do not need a split charge to charge two batteries, it is there to seperate the batteries when dis-charging. You can just join them together if you are not running fridges ect.

There are two reasons for having a split charge. One is to stop your main battery discharging when you are running fridges etc, but a more important one is that lead acid batteries do not appreciate being left connected in parallel. There are good technical reasons for this that have been posted before. You can buy batteries which are made to be connected in parallel - Hawker Cyclone's for example which are matched to one another.

With off the shelf batteries you may be lucky and find they will last years connected in parallel because they were a good match. You may not and have to replace your batteries after a year.

The reason X-Eng has the split charge offer is not to be cuddly towards our customers - it's because the batteries have a 2 year warranty. If they are fitted with a split charge we will see far fewer returns within the warranty period - and hopefully loose less than by discounting the X-Charge.

If you are fitting anyone elses batteries I would encourage you just to connect them together in parallel - then you'll be looking for some replacements in a year or two!

The one thing that makes Odyssey batteries 'better' than all others is the discharge voltage profile. They hold a higher terminal voltage than most others towards the end of their charge. You have probably all seen the way NiCd batteries in your walkman go on full power for ages then die suddenly whereas Alcaline batteries die over a much longer period? Odysseys are more like NiCd's - they will deliver a high terminal voltage for longer than a battery of similar capacity. This could give you full winching performance for a little longer (which could make all the difference) - but as Andy says, you do pay a little more for that.

Si

[freeagent]

Get yourself a Halfords trade card,I picked up a 072 Calcium battery last week (4 year warranty) which had a ticket price of £97 for £69...

[AD90]

For VSRs have a look at these http://www.marinemegastore.com/product-product-ECS_25270.htm as they are designed for marine applications they are hermetically sealed, therefore ideal for the hostile environment of an offroad vehicle.

Cheers

AD90

[jacks906]

the thing putting me off the Odyssey batterys is the price tag, i had in me old disco two optima's (one red one yellow) went threw 2 red ones an then the yellow one just stopped holding a charge all together so went an bought two "cheap" standard ones and they were fine for me up till i sold it

there was no wiring problem so i put it down to the batterys hence forking out for Odyssey's an then they start playing up is making me think twice

dave

[headhunter]

I run Odyssey batteries.

A 2250 and a 2150. I intend to do some expeditions hence the belt and braces approach.

Combined Cold Cranking Amps 2225 like having a lot of torque.

High CCA's and deep discharge capability from the same battery!

126 and 100 amp hours respectively.

They will happily take an 80% discharge.

So you can run an Engel fridge for 30 hours on a 100AH battery before needing to recharge.

They can be recharged at a faster rate than conventional batteries and to a fuller capacity quicker.

They will operate in much higher temperatures.

Conventional batteries won't take a charge much above 45 degrees C. Critical in desert conditions. Odysseys will.

Can be fitted upside down if desired!

Mine have a VSR voltage sensitive regulator as listed above from marine power store, that can handle up to 1500 amps when linked (600 amp continuous), so OK for winching.

Expensive, you pay for what you get.

The best option for conventional use is as stated above is a pair of standard heavy duty batteries like those sold by Simon, bought at the same time and fitted with a split charge relay again Simon's is a sound sensible and simple choice/solution.

I have heard of people who do quite a lot of winching and don't have any problems with this approach. They probably have to replace their batteries every 4-5 years at a cost of about £70 per battery.

With the Odyssey you should get 7-8 years but replacement would be at least £4-500.

John