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what is the cheapest battery to get?
hellbent345 - 15/3/10 at 02:21 PM

Hi all, I have a 2l DOHC sierra engine, and looking to get a battery for it - what should i get? I don't really want to fork out for the one all the motor places recommend for the sierra the engine was in... but would like one that won't have any trouble turning the engine over etc!
Thanks for any help
Alan

cd.thomson - 15/3/10 at 02:22 PM

ive just fitted the smallest normal car battery that halfords stock.

tegwin - 15/3/10 at 02:26 PM

I bought the smallest battery halfords stock... and use it to turn over a 2.5 litre straight six....

iank - 15/3/10 at 02:26 PM

Unless it's a high compression tuned pinto then most car batteries will be fine unless you're churning on the key for ages.

Costco sell cheap(ish) Bosch batteries, just get the smaller/cheaper ones.

britishtrident - 15/3/10 at 03:12 PM

Don't undersize the battery too much for loads of reasons including most modern batteries don't recover well from being deep discharged.
Allowing for that because you will have less electrical loads than a tin top you can go one or two sizes down. The original battery was a type 097 style battery --- that is pretty big more normally found in diesels, a type 085 is a lot smaller and cheaper and well up to the job and you will get away with a type 063 no bother.

Halfords are very expensive to buy batteries from, do an online search I have found Tanya Batteries are good company to deal with http://www.tayna.co.uk/ --- very good prices and 24hr delivery.

MakeEverything - 15/3/10 at 03:19 PM

I bought a Gel battery from Halfords for £100, and its the bestr battery ive ever bought i think.

mangogrooveworkshop - 15/3/10 at 03:33 PM

Get a member with a card and halfors 17.99 price shrank to 7.50 this morning

100 quid battery was 50 quid .. but you need the card..

Dingbro is another but you need a buddy with an account

britishtrident - 15/3/10 at 03:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
I bought a Gel battery from Halfords for £100, and its the bestr battery ive ever bought i think.


Gel batteries are coming technology but still expensive in terms of "bang per buck", the normal liquid electrolyte batteries have come on tremendously due to chemical doping of the plates with clacium, lithium and/or silver.
These days it is relatively common for Tintop batteries to last for ten plus years if they are not deep discharged too much or too often.

Over the winter as preventative maintenance I bought a couple of top quailty 097 batteries --- by car standards these are really big high rated heavy duty batteries, A Bosch Silver with a 5 year Warranty cost £78 quid and a Varta Blue with a 4 year warranty for £84, the equivalent Varta Gel battery would have been £149 but only had a 3 year warranty.

britishtrident - 15/3/10 at 03:58 PM

This link has been given by others in the forum before --- well worth reading if you want to look after your batteries.
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/

hellbent345 - 15/3/10 at 05:34 PM

thanks for the replies everyone

tomblyth - 15/3/10 at 07:44 PM

standard cars have a need of a large battery for the demands of acc / heated seats etc in the kitcar you will get away with the cheapest one in halfords (about £25 with there trade card)

Daddylonglegs - 15/3/10 at 07:59 PM

I normally use these for my batteries, found them pretty good value, and there is one pretty close to me.

britishtrident - 15/3/10 at 09:07 PM

In terms of current a battery from an old BL Mini will cold start a Rolls 6.7ltr V8 under normal conditions without obvious problem ---- the problem is the battery life will be shortened and the charge capacity reduced with every single start.

Every time charge is taken out a battery and the battery is recharged both the batteries life and its charge capacity is reduced. Using greater percentage of the batteries stored charge for starting greatly increases the rate at which the damage occurs.