flak monkey
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 01:45 PM |
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Red Top / Odyssey battery?
Just been reminded by Craigs post on batts.
What are peoples experiences of the small gel batteries? Are they good/reliable?
My main concern is over their low amp/hour capacity.
Also read that they need to be kept on a trickle charge?
It would be great if I could ditch the big old ford fiesta battery as it would give me more space on the scuttle.
Cheers,
David
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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snakebelly
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 01:47 PM |
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Depends on your engine and how trick your electrics are, dont forget that you can get some pretty high amp/hour gel batteries but they cost an arm and
a leg, if its for a road car i would be hesitant to recommend it, track weapon, no question go for it. how about just fitting a smaller car battery?
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flak monkey
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 01:51 PM |
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Its going to be running a duratec with efi and electronic everything basically.
The only reason I would really do it is for space saving to be honest.
The car battery I have now is as small as I dare go (from a 1.25zetec fiesta) as it really struggled to turn the old pinto over. Thats rated at about
45Ah IIRC
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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graememk
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 02:13 PM |
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I have a 445 red top gel, cranks over my ca18et engine over fine it has electronic everything as well just like a Duracell engine.
never charge it, started fine in Spring last year, and its never let me down so far.
Although might have lower compression with it only having a turbo, so who knows what it will be like with a sooooooper charger and a modern engine.
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dhutch
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 02:17 PM |
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Ive got a powerVamp 18ah battery which runs a 1.9 cvh and megajolt without any issues at all including a fairly large amount of turning over and
restarts and short runs if needed.
Daniel
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 02:18 PM |
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Not so sure it's the capacity you should worry about more the cold cranking amps (I think that's what it's called). I.e. the higest
current the battery can deliver, size maynot be related to this parameter..
The capacity is probably secondary to a point as you should not be drawing the starter current for very long..
Your fiesta one is I think 270A CCA (just changed mine on a MK3 fiesta).
Dan
[Edited on 17/12/09 by Bluemoon]
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procomp
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 02:45 PM |
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Hi
The redtop's are good for that Racing. But for a more everyday usage go for the Odyssey PC625. Works well and is only 0.5 Kg heavier than the
Redtop. But much bigger in size. Hence capacity.
Cheers Matt
Just remembered i have a spec sheet in my archive.
 
Specification chart for odyssey bateries
[/img]
[Edited on 17/12/09 by procomp]
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coozer
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 06:25 PM |
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I have a Red top 25 in my zetec MNR.
I bought it back end of 2006 before I started the kit. Despite an 18 month kit build and long lay up times in between it has never failed to turn the
zetec over, and has never felt like it was drained or in need of a charge, indeed has never had a charger on it.
Steve
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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Richard Quinn
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| posted on 17/12/09 at 06:58 PM |
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Matt, obvious you're a CEC man, you've chopped the weight column off!!
I've got a 545 but my engine is only like a Pinto starter motor!!
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Dusty
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| posted on 18/12/09 at 01:38 AM |
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two years on an odyssey 545, 2 litre zetec. Never had a problem and don't have a trickle charger.
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procomp
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| posted on 18/12/09 at 07:56 AM |
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Hi
Lol Rich. The 625 is 5.5Kg The redtop's are 5Kg.
Cheers Matt
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02GF74
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| posted on 20/12/09 at 12:04 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
What are peoples experiences of the small gel batteries? Are they good/reliable?
My main concern is over their low amp/hour capacity.
Also read that they need to be kept on a trickle charge?
I fitted one so I could keep the tray clear and have batery in passenger footwell, lower c of g plus the way it was fitted to tray was not ideal,
It is odessey, smallest of the lost pc625 from memory and truns over tuned 1660 crossflow with higher CR no probs.
I don;t bother trickle charging and even after a few months of not using it, will crank over ok.
It is about 2 years old.
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flak monkey
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| posted on 23/12/09 at 07:42 PM |
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Forgot about this one.
Thanks for the advice chaps.
The 625 sounds like a good one to go for.
Anyone had any experience of this one?
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=14752
Looks like the same as a redtop 25, but half the price?
Thanks again,
David
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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coozer
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| posted on 23/12/09 at 07:47 PM |
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Heres mine in the passenger side....JPG)
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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flak monkey
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| posted on 24/12/09 at 07:11 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Heres mine in the passenger side...
Hows that attached?
I might have enough room to put mine right up the front of the engine bay just behined the steering rack.
Will see how it all looks once the engine is in I think.
Thanks
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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tul214
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| posted on 6/1/10 at 07:29 PM |
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Flak,
Did you investigate the Rally Design battery?
I am looking for something similar but am tempted to visit Halfords with my trade card and get another Fiesta battery.
Mark
1.6 Raw Super6 sold
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flak monkey
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| posted on 6/1/10 at 07:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tul214
Flak,
Did you investigate the Rally Design battery?
I am looking for something similar but am tempted to visit Halfords with my trade card and get another Fiesta battery.
Mark
Not in any great detail, no. Best I could find is that its the same as a redtop 25. Might be worth a phone call to them though.
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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tul214
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| posted on 6/1/10 at 07:43 PM |
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I will make a call in the morning and post what ever they say.
1.6 Raw Super6 sold
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RK
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| posted on 7/1/10 at 12:59 AM |
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Gets a bit cold around here. Turns over an awful lot before it runs out of steam. My engine doesn't want to start these days, but the battery
goes and goes and goes. This sort of hangs down into the passenger footwell as you can see.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xHBGmsacFdpnyCX5Alxm_w?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfsoZrNyoKG4QE&feat=directlink
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wilkingj
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| posted on 7/1/10 at 12:26 PM |
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I used to run one of my landrovers on 2 x 25Ah jelly cells from a UPS, They were 10 years old when I got them, and I sold them with my Landy 6 years
later, and they were still going strong.
The landy used to do about 2-3K mile per year, so stood about a lot of the time.
It was my toy, which I sold to fund the Viento build.
I still have two more from the same UPS which are in my Caravan, and still going strong today. Although they usually need a Week on a chagrer to
revive them after a winter of neglect! They must be nearly 20 years old now!
As far as good batteries go, everyone on the Land Rover Forum used to swear by Optima batteries. They are jelly type and of a spiral construction.
Used mainly by Hard Core off roaders for Winching applications. ie 400A continuous draw pulling another 2 ton 4x4 out of gloopy mud and up cliff face
types of thing.
NOT CHEAP, but definately the dogs dangly bits!
Linky
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 7/1/10 at 12:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
As far as good batteries go, everyone on the Land Rover Forum used to swear by Optima batteries. They are jelly type and of a spiral construction.
Those are just like the Varley batteries, they do not use a gel electrolyte. AFAIK no heavy duty batteries do, because it gives higher internal
resistance which would reduce the CCA rating.
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tul214
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| posted on 7/1/10 at 03:20 PM |
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I have spoken to the guys at RD but they did not know any more than the info in the catalogue.
The only comment they made was that it is NOT comparable to the Odyssey Extreme 25 or the Varley Red Top 25.
Sorry but not much help???
1.6 Raw Super6 sold
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