tea LC said:
(searched)
Went on sears.com and others to see my options, but I can't find any besides diehard and panasonic -
so, whats a good battery to get???
TIA
Where are you seeing Panasonic batteries for sale? That is what it came with from the factory and they were quite long lasting.
There are a
LOT of threads on batteries. Search is getting better but still does not find all threads.
anyway, there are 2 common small Optima's that are quite a bit smaller than the battery tray, although they have plenty of CCA's, the small size shows in Amp Hour ratings (44 and 55 AH) , the 80 does not really need much in cranking amps.
Amp hours tells you how long you can power a device with the engine off. Or drive time with a dead alternator. If you plan on using electrical items without the engine running the larger this # the less likely you will have a dead battery, for normal use the small common optima's are plenty and they are easy enough to find.
The group 31 Optima is a bit healthier w/ 75AH, when I was shopping for batteries after measuring I did not think they would fit without trimming the tray. This has since been disproved.
There are also several people that have had problems with Optima’s, also many have not had any trouble.
From what I have read the only difference between the blue and yellow top is the blue top has extra marine terminals along with top posts, where the yellow has top posts alone or top pots and side posts, the side posts on optima’s are not to used because of their low capacity. And at least one 80 owner here has had the hold down bar cut through the plastic, short to them and start a fire. I would get a yellow top with just the single top posts.
If you want a standard flooded battery I would get the Wal-Mart group 27 marine starting, 115 AH and 600 CCA for $55, lots of power not much money and easy to return 24 hours a day 7 days a week any town USA. Most likely made by Johnson Controls, same people that make many other brands.
But I do not like flooded batteries, I have seen to many corroded terminals, battery trays and even bodies if the vehicle gets old enough.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=345131&postcount=48
I picked up 2 Concorde Lifeline deep cycle batteries (more dual purpose then true deep cycle) group 27 same as the tray was built for, 575 CCA, 100AH even with shipping they were just a bit cheaper than the group 31 optima. The terminals are in the wrong spot, this was not a problem for me as I reworked the cables wile installing the dual batteries anyway.
So far they have been flawless, quite a noticeable improvement over my PO installed undersized interstate battery in both cranking and engine off use. Under the previous battery even fully charged the starter sounded weak especially in cold weather, if I left the doors open playing the radio all afternoon the battery would not start the engine. Both problems were fixed with the new batteries. (So far just using the main)
In general:
a starting battery will have many thin plates of porous “sponge lead” this gives it a lot of surface area in contact with the acid so it can produce hundreds of amps for short period of time for starting, expressed as CCA’s or cold cranking amps, High CCA’s are especially nice for starting large engines in cold weather where the resistance of the engine is highest and the output of the battery is lowest. But this porous lead degrades rapidly if is discharged for more than a quick start. This battery will generally not have an Amp Hour rating, instead the more vague “reserve capacity”
True deep cycle batteries such as used in electric forklifts and some photovoltaic systems yacht “house” batteries etc, they have fewer very thick solid lead plates, this allows them to discharge deeply thousands of times over their life, but there are not a lot of amps available instantly for cranking due to much smaller surface area. The power is available over a long period of time at lower amperage. This type of battery will not have a CCA rating, just amp hours. You are not likely to run into one shopping for automotive batteries.
The type that I think best fits the 80 series is a dual purpose battery, it is compromise with medium thickness plates that deliver less CCA’s but are more resistant to damage from discharge, and at least in my climate this provides more than enough cranking amps but will last longer if discharged. these will generally have both a CCA and AH rating.
Something to think about with CCA’s I have measured the starter draw at about 78A constant, >120A inrush, reading the specs for the starter leads one to extract that it could draw up to 200A or more, maybe it would see that in cold weather? I built mine for 200A continuous.
Would be interested if anyone else with a clamp on ammeter could measure and see what they get.
