I forgot to mention a dirtbag purchase from a month ago. The Saabaru's battery let go after 5 years of service - it was stranding me at the worst times and had to go. I pulled the Optima Red Top battery that came in the race car and put it in the Saab - perfect fit!
The Optima was a beefy 40 pounds. I had read about the lightweight Braille battery and was intrigued, but at $200 they were premium priced. Fast forward to a few months back when I discovered that the manufacturer was in Pennsylvania and had a battery identical to the Braille B2015 for $77.95, shipping included.
Introducing fifteen pounds of battery sex...the DEKA ETX20L:
Mine is cosmetically identical to the Braille. Hopefully 270 cranking amps will get it done.
An even cheaper option I've only just thought about is a lawn tractor battery. Same weight, same cranking amps but only $25. The difference is the lawn tractor is a conventional wet cell battery, whereas the Braille / DEKA is an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery. Here's a link that describes the differences in detail. Basically, AGM batteries can be
-mounted in any orientation,
-don't offgas much(so can be stored within the vehicle)
-are more vibration resistant
-have greater discharge capabilities and
-are longer lasting.
Was it worth the extra 50 bones? Probably not!
No comments:
Post a Comment