Another Battery Thread

[raymondo]

I've always thought Die Hards were good quality and had a good reputation, so the time came and I changed both my cars to the group 34 Gold Series 660 CCA about a month ago.

Well like allot of us, I drive my cars once or twice a month and I always turn the battery switch off. Sometimes I put the maintainer on, sometimes not. The other day I went to start the VT shortly after removing the maintainer, and "Click", nothing. I removed the battery and put it on a 15 second 250 amp load test, the voltage fell to around 10 volts, very marginal in my book. I took it back to Sears only to have them put it on a mickey mouse hand held tester, after 10 seconds, he says "see it shows good". I told him I wasn't convinced, and he said "well we can't warranty it, you'd have to buy a new one". I then went and traded this NEW battery for an Interstate with a CCA rating of 700, put it in and all is OK......For now.

Now the one in my other car is starting to "click" before starting.

Both of these batteries should be up to the job, but they were not. I have no doubt that battery manufactures are playing games with their chemistry, trying to save on lead given the metals markets. For most cars the difference is negligible, but our cars need all the power they can get.

This is just another example of quality you can't count on anymore.

[gday]

I did the exact same tap dance routine a few times. I'm convinced that switching to red tops was the solution.

-mick

[Shamile]

Originally Posted by gday

I did the exact same tap dance routine a few times. I'm convinced that switching to red tops was the solution.

-mick

Dear Lamborghinisti,

I have a Red Top on my 91 Testarossa and an Interstate on my VT Roadster.

No problems on either.

BTW, on F chat there is a discussion on how the red top chemistry has changed and that's it not as good as it used to be.

Reymond,

If you have the battery on the maintainer, even if the battery is marginal, it should start the car. ( maintainer showing charged ?)

I have both the F & L on Battery Tenders Tenders +

Maybe your maintainer is going bad as well?


Shamile

[raymondo]

No, it's not the maintainer. I thought of the Red top, but I've heard good and bad about those too. The fact is this battery should have held up much longer. I just have to blame it on economics. Too bad, it could be so much better.

[biggles]

Thought you Lambo guys out there might like to know that leaving a door open on my 99 Diablo Roadster ran the Battery flat in 24 hrs. I know this might be obvious but not without an interior light on. I think it might be due to the crazy alarm systems fitted to these cars. Ferraris have been my Exotics of the past but am loving my newly aquired Lambo. New Ferraris are boring !!

[topcarbon]

I have had one and a half years of trouble free power from my little Braille battery. It has half the weight. Cost is the same as the Red Top. Love that battery. I didnt opt for the carbon model because nobody would see it.

Give that a try.

[raymondo]

Originally Posted by biggles

Thought you Lambo guys out there might like to know that leaving a door open on my 99 Diablo Roadster ran the Battery flat in 24 hrs. I know this might be obvious but not without an interior light on. I think it might be due to the crazy alarm systems fitted to these cars. Ferraris have been my Exotics of the past but am loving my newly aquired Lambo. New Ferraris are boring !!

Now that is interesting, sometimes I leave the door unlatched if I'm in and out. I'll have to remember that.

[debriga]

Never heard of a Braille battery. What is it ..... lead/acid, or gel, or ?????

[topcarbon]

Originally Posted by debriga

Never heard of a Braille battery. What is it ..... lead/acid, or gel, or ?????

Braille Carbon Fiber Batteries

[debriga]

Originally Posted by topcarbon

Braille Carbon Fiber Batteries

Topcarbon,

Thanks for the link. It looks like a well constructed lead/acid battery with a lightweight carbon/polymer case. The cold cranking and normal cranking amp output seems to be a bit low for it's physical size, but that is explained a bit by the fact it is a deep cycle type of battery. I have never seen a "Pulse Cranking Amps" rating before, and it is surely not an industry standard specification. However, considering the nature of it's intended usage, I can understand what they are referring to.

For the last 37 years I have worked on battery powered "vital" railroad signaling systems, we have used or tried almost every type of battery imaginable in order to reduce long term operating costs while maintaining virtually 100% reliability. There are very good reasons for selecting one type of battery over another for any intended usage.

I may be wrong, but this Braille battery seems to be descended from what we used to call a marine battery. A battery that can be run down to a very low remaining capacity without physically damaging the cell chemistry through excessive sulfation. Additionally, it seems it will accept the higher charging rates generated by an automotive alternator. Sort of a cross-breed, if I may say so.

In a warm climate with a seldom used vehicle, this battery looks to be the cat's meow!! Farther north, with a very cold startup temperature on a seldom used vehicle, it would be a good choice if the engine was in excellant condition and fired very easily. Any engine/electrical/mechanical starting demands that are not up to par, and this battery will not produce the required power to "fire up" the vehicle.

Nothing is free!!!!!! Either high amperage for a short relative time, or a lower amperage for a longer period of time. Extremely low discharge levels (such as a car sitting for prolonged periods without a maintenance trickle charge) would be referred to as a "marine" or deep cycle battery and the Braille battery seems to fill the bill here. A need for high amperage and limited absolute discharge values (semi-regular usage on a hard to start vehicle) would need a more conventional lead/acid or gel/cell. A hard to start vehicle that sits unused for long periods of time needs maintenance ..... either a constant trickle charge to maintain a lead/acid, gell/cell battery. An easy to start seldom used vehicle might get lucky enough to use a deep cycle battery, if the starting cycles were not too far apart.

Oops, got a little too wordy!! I'll try to make this short. For absolute reliability, get a battery that has a high (not the highest) rating for CCA (cold cranking amps) and reserve cranking amps. The highest rated CCA batteries destroy themselves with inter-cell heat, ect. due to the fact that everything is over-stressed in the batteries physical build. A properly maintained (which nobody actually does) lead acid flooded cell will last 50 years under ideal conditions. Gel cells do not have an established track record yet, but do look promising.

The one and only thing that determines whether a battery will fill your needs or not, is your willingness to take care of it. They are all good if you use them whithin their intended design usage. Don't wanna take care of them? Then they won't take care of you either!!

My own preference for my own individual situation? I opted for an Optima that had the highest CCA rating. My car is always "plugged in" and connected to a lead/acid trickle charger that maintain's the battery ideal voltage level. If the voltage is right, current and everything else will be also!!

Braille seems to be a high priced carbon fiber case with conventional innards that are much more than adequate for vehicles stored in a warm climate. Less than that, I think I will look elsewhere.