good battery?

[Jimbo]

dicept1,sorry don't know much about batteries
Just want to tell you I think your Cruiser really looks sharp.[?]

[fugitiveALiEN]

There is an optima battery that should fit, the 51R it is 9.25 x 5.0 x 9.0 (LxWxH)

What is the measurement on the stock battery? I measured the inside of the battery tray and i had 9.75"x6.75"x??.? I just don't remember the height, it should clear just fine, no cutting or anything.

There are more batteries here: http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/

[SteelBlueGT]

Only problem I see is that the yellow top batteries sacrafice a lot of CCA for their deep charging abilities. Would that be a problem??

[MichaelDay]

quote:Originally posted by SteelBlueGT

Only problem I see is that the yellow top batteries sacrafice a lot of CCA for their deep charging abilities. Would that be a problem??

Shouldn't be a problem when the battery is new. As the battery ages and the temperature drops below freezing, the reduced CCA would increase the potential for the car having trouble starting. Motorhomes typically use starting batteries for the engine and deep cycle batteries for the systems inside the coach. If the starting battery is down, you can hold down a switch on the dash that electrically straps the deep cycle battery or batteries to the starting battery or batteries to start the coach. So you can certainly use a deep cycle battery for starting.

The downside of starting batteries is that they will not last very long if you really drain them down very often such as the way proxeyed is using his. They were never designed to be used that way. That is the role of a deep cycle battery. The physical difference is the thickness of the plates inside the battery. The thin plates in a starting battery give off a higher current for a short duration while the thick plates isn a deep cycle battery will withstand lower current draws for an extended period of time without damage.

The optimal solution would be to drive the stereo and neons off a separate large deep cycle battery. The two issues would be 1) the extra space for the second (or second and third battery) and 2) getting an alternator large enough to recharge multiple batteries without frying itself.

[purple04]

I agree with Michael, and would add the wiring from the alternator upgrade. You can't just put a bigger alt. in without looking at the entire charging system. The stock harness uses 6 gauge wire and a fusible link. In fact, since the PCM regulates the charging system, I'd carefully check that, too. Swapping in a 180-amp unit may be too much for the stock PCM drivers. Stock is 120-amp, according to 2001 manual. There are specialty 16-volt batterys for racing, 12-volt batterys with separate terminals for 6-volt cars (12 volts to starter only) and others. If you are running accessories with engine off, I'd look for a special set-up to deal with your situation.

[purple04]

here is a link. It's old, but physics don't change.
http://www.termpro.com/articles/electsys.html

[deuces_wild]

Another FYI...

When I had corrosion problems with my factory battery, I researched online here and other forums got a little confused about what battery to get. I did my own measurements and decided on thee Optima Battery, the 34R Red Top. There is no 34R for the yellow top. The size of the 34/34R battery is perfect.

Some people mention grinding or whatever to the battery holder. If you use the 34R there is no grinding whatsoever. Measure for yourself. 51/51R is too tall!! I used a flathead screwdriver to move the lip over so battery could fit all the way... I mean a totally snug fit.

I also replaced the cable terminals with normal ones from Autozone... much sturdier if you ask me. Mine were corroded and broke off when I tried to clean them.

[BumperBob]

quote:[i] reliable and cost effective. I have an Audiobahn 1600watt amp, interior neons and soon exterior neons, so something strong would be prefered. Thanks

Have you thought of putting LED's on instead of neon? Pulls a lot less amperage. Mine pull 2 AMPS and came with an inline 3 AMP fuse. That's one of the reasons I went with 'em.

[coolzero]

Optima - rocks. I have the yellow top and three tv screens to boot and can watch a whole move on all three on just the batt and she still cranks.