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Red Top / Odyssey battery?
flak monkey - 17/12/09 at 01:45 PM

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

snakebelly - 17/12/09 at 01:47 PM

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?

flak monkey - 17/12/09 at 01:51 PM

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

graememk - 17/12/09 at 02:13 PM

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.

dhutch - 17/12/09 at 02:17 PM

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

Bluemoon - 17/12/09 at 02:18 PM

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]

procomp - 17/12/09 at 02:45 PM

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
Specification chart for odyssey bateries [/img]

[Edited on 17/12/09 by procomp]

coozer - 17/12/09 at 06:25 PM

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

Richard Quinn - 17/12/09 at 06:58 PM

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!!

Dusty - 18/12/09 at 01:38 AM

two years on an odyssey 545, 2 litre zetec. Never had a problem and don't have a trickle charger.

procomp - 18/12/09 at 07:56 AM

Hi

Lol Rich. The 625 is 5.5Kg The redtop's are 5Kg.

Cheers Matt

02GF74 - 20/12/09 at 12:04 PM

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.

flak monkey - 23/12/09 at 07:42 PM

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

coozer - 23/12/09 at 07:47 PM

Heres mine in the passenger side...

flak monkey - 24/12/09 at 07:11 PM

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

tul214 - 6/1/10 at 07:29 PM

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

flak monkey - 6/1/10 at 07:39 PM

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.

tul214 - 6/1/10 at 07:43 PM

I will make a call in the morning and post what ever they say.

RK - 7/1/10 at 12:59 AM

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

wilkingj - 7/1/10 at 12:26 PM

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

MikeRJ - 7/1/10 at 12:37 PM

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.

tul214 - 7/1/10 at 03:20 PM

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???