What battery should I get?

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ucMP3

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So I need to get a new battery before this next winter; my Optima Red-top was STRUGGLING this past winter... Had to jump it numerous cold mornings. If it was below 20 degrees it just became part of my routine to get out the battery charger as soon as I woke up lol.
So, I'm gonna re-do the power/ground cables for the battery and I might do an entire ground kit andd I'm also thinking about getting a lightweight battery... The Braille one's seem nice, but I would rather not drop almost $200 on a battery! After some reading I've discovered that DEKA batteries (for motorcycles and ATV's) are supposedly the same batteries Braille uses just without the pretty covering/labels. And they are only $80-$90! Which is about the cost of a normal high end battery. So here's my question: Has anyone used or is currently using a DEKA battery or any other lightweight battery? And if so what are your opinions/experiences with them? Any input is appreciated because otherwise I'll probably just get one anyways... (hump)
 
For cold winter starts get the highest cold cranking amps possible.. i dought that a motorcycle batterie will have a good cold cranking amp as you would be crazy to drive a bike in winter... see it done however. I have a good old motormaster eliminator (ya.. far from lightweight).. it`s got the highest CCA that i could find for our cars at 670. Never had a problem running this winter, even when I go up north (i mean, NORTH, search Timmins Ontario, then about an hour north of there). It`s cranked, with a slight trouble at -35deg C. So, You may be better off having two batteries, one for winter, a light one for summer.
 
JoeManNorth said:
So, You may be better off having two batteries, one for winter, a light one for summer.
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I guess that is an option... Didn't think about that. (stoned)

*I think I would have a problem with the batteries getting worn out very quickly tho because it's not good for most batteries to be left sitting unused for long periods of time. It drains them and the more often they lose full charge, the shorter their life typically...
 
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F*** it... I'm just gonna get a Deka ETX20L this summer. Unless someone I talk to this summer Provides me a good reason that its a bad idea. I'll guinea pig it. Only thing I'm unsure about is CCA rating, I've seen like 5 different numbers for the same battery lol. Whatever, I'll tell you in February whether it worked out or not... (nailbyt)
 
I live in Michigan and it gets pretty cold here I use a yellow top and my car starts fine.
 
WillP said:
I live in Michigan and it gets pretty cold here I use a yellow top and my car starts fine.
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I assume you're talking about an Optima Yellow Top? I have an Optima Red-top currently, and ya these batteries weigh 38lbs LOL. Proabably the biggest batteries made for our cars (class 35). The trade off is that they are VERY reliable. They do just fine in cold weather, but the battery I'm gonna get weighs 15lbs. It's just a large motorcycle battery really (made for 1550 cc Harleys). The CCA ratings between the two is drastic. I could get the one thats 11.5lbs but I think thats just asking for trouble. If I lived somewhere that was warm year around, it would definately not be a problem but hopefully it does ok when its below freezing. So we'll see if this thing gets the job done on a daily driven vehicle...
 
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