auxilliary battery advice - diehard platinum vs. ???

[tjohns1006]

hello everyone.

i'm redoing my electrical system and need some advice/suggestions on what to use for an auxiliary battery.

i just rebuilt my alternator to 140 amp and replaced my starting battery with an interstate (don't see much mention of interstates here but have used them in the past and they have worked very well for me). i just ordered the national luna split charger kit from paul at equipt (excellent customer service and high recommendations from me).

so, the next step is purchasing and installing an auxilliary battery. for now, the aux battery will be running smaller items like bed/cab mounted LED lighting, LED camp lighting and lantern/s, AA/AAA energizer battery charger, ipod charger, inverter for the netbook, etc. in the future the demands will go up as i will eventually run a fridge, winch (hopefully not but need to be able to), other miscellaneous 12V items, communications equiptment, etc. i am a die hard camper and get to some pretty remote spots but usually don't sit for more than 4 or 5 days at a time.

from what i can tell on the sears website, the diehard platinum battery with the largest reserve capacity is the P-2 group 65. this is about the largest battery that i can fit in my 01 tundra between the air box and ABS if i relocate my power steering reservoir. it measures 7 1/2" X 7 1/2" X 12" or so.

so is this the way to go ??? what other options are there ? is there a platinum out there with a larger reserve with similar dimensions ?

i'm also open to hearing about other batteries that have been used and abused and still held up or at least got you home. but, the platinums have been spoken so highly of on this site from what i can tell. i have used red top optimas in the past and i hate them. you have to baby them so much and they have been too high maintenance.

anyway thanks in advance for your input and criticism. i want to hear everyone's point of view.

tom

 

[wrcsixeight]

You are limited by the space where you intend installation, which limits the available amp hours.
Some flooded batteries have slightly more Amp hours than their AGM counterparts of the same size, but the Agm's weigh more.

I don't know if has ever been determined that the Odyssey and DHP batteries share the same exact internals. There is no doubt they are made by the same company. There is a huge thread about DHP's on here.

http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/ batteries are an excellent AGM battery as well.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I use a Vision X Gel Battery, but I don't think it would hold up to the under hood heat as well as a Die Hard.

 

[dzzz]

I think the interstate marine deep cycle/starting hybrid are a good choice for a starting battery. The regular interstate starting battery is a less good choice simply because its not designed to be discharged below 80-90%.

I went with Lifeline hybrid batteries for starting for fitment issue. But I would have used less expensive DH platinum if there wasn't some work required to get them to fit. I purchased the regular lifeline deep cycle for house batteries.

For house the hybrid batteries have more CCA if needed for that purpose. But any deep cycle will likely be fine as a starting backup.

 

[4Mogger]

I am sold on the Odysseys. These or the same mfg. as the Odysseys would be my recommendation.

 

[tjohns1006]

well i already have the interstate as my starting battery. it's the green top. not sure if it's the hybrid or not but i have it and i will keep it until it dies. when my battery died i just went out and bought the best battery i knew of and fixed the problem without researching alternatives. but i have always had great luck with interstates so...

i have heard that the lifelines, odysseys and platinums are hands down great batteries. i know the AGM's are definitely a heavier battery and i'm not concerned by that really. what batteries are better for heat in the engine bay of the three listed above ? i'm not able to mount the battery anywhere else but the engine bay.

also, paul from equipt told me to get an auxiliary battery with more reserve capacity and think about CCA's secondly. i don't anticipate ever having to 'connect' the two batteries together except for an emergency situation, i.e. dead starting battery or winching.

what are everyone's thoughts on reserve capacity vs. CCA ??

thanks again.

 

[CoastalDefender]

I got a DHP. I'm very very pleased.

 

[cnynrat]

For your stated purposes I agree reserve capacity should be your priority. That would give you the longest life for running lights, fridge, etc while camping.

I've had good luck with Lifeline batteries in my camper, but that's not a high heat location. Also, they aren't cheap. Deka is another brand that makes good quality deep cycle AGM batteries. I've read good reports about Odyssey batteries from people here.

Some people have had poor luck with Optima recently, so I'd stay away from them.

 

[mmccurdy]

I have been running dual Die Hard Platinums (Odysseys) for over a year now with no complaints whatsoever, and I'm not easy on them -- lots of trail miles, the inboard one is fairly close to the exhaust header, I run a bunch of lights/winch/compressor regularly, I've run a fridge for days at a time without running the engine, etc.

I don't have direct, personal apples-to-apples experience vs. optima, etc. but I would absolutely buy them again.

 

[goodtimes]

I used the Diehard Platinums in my TJ. They lasted about two years before they had to be replaced. I had a heck of a time getting Sears to warranty them. Sears claims that they tested good, but once they were removed from a charger (not connected to any load), they would drop to about 80% charge in under an hour. That doesn't fit my interpretation of 'good'.

I wouldn't go out of my way to buy another one from them.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

The Fall issue of Overland Journal will feature a comprehensive battery test, comparing a Sears Platinum/Odyssey, a Deka, an Interstate, an Optima, and a Valence Lithium-ion.

The issue should be out in late September.

 

[dzzz]

That's great.
I'm looking forward to the result on the Optima. I'm never sure exactly what they're selling.

 

[sargeek]

I hope they also include a good sidebar on how to test deep cycle batteries. They charge up fine, but can not carry a load for very long.