Quote:
Originally Posted by wyatth
Somewhat bumping a recent, relevant thread.
I'm getting ready to replace my battery and I've decided on an H6/48 AGM battery. I drive 1-2x/wk, and my car is garaged in CA so the battery strains aren't that severe. I can also connect a trickle charger, though I'd rather not regularly (perhaps if I'm leaving town for a few weeks). Given this use profile, I think this size should work just fine.
I've narrowed it down the Odyssey Performance 48-720 (720 CCA, 69Ah, reserve capacity 130, 48lb) and the Duracell SLI48AGM (760 CCA, 70Ah, reserve capacity 120, 44lb). Both are made in the US, have good specs within their class/size, and have solid reviews overall. I was looking at the Optima but it no longer punches well in this weight class, and reviews since they've moved manufacturing to Mexico are too spotty. The OE (Exide?) Z4M battery is another option and specs are in line (680 CCA, 70Ah, 45lb).
I'm wondering if anybody has used these particular batteries and what you thought. On the surface, the Duracell seems a hair better, but the Odyssey claims better deep cycle resistance, longevity, and a 5 second pulse of 1250 amps. Is this all marketing mumbo jumbo, or are these legitimate benefits versus a more "standard" AGM like the Duracell? Are there other specs that should be considered? Thanks.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/produc...ultra/sli48agm
https://www.batterysystems.net/odyss...723cca-battery |
I'm sure these are both fine batteries. But I wonder if you're overthinking this just a bit.
I live in Boston and my M3 sits in a cold garage all winter, getting started at most twice a month. It has a lowly Exide H8 FLA battery, purchased recently at Home Depo (where the H6 size costs $119). I've had the same battery in my 335xi for several years - it also sits in the garage and gets driven perhaps once a week (I am fortunate to be able to walk to work and have a Jeep and an Explorer that generally get used for routine about town events in the winter). Both cars always start, do not lose the time/date and do not give electrical drain codes, all without bothering with trickle chargers.
If you've got a battery problem, my experience is that the best treatment is new battery, the cheaper the better. Of course, if there is some other underlying problem, it is possible a more robust battery will give you a greater tolerance for it.