I am looking for a new battery for the Expedition. I have had good luck with my Optimas, and I am sticking with AGM, so no recommendations for old style flooded batteries, please.

I know Duncan has a lot of experience with them, and has some recommendations.

Has Optimas quality gone down lately? Are there bettery alternatives? Odessey?

Lifeline AGM....that is all.

http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rvflyer.php?id=12

Why?

Sent from the comfort of my toilet seat.

Construction and track record.

There is more capacity in a standard shaped battery over the spiral cells.

There is a lower internal resistance in the Lifeline over the Optima, which equates to a higher available discharge current and acceptance of a higher bulk charge.

I could go on with all kinds of technical crap....but it probably would be like you talking to me about the merits of one round off ammo vs another.

Please, go on! I want to hear all the technical crap! That is how I learn.

Ok....battery construction.

AGM's have the electrolyte (acid) suspended in fiberglass mat (simple description)

They are also "starved", meaning that they are not 100% soaked, closer to 95%...so that if they ever got punctured they won't leak.

They are also "recombinant"...meaning that the oxygen given off by the positive side will recombine with the hydrogen to create water and not gas....they can gas if subject to a crazy overcharge, but then they are toast....that is an advantage to regular flooded batteries, but is not a normal occurance.

Gel batteries are real sensitive to overcharge as a bubble will develop inside the battery and then the area where the bubble is no longer exposes the plates to the electrolyte...pooched battery pretty quick.

The spiral cell construction (although strong) doesn't allow the amount of plate exposure that a regular AGM (rectangular) allows....therefore less available current.

The self discharge rate of these batteries (particularly) the Liflelines is in the order of 2% per month...so if it sits for a while with no load...less worry.

This help?

Very much.

Sent from the comfort of my toilet seat.

I've been doing a little reading on the Optima's...seems they have a 300 cycle rating...Lifleline is 1000.
A "deep cycle" is the act of discharging the battery to the point where it isn't useful..typically 10.5 volts....then recharging.
There are percentages as well...and is referred to as "DOD"...depth of discharge...which will make a difference to the life of the battery....as in only drawing it down 30% will result in a much longer life.

Here is a couple of links for some very good bathroom reading:

http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rv.php

http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/manual.pdf

That's a lot of good info. They are spendy, but sound great. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer is about 350 miles away...

As a second choice, what do you know about odysseys?

Sent from the comfort of my toilet seat.

Very little...sorry.

They aren't spiral like an optima, and I have found group 65 size with 930 CCA and very good specs. Price falls between Optima and Lifeline.

Everything I have read shows them being better than Optima.

I guess its true that optima quality has gone downhill. They were bought out, and the new owners wanted to make money, so they lowered production costs.

Sent from the comfort of my stadium seat at the Medora Musical.

Are you at Medora?

Sent from the comfort of my stadium seat at the Medora Musical.

nobodyspecial said:

Sent from the comfort of my stadium seat at the Medora Musical.

Click to expand...

You changed it. I was going to say you have a much better view from your toilet seat than I do .

Haven't made it there yet, but I intend to.

You're less than an hour away from me and don't offer to come see me?

I have looked at there site and can't find any specs as far as construction etc....is there something obvious that I'm not seeing there?