Some Guys may find this useful so:

Truck has been a starting a little sluggish, so I was at our battery supplier getting other batteries so had load test done. Passenger side battery - great, drivers side 4.7 volts - very bad!

This is the third set of batteries in 3 years, but I will confess the batteries I was using came from Wally World so who knows. Anyway, I bought two Odyssey batteries. They are expensive (paid $252 each) BUT, they are a very different battery from standard. They can generate 1700 CCA (down to -40 deg) for 5 seconds, they have 900 CCA's after the 5 seconds, they have a no question 4 year TOTAL replacement warranty and you can safely drain them down to 40% 100's of times without any damage to the battery. They state that they are a deep cycle / regular cycle hybrid battery.

Anyway, the truck sounds like it's got an air start system on it! I don't know what the max speed of the starter is, but I'm at it.

On another note, I now have an oil drip coming off the bell housing. I see expensive mods in trucks future!!!!!!!

 

That's the kind of battery we install in our boats we build, starting straight 6 600hp Cummins diesels. They are top end batteries, I just wish that I could get a pair. Well, I could, but have to put the $ together.

 

I always used the odysey motorcycle battery in my ford focus due to space limitations with the turbo. Worked great.

 

I'm glad you guys had success with them. I had never seen them before but the guy we get our batteries from is a stand up guy.

They are expensive, but I've already spent that much in c@#**y batteries already, besides, there are many horror stories on here about bad batteries frying FICM's and such.

 

Here is a link to the manufacturer:

ODYSSEY Batteries





What the battery basically is:

In essence, an AGM battery that instead of being spiral wound, is flat plates stacked and then tightly held together by an exterior casing. It does not appear to be a flooded cell.


The CCA for 5 seconds is BS --- that is like a "peak" power output on an amplifier that can be sustained for 2 milliseconds. Watch out for the same claim in the "Red top" Optimas....


Here is the ACTUAL specs for Odyssey batteries that show the CCA rating around 1,000 for a typical auto sized battery:

ODYSSEY Batteries - Battery Specifications




I am pretty convinced that capability is not needed considering the $$$.


By way of comparison, here is the Optima Starting battery specs:

Optima RedTop Specs - Red Top AGM Batteries by Optima


There is hardly any significant difference between Odyssey and Optima, when identical application / size batteries are compared.


Whats more, I am wondering if Optima Yellow top (mix of CCA and deep cycle) is more appropriate for diesels with their load factors.


For the price Odyssey wants, Optima is widely available, and roughly the same (or at discount) much lower priced.

Odyssey do have a better warranty --- but what good is that if you have to go far to claim on a warranty?

Optima warranties are shorter.. but you can claim it nearly anywhere.





My inclination is to say, 2 6V golf cart batteries in series would do a better job.

Ford can't used golf cart batteries because they wanted an auto application battery that have spares everywhere.

However, it is easy for us to mod the thing...

 

When you have actually put a set in your truck than I guess you can call BS on the peak CCA claim. Let me tell you that I have NEVER heard a 6.0 spin over this fast EVER.

The Odyssey and Optima are nothing alike in construction, I have seen the inside of both of them, I don't design batteries so I have no idea what the design name or type, of both is.

As far as the warranty goes, the standard is for 4 years. The actual design life (as stated by Odyssey) of these is for 8 to 10 years, and yes they have been around that long and yes they do last that long. When I was buying mine, a guy pulled in with his motor home to replace his generator battery, which was an Odyssey and was over10 years old.

Optimas may be a good battery, but I don't think they are in the same class, which is why I didn't buy them.

Are these batteries over kill for the 6.0? Not for me, just like using diesel additive, synthetic oils etc etc.

 

CCA is always achieved at the expense of deep cycle performance.

All other things being equal.

Lead alloys are used for physical strength, and in an AGM design, the strength is not needed like it is a flooded cell.

The tradeoff for CCA is a poor tradeoff if it means less durability because what they are doing is using more thinner plates to get more surface area.



Sure, they warrant it for 1 year longer than Optima, but face it... at their prices, work out the claim expectations, they can afford it.

If you have true (even occasional) deep cycle needs, this is not the battery for price performance because the CCAs is achieved at the expense of the number of cycles it can do before failure.


There is no way to fundamentally alter the chemistry and the energy potential of lead acid --- you can play around with surface area, but the deal is the deal.



So unless Odyssey have invented a new science of lead acid chemistry and can extract more than the theoretical potential, there is no free lunch.




Thinner plates mean it has to be supported / caged / rolled up to prevent physical damage, which is what this cell is doing.

Deep cycle performance require plates to be solid, not spongy, and there is no way to bypass the physics.



So: how much CCAs do you need?


As much as needed to start the vehicle. Any more is extraneous. Spin it faster? Sure, but how much reserve capacity does it have and how many deep discharge cycles before it dies?


Given the tradeoffs, I prefer to have longer reserve capacity and deep discharge cycles vs. CCAs as long as CCAs are adequate.


Odysseys are basically high priced toys.

 

I know this is a long shot, because heavyiron hasn't been on the site since 2010 and gearloose1 hasn't been on since 2011

How have the Odyssey batteries been holding up?

 

I run Odyssey batteries (re-branded as Sears Die Hard Platinum's when they were still available...sigh) and *love* them. They have been installed for at least two years now (maybe three, time sort of has a way of getting away from me) and are rock solid.

Considerations from my vantage for folks to be aware of include:
* huge price difference
* rated to handle being killed and brought back to life 250 times (instead of the 3-5 times a wet cell typically goes)
* self-discharge 15% after six MONTHS instead of in token week(s) with wet cells, and the big drawback....
* they don't like to be charged above 14.5 volts, meaning that if you've got an alternator voltage regulated at 14.9 volts, you'll be shortening the life of your high dollar batteries 20-30% without an investment in a lower voltage regulated alternator.
* Batteries Plus chains sell a battery marked 'X2' that may well be a re-branded NorthStar battery - another solid contender. http://www.northstarbattery.com/nort...gine/index.php

In the DC Power line of alternators, you have to get up to the XP Series to even have the OPTION of getting a lower voltage regulated set point (14.2).

270 Amp XP Series Alternator

Hope this helps!

 

Are you sure about this? They are an AGM battery according to the Enersys/Odyssey website. Their FAQ didn't talk about charging voltage, but the charge tables don't show anything too delicate voltage wise?

 

'Sure' is always an interesting word - sort of like 'always' and 'never'.

That said, I've seen it referenced in some Odyssey documentation before.

I've also had a quite extended conversation with one of the engineers at NorthStar Battery about it maybe a month ago. His thoughts were right in line with what the Odyssey doc said.

 

Okay. My notes tell me that the 14.5V reference was from the NorthStar rep. Odyssey says not higher than 14.7V and even states that use of a higher voltage-regulated alternator voids their warranty.

From http://www.odysseybattery.com/docume...-003_1014.pdf:

'Overcharging, undercharging, charging or installing in reverse polarity, improper maintenance, allowing the Battery to be deeply discharged via a parasitic load or mishandling of the Battery such as but not limited to using the terminals for lifting or carrying the Battery. Trickle chargers that do not have a regulated trickle charge voltage between 13.5V and 13.8V (no lower than 13.5V and no higher than 13.8V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such chargers with the Battery will also void the Battery’s warranty. For applications where an alternator is present, the alternator must deliver between 14.0V and 14.7V when measured at the Battery’s terminals. Alternators that do not have a regulated charge between 14.0V and 14.7V (no lower than 14.0V and no higher than 14.7V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such alternators with the Battery will also void the Battery’s warranty.'

Hope this helps!

 

Yeah, OK but I'd like to see written documentation somewhere though - where did they get their information etc. Different manufacturers use different set points Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, Domestics, etc. As a rule, the most common fault is batteries that are chronically undercharged, wouldn't you agree?

Edit: The link you provided is 404, though I can read the text here I guess. Here is the updated web address:

http://www.odysseybattery.com/docume...G-003_1014.pdf

I kind of interpret their recommendations to mean their batteries will not be warrantied if they are overcharged or undercharged.

I wouldn't get too spooled up about 14.7 as a hard upper number, as it's temperature dependent, in this case referencing 70F or 80F say. They are probably referring to it as a maximum for an absorption charge as well. Most domestic vehicle alternators afaik are right in this zone?

 

If you doubt Ed's word, then contact Odyssey Technical and ask them directly (link at bottom of their web page):

ODYSSEY battery ? Technical Information

Technical questions should be directed to Bruce Essig at:
Tel: (660) 429-7506
Fax: (660) 429-1758
Send an email: bruce.essig@enersys.com

 

Quick search on the Odyssey site found it in writing:

http://www.odysseybattery.com/docume...S-014_0714.pdf

Found it in their "literature" page, under warranty

ODYSSEY battery - Literature

Overcharging, undercharging, charging or installing in reverse polarity, improper maintenance, allowing the Battery to be deeply
discharged via a parasitic load or mishandling of the Battery such as but not limited to using the terminals for lifting or carrying the
Battery. Trickle chargers that do not have a regulated trickle charge voltage between 13.5V and 13.8V (no lower than 13.5V and no
higher than 13.8V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such chargers with the Battery will also void the Battery’s warranty.
For applications where an alternator is present, the alternator must deliver between 14.0V and 14.7V when measured at the
Battery’s terminals. Consult the ODYSSEY battery technical manual or owner’s manual for any necessary temperature
compensation. Alternators that do not have a regulated charge between 14.0V and 14.7V (no lower than 14.0V and no higher than
14.7V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such alternators with the Battery will also void the Battery’s warranty.