My Firebird battery needs replacing. Is there any special considerations since the car does not get the use of a daily driver? Is there anything I should look for? What does "deep cycle" mean?

thanks

Deep cycle batteries are mostly for boats(trolling motors) and RV's that do not need high cranking amps and are used for low loads for long periods of time. They are designed to be fully discharged and recharged. This is due to their thicker plates.
You need something with high cold cranking amps. I like 1000 cranking amps.

You can go with the standard generic replacement battery from Autozone or Murrays. 24/25 group size.

You live in Dallas..some cold, but you need nothing higher than 650-750 CCA.

If you want an awesome battery, Optima red or yellow top. You can definately use a deep cycle battery and they are made for cars. I used to use them for competition in audiophile, but deep cycle auto batteries are a great investment. They also have their place for a car that may suffer heat soak starting issues. These batteries recharge slower and last longer on restart attempts. (Being from Dallas area)

You may not necessarily "need" a $149-$189 battery, but if you are running a lot of accessories, (fan, stereo, A/C) and your alternator output is stock, say 39-55, either upgrade your alternator, battery or both.

I have had no real problems with a $70 battery, but I really like the 12 year service life I have gotten out of my Optima battery. Twice the life and worry free pays for itself.

The red is a great replacement. Yellow if you have high draw fans A/C or high end stereo system. My 96 WS6 had 6 amps drawing off one 175 amp alternator and two Yellow Optima batteries. Your alternator is likely 1/4 of this and either upgrade your alt. output or use a better battery.

The Die Hard I bought in august of 2000 , died in october of 2006 it was a $110 battery 5 yr warranty (yaerly cost to me was $18/yr, I replaced it with a cheap Autozone ($45 )on our cruise to Shiner that day my Die Hard died,( we`ll see the yearly cost later)...Optimas are great ,had one red top in my Healey...not sure you get the 'extra' out of the extra price batteries though.....

1000 cranking amps is an insaine number. Let's go back to electric 101 one more time. A component will only draw however many amps that it needs to do the job. If you have 1,000,000 amps as the source and the component draws 1 amp, the remaining 999,999 will not be used.


Seeing that amp draw vaires with starters, the requirement, based only on a good guess, would somewhere between 150 to 450 amps. As a result, the 650 to 750 Banshee suggests is adequate. And if your anal, 850 is way more than you'll ever need.

That 1000 I had was called the 'ICE BREAKER'. One sweet battery. It was overkill 95% of the time. But on those -50 days..... I don't think you need to be crazy or anal to understand power and having too much power. It can be a good thing.....

I finally bought an Optima Red a few months ago. Very expensive, but garaunteed start every time. Keep all the paperwork that comes with it.

I like my Optima becaus it's in the trunk, can take vibrations and no fumes.

I use the biggest battery I can get into the car, I find they last longer in this climate (cold). I also carry booster cables!

The cranking amps relates to the amount of plate area inside the battery. That's why the Optima battery gets the high cranking amps from a smaller battery. With more cranking amps, the starter is able to turn the engine over faster and the battery voltage is higher while cranking (affects the strength of the spark). Reserve capacity has to do with the total amount of energy that can be stored in the battery - all good things! I'm with Jim on this one.

This post came just in time. I also need a battery and I appreciate the group info number.

With the risk of a hi-jack...

Since the battery is one part of the charging system, what is the recommended alternator of choice?

Thanks for the info guys!

Dave

One issue nobody touched on yet was the lack of battery acid in the Optima's. I for one had to replace both the core support and an inner fender due to 30 plus years of battery leaks.

While I may get the best cheap battery I can (Autozone lately) for my daily drivers, I will never again install a regular lead acid battery in my restored classic.

I installed a 900 CCA/1000CA battery and 1 gauge cables. No more hot slow cranking. Electricity 101 dictates that overkill is better than underkill.

I've got an Optima red top. It's fool proof.

Yousa!

Get the Optima, keep all the darn paperwork, and it should be the last battery you ever buy for your Bird.

End of story. Thats the way I see it.

I can hear Tim Allen now; MORE POWER!

You need the post just before that one to put it in context. Works great with an AC DC convertor too. Before I got the Hidden Audio I had a house stereo seatbelted on the back seat. Convertibles never have enough volume when you have the top down.

Using the red top also. Thumping stero! More Power

For purists and show use, I'll be offering the reproduction Delco R59 top post batteries soon.

No sh*t Vikki?

What do you anticipate the pricing will be?

I'll find out Monday (I hope) once my account is approved. I needed to buy one last week, NPD no longer carries them, said their supplier went out of business. So I went hunting and found the manufacturer.

D^#@, I just bought two new batteries.