Discussion
If it helps, the dimensions of the battery box are:
280mm long x 190mm wide x 230mm high
I recommend fitting the biggest & heaviest battery you can squeeze in the box, unless you are trying to save space.
Make sure it delivers 600 cold cranking amps as a minimum measured using the EN standard, what most people overlook is there are two different cold cranking standards, SAE & EN.
The American SAE standard is measured at a higher ambient temperature, so 600 CCA in SAE is more like 550 CCA in the more punishing EN (English) standard.
Ignore marketing & brand names, the only true indication of battery quality is weight; simply put, the heavier the battery the more lead is inside it.
Choose the heaviest battery that will fit in the box and select one with AGM technology.
AGM batteries are a big improvement over regular wet battery technology, AGM batteries recover better from a discharged state & typically last longer (especially if you suffer a few unexpected full discharges).
This one looks pretty good value:
http://www.performancebatteries.co.uk/product/AX+5...
To assess it's quality I would ring them up & ask them how heavy it is.
As a guide an average quality 072 battery will typically weigh 17kg, a decent one will weigh 19kg, and a top of the line Odyssey PC1500 with exactly the same external dimensions weighs a massive 22kg.
Keeping the battery on a decent maintenance charger will greatly extend it's life, if you use the car infrequently & don't have access to mains electricity disconnect the battery.
A simple battery disconnect switch is an effective solution, I use the excellent "Battery Brain Gold" device because it allows me to disconnect the battery using a remote control after locking the car.
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/productspage.php
Even when disconnected all batteries have a self discharge rate, but AGM batteries have a significantly lower self discharge rate than a conventional wet battery.
A disconnected healthy AGM battery will hold enough charge to still start the car after 8-12 months of storage.
However, connecting your battery to a quality maintenance charger is by far the best way of keeping it in peak condition.
280mm long x 190mm wide x 230mm high
I recommend fitting the biggest & heaviest battery you can squeeze in the box, unless you are trying to save space.
Make sure it delivers 600 cold cranking amps as a minimum measured using the EN standard, what most people overlook is there are two different cold cranking standards, SAE & EN.
The American SAE standard is measured at a higher ambient temperature, so 600 CCA in SAE is more like 550 CCA in the more punishing EN (English) standard.
Ignore marketing & brand names, the only true indication of battery quality is weight; simply put, the heavier the battery the more lead is inside it.
Choose the heaviest battery that will fit in the box and select one with AGM technology.
AGM batteries are a big improvement over regular wet battery technology, AGM batteries recover better from a discharged state & typically last longer (especially if you suffer a few unexpected full discharges).
This one looks pretty good value:
http://www.performancebatteries.co.uk/product/AX+5...
To assess it's quality I would ring them up & ask them how heavy it is.
As a guide an average quality 072 battery will typically weigh 17kg, a decent one will weigh 19kg, and a top of the line Odyssey PC1500 with exactly the same external dimensions weighs a massive 22kg.
Keeping the battery on a decent maintenance charger will greatly extend it's life, if you use the car infrequently & don't have access to mains electricity disconnect the battery.
A simple battery disconnect switch is an effective solution, I use the excellent "Battery Brain Gold" device because it allows me to disconnect the battery using a remote control after locking the car.
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/productspage.php
Even when disconnected all batteries have a self discharge rate, but AGM batteries have a significantly lower self discharge rate than a conventional wet battery.
A disconnected healthy AGM battery will hold enough charge to still start the car after 8-12 months of storage.
However, connecting your battery to a quality maintenance charger is by far the best way of keeping it in peak condition.
FWIW, a 28Ah Odyssey PC925 is more than man enough to start the car after several weeks (at least in my underground parking), weighs just 11 kg and leaves enough space to put the ECU next to it instead of leaving it dangling in front of the battery box - thus freeing enough passenger legroom for my 6'3" ish frame with long legs to get comfortable...
No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
900T-R said:
FWIW, a 28Ah Odyssey PC925 is more than man enough to start the car after several weeks (at least in my underground parking), weighs just 11 kg and leaves enough space to put the ECU next to it instead of leaving it dangling in front of the battery box - thus freeing enough passenger legroom for my 6'3" ish frame with long legs to get comfortable...
No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
What are the dimensions ?No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
900T-R said:
FWIW, a 28Ah Odyssey PC925 is more than man enough to start the car after several weeks (at least in my underground parking), weighs just 11 kg and leaves enough space to put the ECU next to it instead of leaving it dangling in front of the battery box - thus freeing enough passenger legroom for my 6'3" ish frame with long legs to get comfortable...
No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
The fact a little 28Ah battery can do the job in a Chimaera is undeniable proof how good these Odyssey batteries are.No advantage in going overboard unless you really want to leave the car alone for months on end without a trickle charger and/or want to install a massive ICE system...
Here's a PC925 at a good price:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Odyssey-PC925-Motorcycle...
I have friends in the battery industry that swear by Odyssey, my 072 sized Odyssey PC1500 pretty much ran our camp site for two days at the Le Mans Classic this year.
Mobile phone charging, lights & lots of music for hours at a time, it was the camp power station & during this period I never once started the car to charge it.
When we did come to leave I was pretty convinced the jump leads would be coming out, amazingly after all that abuse I turned the key and the engine span up just as strongly as it always does.
Odyssey do make some amazing batteries, that's for sure
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