|
I just got my Optima yellow top last week. Don't know yet what difference it's going to make, but couldn't really trust the 7 year old battery in the cold anyway. I also got a cigarette lighter volt meter, which I can't find a link for now, at Wal-mart for $15. My trucks got three belts instead of a serpentine and I'm trying to modify it so I don't need them one at a time. The big thing I want to know is how all you alternatorless guys keep the car from constantly complaining about the battery being low, since any thing under 13.5 sets off the dumby light? I see how oranges idea would work, but I didn't want have to carry around 3 6v bats and I question whether 2 8v bats would even maintain enough juice to keep the voltage above 13.5 for long.
As for the solar panels, don't mess with the cheap Chinese panels you get from Harbor Freight. They don't have the energy/surface area density that the more expensive samsungs or GEs do. I suppose that may not be important if all you want is trickle charging a not oft used battery sans alternator, but if you want to work your way into the most power on a cars surface area you're going to have to pay for. At least that's what I found when I looked.
__________________
|