Best battery combo for EOC.
 

I have a AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 65, 850 CCA from my old ford explorer and I got it to fit under the hood of my KIA actually making a WAI at the same time.

Well after many many days of having the car parked and leaving the lights on, 4 solid days she has died. I need an upgrade.

I need a badass battery or two. I'm looking to spend $250-$500. I have a 110V house charger. I would like to be able to keystart at the left turn traffic light with my turn signal on after a 4 mile EOC, radio on blast, headlights on, blower motor on and radiator fan on, and charge my phone with no problems. My alternator works fine but would also like to take it off during the summer for short trips.

Trunk mount would be ideal and so would a weblink for wires and a tray to set this all up. If you guys could point me in the right direction that would be great.

I'd buy a true deep cycle battery that fits in the same spot as your existing car battery. It'll handle the deeper discharging unlike a normal starting or hybrid starting/deep cycle battery. I never had an issue with my deep cycle batteries not having enough oomph to start my car in the dead of winter.

No need to break the wallet either, should be under $100.

If you're looking to go alternatorless, I'd go for the biggest one that fits.

Are there really batteries for under $100 anymore? Seems to me most are well above that now, especially deep cycles.

I can tell you for sure the wrong battery for EOC. 151R. My lawnmower has a bigger battery. I've measured them and it actually is smaller than a mower battery. And it offers a whole whopping 300 CCA.

I use a trickle charger weekly during summer and daily in winter (headlights).

Last I checked, a group 31 (pretty large battery, ~100Ah) deep cycle battery was around $110. A group 27 or 29 would be good for a car. I ran a group 27 in my 97 Paseo. They're ~75Ah, so should cost about 25% less.

I wouldn't bother going with an AGM, just a normal flooded cell.

Just looked up local prices:

Group 24 (70-85Ah) = $100
Group 27 (85-105Ah) = $105
Group 31 (95-125Ah) = $125

So, as usual costs go up! :( Still no need to spend $250 on a battery.

In any case, you don't need a big battery if you're not going alternatorless. Just remember to top off once in a while.

Go to advanceauto site, figure out bat you want. Buy it online and use code for20% off, then go to store hour later to pick it up.

I have been through several 151r-2 batteries. They die a few days after the warranty is up.

My sidekick has a group 24 deep cycle, love it. :turtle:

You parked your car for several days with the lights on? That will certainly kill a battery.

Any battery should get you 4 miles of EOC as long as you give the alternator enough time to charge after starting the car.

As for running without an alternator; you need to estimate your electrical loads and decide how long of a trip you want to be able to make without running the alternator.

Speaking for myself, I'd never relocate a battery to the trunk because I use that space and running thick copper wires that distance is not efficient. I also wouldn't run a lead-acid battery because they are heavy and don't like to be deeply discharged. Finally, I would size a battery that can cover 95% of my trips without running the alternator, but not so large that I could go for hours on end. There just isn't a justification for taking up that much money, space, or weight.

Finally, if you park outside and do end up getting a lead-acid battery, buy a 5w solar panel to keep it topped up.

Hmmn I have some research to do. Sounds like just one battery will be enough. I feel like I really abused my battery . Sometimes I will have to key start like 100 Times a day if I go into the city. After the 50th time I have to really try hard to bumpstart because the battery is weak. This has lead to me just idling at a light so I don't have to block traffic if it doesn't start I hate idling and you really don't want to get stranded in Baltimore city at night. I definitely need reliability. And I should charge it daily.

Should I be looking for a marine battery or a truck battery or what? If someone could send me some links from advanced auto or another store it would be a big help.

What you want is a true deep cycle battery. You do not want a starting battery, or a hybrid starting / deep cycle (aka dual purpose) battery. If it says anything other than 'deep cycle', you don't want it.

To save money, I'd recommend a flooded style (will have caps for filling the battery with water), not a gel cell, or AGM. Neither gel or AGM will have caps for filling it with water.

I don't know what Autozone carries for deep cycle batteries. I looked on their site and only found starting batteries and dual purpose batteries. I tend to go to a store that specializes in batteries (Batteries plus, or a battery dealer), or a store that deals in marine stuff.

SLI31MDC Duracell Ultra Battery - BCI Group 31M - Deep Cycle - Marine and Boat - Batteries Plus

Do you think this would work?
I also have read about the "big three" a common electrical wiring upgrade. I think this would make a huge difference as well.

Yep, that'll work. Its a big'un too, a group 31. Probably pretty big overkill for your application would be my guess. You'd definitely have to make sure it would fit in your engine bay.

This would probably be more than enough:

SLI24MDC Duracell Ultra Battery - BCI Group 24M - Deep Cycle - Marine and Boat - Batteries Plus

Height is my issue with space under the hood and all sizes seem to be over 9" tall. I have just under 9" clearance. Hmmm

Here are the different group sizes and their dimensions:
List of Common Battery Case Sizes | BCI Group Numbers

Ok thanks man it looks like I'm either going to have to relocate the battery to the trunk or just buy a new normal battery that will fit. i have like 8" 3/4 of clearance from the bottom of the battery tray to the top of the hood. not much at all.