here are 3 deep cycle batteries for alt delete, what are the differences+BIG pics

[brucepick]

Re the Walmart deep cycle batteries, I paid a visit to WalMart yesterday to see what they had. The first lesson is that all Walmart stores have different stock. To find a decent selection all in one store I had to make several stores "My Store" on WalMart's web site and then search on marine battery or deep cycle battery in each store, to see what was available there. Big PITA, imho.

Anyway, this is what I found:

Everstart Max, Group 24DC, 92AH @ 1A, Selection 93, $80
Everstart, Group 27DC, 109AH @ 1A, Selection 94, $69
Everstart Max, Group 29DC, 114AH @ 1A, Selection 96, $95
Prices rounded to the nearest dollar.

I still think these are worth looking at, if working in this price range. Approx $100 or so won't get you much battery at all from any of the premium battery makers, from what I've seen.

My alt-disabled project (here) could use an additional battery just to power the headlights. In my car's case, they draw more current than the rest of the car. My deep cycle pack is good for 3 or maybe 4 hours drive without headlights. If headlights are on, it's good for only about 1.5-2 hours, and I wish it could go longer. So I'm considering a low priced lead-acid deep cycle for that job. Maybe from CraigsList. I won't really need it in summer, but in winter I drive in the dark most of the time. You might find yourself in that situation too, and will need to double your battery capacity or more to handle winter when it comes around next time.

For my alt-disabled project (here) I decided to leave the oem type starting battery in its standard location and add a 40 AH Lithium cell in the trunk which powers everything but the starter. Not low-cost, but keeping the starter battery resolved two concerns:
1) Deep cycle battery doesn't need to start the car. No concerns about CCA etc.
2) Deep cycle battery doesn't need to fit in the standard oem battery location.
I've gone a whole week without charging the lead battery without any issues. But I prefer to charge it midweek to prevent sulfation (deterioration of capacity).