Definitive Battery Recommendations

[rexster314]

Looking for replacement with either Odyssey or Optima battery but after going through enough battery postings my eyes are cross-eyed, can someone please tell my what the correct size/model/type is for my 2006 XLR?

 

[Phil105]

Unless your car is going to sit for extended periods of time on a somewhat regular basis without a charger, I can't justify the cost of those batteries. Any good $100 battery should provide acceptable performance. Just my 2 cents.

 

[lextoy]

you need a battey maintainer if the car is going to sit most of the time.
i like the odyssey, yes its stupid expensive, but the extra CCA (850 vs 600) makes me feel better.
mine is an 07 the positive terminal is closer to the engine, that makes it a 34R PC1500
make sure yours is the same before you order it.
i got mine directly from odyssey battery, they have sales on batteries occasionally. like around SEMA.
i got mine last year in the jan feb time frame for 20% off, so it was approx $220 with free shipping.

 

[lextoy]

lt looks like this outfit has them in stock for $218 with free shipping, or you can pick up in houston ??

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Electric...pcfon=1&gp=1&gclid=CJnFktyp5MkCFQEuHwod74AMMw

 

[Crimson Pearl]

Odyssey battery

I installed an Odyssey in Crimson Pearl shortly after purchasing her. CP is a 2005 and the orientation of which side the + and - terminals are on varies by year.

Knowing how demanding that our XLRs are on batteries, I wanted what I felt was the best battery available - the Odyssey. I also purchased the Odyssey Optimizer to keep the battery "topped off" if she isn't driven for 2 weeks.

 

[rexster314]

Thanks for the responses. The battery that's in there was put in by the previous owner without consideration of the stress on the battery. It's a cheap 18 month AC Delco. I want something that will stay up for a week or so without me getting a battery tender, and for me, the added hassle. I also want something that will allow me to leave the doors open for a period of time without running the battery down like I have already done (I was at home so no big deal). Or sit in the parking lot, listening to the radio while my wife does her shopping and not have to worry about calling AAA for a jump.

 

[XLRATING]

We have Optima, red top in the '06 base, yellow in the '07 V (which for some reason munches through batteries faster than the base). We also use an Optima tender.

I think folks have posted on here you have to do some mods for the Odyssey to fit '06 & later models. I know the terminals are aligned differently after '05 & I think the space for the battery is different.

Depending on how much I drove it before letting it sit, the base can sit 2-3 weeks without a tender. All bets are off on the battery hog V as to how long it can sit tender-free. Haven't tested how long I can sit in either with lights, radio etc. on.

 

[BusaMan]

Rex, we have had several threads on this subject, and I sympathize with you on the difficulty of picking the "right" battery. I have the same model/year XLR as you, and the Optima Yellow Top D35 works splendidly. It's the "deep cycle" version of the Red Top, and I have had NO issues with it since I installed it. I frequently let my car sit for a few weeks at a time, and the battery always seems fresh. If I know that I'll be gone for much over a month, I hook "Daphne" up to my Battery Tender (brand name) and she's fine when I get back.

Check out: Yellow Top Discussion .

Worth the money, IMHO. I also found out that O'Reilly will negotiate on the price!

FWIW

Tim

Looking for replacement with either Odyssey or Optima battery but after going through enough battery postings my eyes are cross-eyed, can someone please tell my what the correct size/model/type is for my 2006 XLR?

 

[rexster314]

Rex, we have had several threads on this subject, and I sympathize with you on the difficulty of picking the "right" battery. I have the same model/year XLR as you, and the Optima Yellow Top D35 works splendidly. It's the "deep cycle" version of the Red Top, and I have had NO issues with it since I installed it. I frequently let my car sit for a few weeks at a time, and the battery always seems fresh. If I know that I'll be gone for much over a month, I hook "Daphne" up to my Battery Tender (brand name) and she's fine when I get back.

Check out: Yellow Top Discussion .

Worth the money, IMHO. I also found out that O'Reilly will negotiate on the price!

FWIW

Tim

Yup, I read that one also

 

[lextoy]

crimson's terminals are the opposite of mine.
i think 06 and up are considered "reversed" terminals
thus the 34R
the oem battery tray was supposedly a smidge too big for the odyssey battery.
when i installed mine, it would have been fine in the original battery tray.
so actually no modification required.
i had already ordered the replacement tray, so i installed it anyway, but it was unnecesary.
i dont know which battery has higher reserve capacity etc, optima or odyssey.
but for your planned usage, i would definitely not go oem ac delco.
i would monitor the new battery for a month or two to see if your driving is sufficient to maintain a good charge.
otherwise you need to get a maintainer.
what kills batteries is sulfation due to low charge. since our cars always seem to have a slow drain,
and then sit at low charge , they can kill a good battery pretty quickly. a few discharges and a batteries life is drastically shortened.
thats why the maintainer is important before you get a deep discharge.

 

[rexster314]

i dont know which battery has higher reserve capacity etc, optima or odyssey.
but for your planned usage, i would definitely not go oem ac delco.
.

From what I can find out so far reserve is 100 or 90 mins. A wash far as I 'm concerned
Delco doesn't offer what I'm looking for. Their CC and CCA are all too low

 

[XLRATING]

You may already be on top of this, but buy from a local store so you can check the manufacture date on the battery & get the newest one. One store had to bring us about 5 batteries from the back before we could find one with a recent manufacturing date. It may or may not make a difference in the long run but can't hurt.

 

[rexster314]

Good idea, hadn't thought about that.

 

[rexster314]

lt looks like this outfit has them in stock for $218 with free shipping, or you can pick up in houston ??

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Electric...pcfon=1&gp=1&gclid=CJnFktyp5MkCFQEuHwod74AMMw

Just bought one there today. Still the same price with state tax and I'll be picking it up in the next couple of days

 

[Crimson Pearl]

Good move!

Just bought one there today. Still the same price with state tax and I'll be picking it up in the next couple of days

I think this is a good move that you will not regret.

Let us know how the install goes.

 

[rexster314]

Picked up the Odyssey PC1500 34R battery yesterday, it was late when I got back home so I waited until this morning to shoehorn the thing in. Having the builtin handle is a godsend. It fit perfectly in the stock battery tray and the battery hold down fits as it should. I'm not going to put a picture up cause it's already been done unless someone wants a picture. Any way, I'm happy now except the creaking from the car that just started several days ago.

 

[xlrlist01]

Picked up the Odyssey PC1500 34R battery yesterday, it was late when I got back home so I waited until this morning to shoehorn the thing in. Having the builtin handle is a godsend. It fit perfectly in the stock battery tray and the battery hold down fits as it should. I'm not going to put a picture up cause it's already been done unless someone wants a picture. Any way, I'm happy now except the creaking from the car that just started several days ago.

Ah yes, creaking. I have found that to be one of those "just get used to it" XLR features. It depends on weather conditions too.

 

[rexster314]

Ah yes, creaking. I have found that to be one of those "just get used to it" XLR features. It depends on weather conditions too.

I'm in the process of trying to narrow it down. But weather conditions is good idea, it only started doing it when the temps started going down over the last month or so. When it was running 80-90 deg. I never noticed it. I'm thinking of changing out the differential grease and checking torque on the axle spindle nuts first. I turned off T/C and some of the noise went away so I'm thinking it might be coming from the diff as there's different noises coming from the rear part of car.

 

[Phil105]

I'm in the process of trying to narrow it down. But weather conditions is good idea, it only started doing it when the temps started going down over the last month or so. When it was running 80-90 deg. I never noticed it. I'm thinking of changing out the differential grease and checking torque on the axle spindle nuts first. I turned off T/C and some of the noise went away so I'm thinking it might be coming from the diff as there's different noises coming from the rear part of car.

Had the issue of the creaking/rubbing/grinding noise in the rear when car was cold and backing/turning out of garage. Changed out the differential lubricant and problem solved. There is a TSB on this. Recommends a specific lubricant. There are numerous posts about this on this forum. Hope that's all to your problem.

 

[rexster314]

This is what I've ordering. ACDelco 12693 10-4034 Dexron LS 75W-90 Gear Oil. The capacity for the differential for an 06 is 2.11 quarts. Trying to find a 1 qt container, otherwise, I have to get another 2 qt bottle