On Fri, 2 Jun 2000, Dean_Mericas wrote:
> Now that I'm nearing completion of the reassembly, I need to get a new
> battery for the TR4. I've been considering one of the new technology
> batteries, such as the Exide Orbital or Optima products. The big appeal is
> long-life and no leakage. The down side of both these batteries is the
> cost: $125 - $175. I also investigated the Westco battery that's popular
> with the Miata crowd, but it seems sensitive to fast charging, and I'm
> afraid that my 35 year old charging system design may be too brutal.
>
> I'd like to get some feedback from folks with experiences with any of these
> designs in an early TR.
Dean, I have no such experience with these batteries. But I do wonder if
they are truly cost-effective. How well do they hold up during long
periods of storage (3-5 months of winter inactivity)? Meanwhile, I can
walk into Walmart, Kmart or just about anywhere else and grab a
"maintenance-free" 12v name-brand battery with all the capacity I'd ever
possibly need for an older Triumph for $30-40, and it probably will last
3-5 years.
I figure with the $100+ I'd save, I can afford a lot of boxes of baking
soda to mix with water and clean up the battery area every so often as
(if) needed, and still have plenty of money for a can or two of touch-up
paint if the area gets too badly damaged from battery acid (which seems to
happen a lot less nowadays with most sealed batteries, in my experience).
My $.02....
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|