Seattle Scott

Don't think any gel cells will fit. Exide makes NAPA Legends as far as I know. Had good luck with the better Sears Diehards over the years but the NAPA has the same warranty(wash), weighs 2 pounds more (good) and is a little smaller (good).

I need a Group 41 battery (outside vent hookup) that goes under the back seat.

captainbilly

They are sold under several names, they are all pretty expensive and they are totally spill proof like a gel cell. I believe Exide sells them but I have 3 of them from another company. Hawker makes them as single cells or as batteries. The AGM battery (sometimes called recombinent gas) holds the electrolite in a glass mat rather than a gell. They have excellent cranking power and very good charge retention, sometimes holding a charge for years. You can usually tell automotive versions of these batteries by their unique shape. They look like they are made up of 6 cylindrical cells, which they are, rather than a flat sided box like most car batteries. These individual cells are sometimes refered to as spiral cells because of the way the electrodes and glass mat are wound up.

By the way most batteries that were once "gell cells" are now AGM. Almost all the UPS batteries are now AGM and not Gell, even though they look the same as the old gell cells. AGM batteries have not really taken off for automotive use, due to cost, but they are getting quite common in aircraft. Even the military is replacing many of their big nicads with AGM due to their similar performance, simpler charging and much lower cost (although higher than wet cells commonly used in cars).

Seattle Scott

Actually Johnson Controls makes the Optima, Diehard, Energizer and bunch of other batteries.

<img src="http://www.exide.com/products/trans/images/orbital_auto_starting.jpg">

<b>Exide</b>

<img src="http://store4.yimg.com/I/rodi_1663_5339866.jpg">

<b>Optima</b>


<a href="http://www.optimabatteries.com/faq.asp">Optima Battery FAQ</a>


The only reason I think I can't get one for my car is (battery is under the back seat) there is no external vent outlet in case of overcharge. See Question 2 of the Optima FAQ


<img src="http://www.sears.com/data/product_images/automotive/standard/02831241000-dv.jpg">

Just read the latest Consumer Reports and they wern't too excited about the Optima AGM. Well, I don't have to feel so sorry for myself now. ;-)

Muhammad

This topic was covered on the s-cars list two weeks ago... I'll FWD you the info later today.

April

It's pretty small. Works absolutely fantastic. ! I can leave my car for weeks on end and have no probelms starting in any weather. Cost was $129 @ Bayland Battery in San Jose.

Brian-PA

plus with NAPA, you get the legendary Calendar/Catalogue !

phred

This is what they do, after all. You need the magic date decoder algorithm before you buy a battery (honest, you do!) Looks like their last test was in the Oct '01 issue.