Batteries

[Horsepower junkie]

Which do you recommend lead acid or AGM for my 94?

[71firebird400]

AGM. It's buried up in the car, best to run a sealed system than risk any corrosion that might go unnoticed (due to it being out of site).

[dave6666]

Lead acid. Read about all of the problems with AGM in Vipers. I've been using lead acid batteries in all of my vehicles for over 40 years and don't have any corrosion issues at all. Probably because I change them on a 5 year cycle instead of waiting for them to die on their own in a rusty puddle of green corrosion byproducts.

[71firebird400]

Lead acid. Read about all of the problems with AGM in Vipers. I've been using lead acid batteries in all of my vehicles for over 40 years and don't have any corrosion issues at all. Probably because I change them on a 5 year cycle instead of waiting for them to die on their own in a rusty puddle of green corrosion byproducts.

[x] Boomer confused by battery technology

[ViperSRT]

Lead acid. Read about all of the problems with AGM in Vipers. I've been using lead acid batteries in all of my vehicles for over 40 years and don't have any corrosion issues at all. Probably because I change them on a 5 year cycle instead of waiting for them to die on their own in a rusty puddle of green corrosion byproducts.

Dave, you are grouping all AGM into the category of spiral wound. I have not heard one problem of flate plate AGM (a battery type used by Chysler OEM applications right now).

[Steve-Indy]

If Dave is indeed referring to a certain gel battery in silos, I agree with him.

As to AGM...I am running them in 10 cars at present...one battery is 14 years old and still going strong and is only charged when driven or once a month in the winter. Yes, they are more expensive and are heavier than a flooded lead acid battery...but, they have a claimed life of 2-3 times that of the flooded type. We will see just how long they all last...including those of tenders and those off of tenders.

To the original poster: My current favorite battery for Gen I and II Vipers is the Interstate MTZ 78...the 78 being the group size. It has a 4 year full exchange warranty and is prorated after that.

[Steve M]

If Dave is indeed referring to a certain gel battery in silos, I agree with him.

Just to be 100% clear, are we talking about Optima's spiral cell design?

Does any other AGM battery manufacturer use something similar?

[ViperSRT]

If Dave is indeed referring to a certain gel battery in silos, I agree with him.

If you are speaking of Optima they are spiral wound AGM (lead acid with absorbent glass mat to minimize liquid movement) and not gel. The issue with them is the same as their advantage. That is a high power density to acid ratio. That means they are much more susceptible to overcharging due to the low fluid volume vs the high plate surface area. Unless an application is designed around their use it is expected that overcharging (either rate of charge or level of charge) will occur. Sprial wound AGM have very different profiles than flat plate AGM.

[Suregrip391]

Not to hijack the thread but relevant to those changing batteries….maybe I should do a search first before asking, but will you experience any issues with any of the cars systems, driveability or alarm remotes doing a simple battery swap? The car will have to relearn some things, correct? No idea how old the battery is in my 97 and the original owner could not recall when he changed it. I may want to look into that Interstate that Steve recommends.

[Steve-Indy]

Thanks for the correction ViperSRT...in fact, I can't think of any automotive gel batteries that I have ever seen.

Suregrip391, about all you will lose on your year Viper are clock and radio settings...noting that you can do a key on,engine off throttle relearn followed by a good drive cycle without any problems in my experience.

[Patentlaw]

If Dave is indeed referring to a certain gel battery in silos, I agree with him.

As to AGM...I am running them in 10 cars at present...one battery is 14 years old and still going strong and is only charged when driven or once a month in the winter. Yes, they are more expensive and are heavier than a flooded lead acid battery...but, they have a claimed life of 2-3 times that of the flooded type. We will see just how long they all last...including those of tenders and those off of tenders.

To the original poster: My current favorite battery for Gen I and II Vipers is the Interstate MTZ 78...the 78 being the group size. It has a 4 year full exchange warranty and is prorated after that.

This.....

[Horsepower junkie]

Thanks guys. Shopping for batteries just about all brands now offer a AGM for additional $. Not to long ago Optima was the only one and Viper owners were not high on it.

[Viperenvy]

I took Steve-Indy's recommendation for the 98.

I also took his recommendation to recondition the battery tray area. Most show the age with rust and pitting. Finding replacement tray's is difficult and will be more so as they rust away.

[ViperSRT]

Thanks guys. Shopping for batteries just about all brands now offer a AGM for additional $. Not to long ago Optima was the only one and Viper owners were not high on it.

They were out there but maybe not really clearly labeleled as such. (for 2010 Chrysler introduced AGM for their first stop-start application) I purchased a Sears Platinum (their AGM) about 10 years ago and it is still working fine in the Florida heat.