930 CCA Die Hard Platinum MORE POWER!!!

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Xjrguy

FRF Addict
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Posts
1,331
Reaction score
12
I love these things and put them in every car we own or previously owned.

My stock battery was fine but I felt like putting the best under the engine bay.

Especially with all the lights on the front of my truck, an additional concern (but not now) was running accessories off the truck and battery at a camp site.

A nice Group 65 Die Hard Platinum (basically a rebadged Odyssey)

Made by Enersys and sold by Sears.

Almost 300CCA more than the stock battery from Ford.

It spins the starter as if it was on steroids!!
 

MagicMtnDan

FRF Addict
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Posts
7,661
Reaction score
1,793
Location
Magic Mountain
When I Googled the battery I think it lists for $180.

Yup, that's probably a Battery Tender trickle charger hooked up to it.

Battery_Tender_Plus.jpg
 
OP
OP
X

Xjrguy

FRF Addict
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Posts
1,331
Reaction score
12
What do those go for? That looks like a trickle charger hooked up to it...

It's $189 at Sears.

Yes that is a battery tender on it. I always fully charge a battery before I install it into a vehicle.

These batteries are awesome. It's an AGM battery, premium construction and heavy!. I've had one in a 2005 Viper, 2004 Cobra (shoehorned a Group 34/78), the Raptor and my wife's FX35. I'd put one in my GT500 but Sears doesn't have a size that fits it.
 

KaiserM715

Kaiser Söze
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Posts
8,571
Reaction score
3,116
Location
Houston, TX
A nice Group 65 Die Hard Platinum (basically a rebadged Odyssey)

Made by Enersys and sold by Sears.

Almost 300CCA more than the stock battery from Ford.

It's $189 at Sears.

Yes that is a battery tender on it. I always fully charge a battery before I install it into a vehicle.

I have never thought of using a trickle charger to "top off" a battery before installing it...

I have always used Optimas (gel-cells) but doing a little research led me to this article located here:
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

Going off of this, I will look for a Die Hard Platinum in the future.

Gelled electrolyte

Gelled batteries, or "Gel Cells" contain acid that has been "gelled" by the addition of Silica Gel, turning the acid into a solid mass that looks like gooey Jell-O. The advantage of these batteries is that it is impossible to spill acid even if they are broken. However, there are several disadvantages. One is that they must be charged at a slower rate (C/20) to prevent excess gas from damaging the cells. They cannot be fast charged on a conventional automotive charger or they may be permanently damaged. This is not usually a problem with solar electric systems, but if an auxiliary generator or inverter bulk charger is used, current must be limited to the manufacturers specifications. Most better inverters commonly used in solar electric systems can be set to limit charging current to the batteries.

Some other disadvantages of gel cells is that they must be charged at a lower voltage (2/10th's less) than flooded or AGM batteries. If overcharged, voids can develop in the gel which will never heal, causing a loss in battery capacity. In hot climates, water loss can be enough over 2-4 years to cause premature battery death. It is for this and other reasons that we no longer sell any of the gelled cells except for replacement use. The newer AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries have all the advantages (and then some) of gelled, with none of the disadvantages.

AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries

A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:

Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.

Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.

The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.

AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.

AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.

Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
 

BigJ

FRF Addict
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Posts
5,448
Reaction score
1,559
Ah very nice. Ya learn something every day... Die Hard Platinums for me from now on too. Thanks guys.
 
OP
OP
X

Xjrguy

FRF Addict
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Posts
1,331
Reaction score
12
The Diehard Platinum is basically an Odyssey (Mil Spec) battery sold at SEARS.

Both batteries are made by Enersys, and have similar construction, runtime, capacity and sizes.

Best thing about it, is that due to SEARS buying power/capacity you are getting a $250 battery for $189 with the benefit of having a SEARS on almost every corner if there is a warranty issue.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/

For more technical info. The battery I bought is a group 65 and = PC1750 @ Odyssey's site.
 

KaiserM715

Kaiser Söze
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Posts
8,571
Reaction score
3,116
Location
Houston, TX
My battery was getting weak, so I picked one of these up and installed it. One thing to note, the warranty used to be 4 years free replacement and 100 month prorated. The prorated part of the warranty has been eliminated (which seems to be a trend with batteries these days). The price has gone up, too. It was $220 with core trade-in ($220 + $15 core).
 
Last edited:
Top