anybody use Odyssey battery
 

just wondering if anyone has used Odyssey batteries in their 318ti?

I have a 97 that im going to put a new battery in before the winter hits hard. (I live in Canada)

the Odyssey PC1200 (which is what the odyssey website recommends for my car) has a 5 second pulse of 1200PHCA!!! that's DOUBLE the minimum requirement for the M44 engine! after 5 seconds the CCA drops to 540CCA.

Other positives of this battery are (claimed) 3 times the lifespan of a wet battery, spill proof, maintenance free, and shock proof.

Seems like this would be the most amazing battery money can buy.

before I take the plunge and buy a $200 battery I was hoping someone here could share some experiences with them.

I've never used an Odyssey. I've used Optima's before, though not in a TI.

I think any variety of "deep cycle" batteries are rubbish for starting batteries. If your car sits for months and months, may be appropriate but if you are driving it I think that a normal starting battery is just as competent and lasts just as long.

From what I've read, the Odyssey is predominantly intended for a cranking application although it does act as a deep cycle as well to account for a the parasitic drain that a lot of modern cars have. this accounts for things like alarms, internal computers, and GPS systems.

1200 cranking amps though!! (different from amp hours)

in the colder months in Canada i can certainly feel (and hear) a slower cranking of the engine with a conventional battery. i would imagine this would put a lot of strain on the starter motor.

Great batteries wont leak.

DO NOT USE A TRICKLE/float CHARGER ON THEM! It will kill them.

They like being charged by the cars charging system, they dont like being deep cycled, if you run them down you need to use a nice 15+ amp charger to bring them back up.

Read their charging instructions.

They will hold a charge forever if you disconnect the + cable in storage.

I have a small one that will crank a V8 with 13:1 compression. (Mean green starter)

Cheers

In the event it really needs a re-charge, i have an 80 amp charger that should be up to the task of bringing it back.

for this purpose i would be just using it in my daily driver. frequent use means my charging system should be fine.

One thing i don't really know for sure. my OEM alternator has no problem keeping up with my current wet battery. would the odyssey battery require an alternator with greater output?