I installed a sealed Optima Red Top 35-910 in my car. The Optima failed, was replaced under warranty, and then the replacement failed, as well. The Optimas did poorly in cold weather and wouldn't hold a recharge.
I purchased an Odyssey PC1200MJT because I need a more reliable sealed battery.
The Odyssey is just a bit smaller in overall size than the Optima, but apparently has more total plate size due to its conventional configuration.
The Odyssey has done well so far, but it is the warm season, so I cannot speak to cold weather performance.
However, the specs for the Odyssey are excellent. It is claimed to accept hundreds of charges without a problem (deep cycle), and to handle very cold conditions extremely well.
In regard to the purchase experience, this is the first time after several years of excellent service that I have been disappointed with Amazon.
The Odyssey qualified for Free Shipping, but I needed it sooner than the typical 5 7 days, so I paid an additional $27.00 for expedited shipping. My order clearly stated the total price including expedited shipping, but UPS showed 7 day shipping anyway! I don't know if this was the result of a technical error or what, but I contacted Amazon immediately. Amazon did nothing to correct the problem and would not refund the additional shipping fee! Delivery took a full week.
As Amazon has proven unreliable, I will look elsewhere before making a purchase from now on.
I purchased my first Odyssey PC1200-MJT seven years back at a good deal from a major racing parts shop (S) I've dealt with for years for a low mileage 1979 Berlinetta Camaro I own. I needed a battery that would not eat another inner fender and battery tray out again like a brand new Walmart battery had done in only six months time. The Camaro was only driven about 20 miles once a year and its electrical system was perfect, but that didn't stop that 6 month old battery from destroying the Camaro's battery tray and inner fender liner at great cost to me. To say the least, I was really angry and determined this would never happen again.
I had read about the Odyssey MJT batteries and liked what I saw metal jacketed, sealed brass top post connections, small size per CCA, CAN BE MOUNTED IN ANY POSITION WITHOUT SPILLS. Battery life was also 6-8 years (with good care) in the factory literature, and I had seen reviews of it having lasted as long as 12 years and no, only using and charging a battery for twenty miles driving once a year is not good care. Okay, those specs and reviews softened the steep initial price considerably to which I added a new Odyssey Billet Aluminum Battery Mount of the correct size. Mounted in place, the new battery looked great. It fit the bill, as I needed something that could be left in the tight confines of the Camaro as moving the batteries in and out of my other antique vehicles wasn't as difficult.
Forging ahead, over the next seven years I still didn't drive the Camaro more than 20 miles once a year. But this time there was never so much as any wiring corrosion. In fact, the PC1200-MJT still looked brand new after removing it and wiping it off with some spray window cleaner with a cloth. Yes, after seven years there was a reason for removing it it was quite dead and had failed to start my stored Camaro for the first time. I removed a new battery from my '85 Pontiac Trans Am and started the Camaro driving it a while and checking everything before storing it again. Not knowing if the Odyssey battery here would hold a charge anymore after seven years, I took my time trying to bring it back up with a large NAPA industrial charger I had owned for many years. After a number of hours of close monitoring, I finally got the Odyssey up from a 20% charge to a small cranking charge. I also knew I needed a charger that would properly charge this AGM Odyssey battery without such close monitoring as my NAPA charger was not designed for AGM batteries and could easily overheat and destroy them. So, I purchased a Schumacher charger designed for AGM batteries and let it do its thing for several days. The new charger brought this Odyssey even further back to better health but I did notice it slightly heated the Odyssey while charging. Although it was very slight heating, that's not a particularly good thing for any sealed type battery. But, the PC1200-MJT was sufficiently recharged for good use.
Having a number of antique vehicles with AGM, sealed lead acid, and standard lead acid batteries, I started checking out what else was available in new chargers I could leave hooked up for longer periods of time on stored vehicles. I found the BatteryMINDer line and purchased one (12151) that could be mounted under the hood permanently one that would also desulfate and charge any style battery. I mounted the new 12151 charger with this old Odyssey battery into my '85 Trans Am. It offered full-time desulfation at a maximum of 1.5 amperes charge rate. The TA has a high horsepower small block 406 and a sound system of over 600 RMS watts (well over 1000 watts total). It also has a 140 ampere alternator to keep the power up when two Kenwood stereo amplifiers hit high power levels. So, I wanted the Odyssey PC1200-MJT back to 100% capacity if possible.
In the first few days of using the new BatteryMINDer, with the charger and engine off and the stereo on, I noticed the PC1200MJT battery would lose power fairly quick until I switched off the stereo while there was still enough power to start the 10.25:1 compression engine. After some weeks on the BatteryMINDer 12151, I checked the health of my PC1200-MJT again. After a 12 hour rest (charger disconnected), the battery was showing the same performance as a new battery 12.84 volts as the Odyssey paperwork stated for a battery charged to 100%. I noticed the stereo system could now play much longer with the engine off without apparently pulling the battery down. I could also see the PC1200-MJT AGM battery was charging back very quickly after starting the engine much faster than the previous new sealed Delco had ever recharged in the TA, and proving to me this Odyssey AGM battery recharges much faster by comparison. I already knew it held a charge longer without charging, proving the Odyssey stated longer shelf life.
Okay, I also purchased more new BatteryMINDer chargers after seeing so much first hand with repeated checks using an Amprobe digital volt/ampere meter. The chargers (12151 and a new 12248) have restored all my batteries, including one 13 year old diesel tractor battery that had been sitting around dead for years. But, aside from that, I've seen the quality of the Odyssey when a seven year old battery can be returned to like new electrical condition after reaching its expected service life in years. The military specs of the Odyssey also concerns more than the sealed metal jacket on this battery. It concerns how strong the battery is internally, and that tells me the battery is still physically in good shape internally especially after I did some load testing and saw how quickly the battery recovered. Any lead acid battery can be internally destroyed quickly from vibration (or heavy loads) the Odyssey is designed to take much more than others.
I also have a PC925-MJT in an antique 1957 Ford tractor, and another PC1200-MJT in another vehicle all are performing great. I bought the second two Odyssey batteries after having only seen the strengths of the PC1200-MJT after only a few years of use. A bad charging system (now repaired) on the old tractor took the brand new PC925-MJT down to 50% and a no start condition before I found the problem. The charging system was showing a proper charge in volts, but was supplying no amperes. Once repaired, and after the PC925-MJT had spent a short amount of time on another BatteryMINDer, it too came back to its brand new specs. Because of this, I now use BatteryMINDer desulfating chargers on all of my stored vehicle batteries. Obviously, you get what you pay for with the Odyssey as it is designed much stronger throughout than any other automotive battery especially the MJT series and Extreme series by Odyssey.
These Odyssey MJT batteries are almost bullet proof and well worth the money even if given almost no care. All you really need is a healthy charging system and to charge/desulfate them once in a while as needed. Oh, and the MJT stands for Metal Jacketed Top post. From what I'm seeing, my Odyssey batteries may outlast me if cared for properly with the proper BatteryMINDer desulfator/charger while not in use. The top terminals can also be easily adapted to side post wiring connections with no fear of wiring corrosion since the Odyssey batteries are completely sealed. Just be sure to order the proper battery size, terminal placement, and amperage for your application. Some might confuse the 1200 in this model to mean 1200 CCA but this battery actually supplies 550 CCA @ 0 degress Fahrenheit (725 CCA @ 32 degrees Fahrenheit). This is still more than enough for my Camaro or my Trans Am, even though the factory batteries were rated 600-700 CCA, as the Odyssey has a proven much faster charge recycle time than other batteries, provides greater power on initial high loads such as engine starting, and has a 70% greater life cycle. This is much like a deep cycle boat battery and an automotive starting battery combined. You get the best of both worlds with better vibration resistance to boot using this Odyssey. That alone makes it worth more than other batteries. My Trans Am's amplifier system can quickly reduce a standard starting battery to almost nothing and in no time that standard battery would be worthless (internally shorted and burned open circuits). The Odyssey takes it in stride. Need a battery that is able to withstand the pressures of racing year after year for a race car? Get yourself an Odyssey MJT and forget worrying. They don't leak and they are tough as nails.
Manufactured In USA and UK
Buy Odyssey PC1200MJT Automotive and LTV Battery Now
this battery is the best i ever own and perform perfect in cold weather. i run full sound system with 2 10" subs with amp for 2 hours without running the car and still holds enough energy to turn the crank on to run the car. Small and Best ever so far.
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I bought this as a starting battery for a Kohler home standby generator.
I bought it primarily because my experience with Sears Di Hard batteries was that they failed much too often after too short a time.
I cannot give an honest review at this time because while the Odyssey is supposed to offer a long and dependable service life, it has only recently been put to use.
Though initially expensive, I bought it because it is promoted as being of military grade and rated high for reliability.
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I have Odyssey Batteries in most of my other cars, so when my Wife and I bought a new Z06, I began to think about an Odyssey for that, but when I looked at the catalog on the Odyssey web site, I saw that the Odyssey Battery which fits in the rear battery compartment of a C6 Z06 is not an exact fit and that the ".... vehicle battery restraint(s) may require modification."
I also noted that the dimensions of the Odyssey Battery (PN PC1200MJ) suggested for use in C6 Z06 were somewhat smaller than the stock battery and that the CCA rating of the Odyssey was slightly less, 590 vs 550. I contacted the folks at EnerSys, the maker of the Odyssey brand, and was told the modification to the battery hold down, if necessary would be minor. I also asked about the vent hose which connects to a stock battery to carry away battery fumes. This prompted a response from Kalyan Jana, Product Manager of AGM Products for EnerSys, the company which manufactures and markets Odyssey batteries. He told me, "Odyssey batteries do not require a venting system and therefore the PC1200MJT does not have a connection for the hose. As long as the battery is not installed in a gastight enclosure no special venting arrangements are necessary for any Odyssey battery."
One of the reasons I've become a fan of the Odyssey Battery is its very high pulse cranking current output. in short, "pulse cranking output" is not the same as "cold cranking amps" (CCA) and is a very high current draw for a short period while the engine is cranked during the starting sequence. Pulse cranking is usually defined as lasting five seconds. The LS7 in a Z06 has a very high compression ratio for a production engine and the battery is in the back of the car, at the end of a long cable run. Both those characteristics demand a battery capable of high pulse cranking current output. In that context, I, also, questioned Jana about the difference in CCA ratings and he responded, "The answer lies in how CCA is defined, which is: a 30-second discharge at 0ºF. Unless the user is planning to actually discharge the battery at 0ºF for 30 seconds, the CCA rating of a battery is pretty meaningless. What is of paramount importance in an engine cranking application is the number of amps a battery can deliver for 3-5 seconds (ie: pulse cranking amps) to get that engine turning rapidly. In that respect, an Odyssey battery will significantly outperform an OEM battery that is physically much larger."
As it turns out Delco does not rate it's batteries for pulse cranking amps but Odyssey does. The pulse hot cranking amps (PHCA) rating of the Odyssey PC1200 MJ is 1200-amps for five seconds. I decided to order a PC1200MJ and test it out.
So, how does the Odyssey PC1200MJ work in the real world? Well, first off, you don't have to modify anything to install it in a Z06. While the battery is a little smaller in length, its height is the same as the stock battery so the stock battery hold-down in a Z06 works fine. No modifications are necessary. Because the battery box in the back of a Z is so small, lifting a battery in and out is easier if you have one of those rubber strap battery carriers which attaches to the battery posts but, you can remove and replace the battery by hand if you have a strong grip.
Odysseys are shipped fully charged. I installed the battery, then let the car sit a week before I tried starting it. In spite of not having a charger connected either upon installation or after a week, the cranking speed was, perhaps, 10-20% faster than it was with the original battery. One characteristic which concerned me with the C6 Z06 was the LS7's somewhat slow cranking speed compared to the LS6 in my 2004. Going to the Odyssey battery solved that problem for sure!
The other reason I like Odyssey batteries is they have a long service life, usually 5-7 years and sometimes as much as ten years. Also, they are more tolerant of "deep cycles" (where you run the battery dead, then fully recharge it) than are most conventional battery designs, such as the OE ACDelcos. Thought I've not tested the deep cycle tolerance with the battery in my new Z06, I have run an Odyssey dead and charged it up several times in my 71 Coupe with no ill effects to date. Now that car uses a larger Odyssey, a PC 1500, but the engineering and materials used in of those two are the same only the sizes differ.
There's a downside to the Odyssey PC 1200 and that's weight. The Odyssey weighs about 4 lbs or about 10% more than the stock ACDelco. Hardcore racers might no like that, but I'll take the extra weight in exchange for the Odyssey's better performance and durability.
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