REFLECTOR: Battery Advice

[Laurence Coen]

Johnson Controls acquired Optima in 2000.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Laurence Coen" <lwcoen at hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 11:29 AM
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Battery Advice

> Mark,
>
> My first Optima was made in Colorado and the replacement was made in 
> Mexico. I figured that was probably because of all the US restrictions on 
> the use of lead.  When I got the first one in1998 Interstate was the only 
> place you could buy one.
>
> Larry Coen
> N136LC
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Mark Magee" <edjonesbrady at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:06 AM
> To: "sbjknox" <sbjknox at earthlink.net>; "Velocity Aircraft Owners and 
> Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Cc: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Battery Advice
>
>> Sid,
>> Thanks for that data on Odyssey battery. I've never owned one but will 
>> consider one for the Velo. I've gone back to lead acids in my diesel's 
>> (at one time I had 3 diesel vehicles, now only 1 left) as they seem more 
>> cost effective. If you study the battery business and industry it is an 
>> amazing business. As a Money Manager I've looked closely at such 
>> companies as Johnson Controls, one of the bigger manufacturers. They 
>> design to get those batteries to something short of the stated warranty 
>> so the purchaser will Bring it back to the store chain where they 
>> purchased it to get credit toward a new battery of the same brand. It's 
>> quite a money maker. Years ago I thought Optima was the ticket off that 
>> merry-go-round. Maybe it's Odyssey.
>> Interestingly, when Optima first hit maybe 20 years ago, they were a 
>> serious threat to the battery industry's business plan. Then, and I'm 
>> working from memory here, I believe Interstate bought Optima and brought 
>> them in-house. That is when the price started to rise and I believe the 
>> quality began to fall a little. Interstate (again I think Interstate) had 
>> to price-point them vs their lifespan to keep the merry-go-round spinning 
>> to their advantage.
>> Nobody seems to want to build a battery that lasts forever!
>>
>> Mark B. Magee
>> Sent from IPhone 4S
>>
>> On Dec 10, 2012, at 9:32 PM, "sbjknox" <sbjknox at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruben Creus" <ruben at vainneg.com>
>>> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Battery Advice
>>>
>>>
>>>> Talking about batteries, It is time to change mine; we had some 
>>>> discharges
>>>> over time and not holding well now. I am thinking on an Odyssey 925.
>>>
>>> I have four Odyssey 925 batterys, one in Velocity, one in Starduster, 
>>> one in '57 Triumph TR3, and one in '89 Ford Probe.  Oldest is about 7 
>>> years old and as potent as when new.  The only one that gets a float 
>>> charger (Harbor Freight, about $8) is the Probe because sometimes it 
>>> sits for a few months between use and the computer (ECU) will slowly 
>>> suck it dry. Odyssey batterys recover very well from a deep discharge. 
>>> Self-discharge is essentially zero.
>>>
>>> Sid Knox
>>> Oklahoma
>>>
>>> Velocity  173 RG  N199RS
>>> Starduster  N666SK
>>> KR2         N24TC
>>> W7QJQ
>>> <Starduster Odyssey battery_c20.jpg>
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