AGM battery for 83 spider

[1983Pinin]

Hello,
I need a battery for my 83 spider and wonder if I should consider an AGM battery? I don't put a lot of mileage on the car, and it's stored in an unheated attached garage that rarely goes below freezing where we live in NY. I used to keep a lead acid battery in the car with a trickle charger on it.
If AGMs are possible, do I do something different when not driving the car for a month or so?
Oh--I'm also in the process of putting a subwoofer amp and also a 4-channel amp in the car with total max wattage of about 1000W. I understand this can make a difference in battery choice.
Thanks for any guidance.

--Peter

[Jon124]

AGM batteries are possible in a Spider, I installed a group 34 AGM this year. AGM batteries will not drain just from sitting like a traditional battery, although you still need to consider parasitic current draw. If your only storing for a month or so at a time you shouldn’t need a trickle charger. Also AGM batteries won’t freeze so you don’t have to worry about the cold.

[rridge]

AGM batteries are made for modern vehicles with serious power demands and limited battery compartment space. The FI Spider has neither.
Modern lead acid batteries made in the U.S. have remarkably low self discharge rates and can go ten years or more in hobby car with limited use and an occasional trickle charge. Any battery made by Johnson Control, Exide or East Penn, regardless of the store brand they are sold under should do the job.

[DieselSpider]

Last time I bought an AGM for my daily driver it barely lasted 2 years while the wet batteries that you could top off made it to 5. Florida heat and humidity kills batteries. The AGM cost a whole lot more too.

[spider2081]

I would take the term "maintenance free" with a grain of salt. I believe all batteries need to have their terminal connections inspected and cleaned periodically. The fact that you can't add water does not eliminate clean tight connections. I remove my battery and put it on a wooden work bench in the winter months. I recharge the battery about once a month for about 12 hrs. My Lead acid batteries last more than 6 years. I purchased a new lead acid battery at a wholesale club in 12/18 for $80 something dollars to replace the still working battery in my 2012 500 PE. I replaced the battery because of its age not because I thought it was failing. The battery in my Spider was purchased in 2012 and is still operating fine. I just can not justify the cost of an AGM battery.

[redcars]

I put an AGM battery in my 82 Spider it had a three year warranty and lasted 3 years and a month it costs twice as much as a regular battery. I get 6 to 10 years on a regular battery. No more AGM batteries for me.

[DieselSpider]

I would take the term "maintenance free" with a grain of salt. I believe all batteries need to have their terminal connections inspected and cleaned periodically. The fact that you can't add water does not eliminate clean tight connections. I remove my battery and put it on a wooden work bench in the winter months. I recharge the battery about once a month for about 12 hrs. My Lead acid batteries last more than 6 years. I purchased a new lead acid battery at a wholesale club in 12/18 for $80 something dollars to replace the still working battery in my 2012 500 PE. I replaced the battery because of its age not because I thought it was failing. The battery in my Spider was purchased in 2012 and is still operating fine. I just can not justify the cost of an AGM battery.

Yes up North despite the winters batteries can last longer. Here in the Deep South we are fortunate to get 3 years from them. Longest lasting will be those of moderate cranking capacity with more room for liquid around and under the plates that are semi-maintenance free meaning that either there will be a snap on condenser that you can pop off to top off the cells with distilled water or under the label of the flat top will be hidden flat screw in fill caps for topping off however you have to cut or remove the label in order to get to them.

The battery in the trunk being removed from engine heat tends to last a bit longer here.

[1983Pinin]

Here's an update on my original post from 2019. I went to BatteriesPlus Bulbs and got a Duracell AGM Group 34R for this car and installed it in Dec 2019. This battery came with a 4 year warranty! I drove the car weekly or less with no issues, until I dropped off to monthly driving ( unheated attached garage, rarely goes below freezing in the garage ). After putting trickle charger on , battery started giving me trouble and is now dead. BPB put battery on charger and said it came up to 12V, but when I brought it in it was at 7volts. After charging it only started the car once and now won't even charge.
Bottom line is the 4 year warranty was not honored by BPB since any battery that comes in <10v automatically voids the warranty.
I suspect parasitic drain on the battery but regardless, the warranty was worthless....
--Peter

Hello,
I need a battery for my 83 spider and wonder if I should consider an AGM battery? I don't put a lot of mileage on the car, and it's stored in an unheated attached garage that rarely goes below freezing where we live in NY. I used to keep a lead acid battery in the car with a trickle charger on it.
If AGMs are possible, do I do something different when not driving the car for a month or so?
Oh--I'm also in the process of putting a subwoofer amp and also a 4-channel amp in the car with total max wattage of about 1000W. I understand this can make a difference in battery choice.
Thanks for any guidance.

--Peter