Battery

[mlj427]

I have a 2010 Star with 8, 6 volt T105's . That have given out. They made it 7 years so I am sticking with Trojans. I am looking for opinions on what battery to go with.

My choices are:
8 T105's at $124 each $992
8 605's at $113 each $904
6 8 volt Trojans not sure of the # at $124 each $744

Would you stay with T105 or switch to one of the others? Is it worth the extra money? $248 is almost a new set of wheels.
Just looking for input.

Thanks
Mike

[Gregorio]

I like the 6 8v setup better because there are fewer interconnects. What is the difference in AH between the 6v and 8v? Are you losing range? Does that matter to you?

[kernal]

Here's a chart to help you decide. Star puts 8 6v batteries in some of their carts because they make some fantastic claims about range. However, it is true that the more amp hour storage you have the farther you can go all else being equal.
The chart is the math but there is more to it. There are several factors that affect range per charge out in the real world. One of the factors is weight. So when comparing 8 6v batteries vs 6 8v batteries realize that you are carrying around an additional 125 lbs or so with 8 batteries all the time. So you eat up some of that additional KW storage just because you are hauling around 2 extra batteries.
It comes down to how you use the cart. If you need the extra range that the 8x6v configuration gives you than there is really only one choice. If you don't then you might like the 6x8v configuration better.

Note: Lithium is coming to golf carts in a hurry. EZGO has them in fleets already. Still too expensive and not quite ready for the typical "do it yourselfer" but in a couple of years ???? Its a game changer. Something to think about.

[mlj427]

Thank you for your input. The 8 volt batteries are 875's.
One thing I heard about the 8 volts is they don't have the life that you get from 8 6 volts. Any idea how much less?
Thanks
Mike

[Unsoshl]

I thought it was the other way around, that you get more distance out of the 6-8v setup, no? I have the 875's in my Yamaha and they are on year #6. Can't beat that, unless you go w/lithium like Kernal mentioned. Hopefully more affordable in the near future and a bit more diy friendly. Nothing like dropping like 300 lbs when going to lithium..

[kernal]

By "life" I assume you mean service life vs range per charge.
So one of the things that determines how long a battery will "live" is the number of charge cycles and the depth of discharge before charging. If you run the cart until batteries are 50% discharged and then you charge them, you can only do this X number of times until the battery wears out (service life). If you only discharge them to 20% discharged and then charge them you can do this many more times. (much longer service life).
12v, 8v, and 6v golf cart batteries are all the same sized case but each with different number of cells. All have different capacities with 12v having the least and 6v having the most. All else being equal you will the discharge the 8v battery more than the 6v battery to cover the same distance because the 8v battery is starting with less total capacity. Hence all else being equal a 6v battery will have a longer service life (more charge cycles available) than the 8v battery----theoretically.
The decision still comes down to how you use your cart and what you expect out of it. Also the price of batteries available to you. What is the cost of 8x6v batteries compared to 6x8v batteries and is it worth it for a few more months of service life. Hard to determine because really each case is different and there are other factors that affect battery life besides cycle count.

[jasonmbraun_pargo_owner]

i use 3 semi batteries they work just as good

[mlj427]

Called Trojan yesterday and they said the life of the 8 volt setup would be about 20 to 30% less then the 6 volt.

Thank for your input
Mike