Moving to tahoe for the winter.

[RDS3030]

Well I just got a job at a ski reasort for the winter and im moving up to tahoe, with living in the snow and some what cold conditions i wasnt sure if anyone has any advice or pointers. I looked around and found some posts but i thought id create this to get a few more. Anything to different fuilds to belts, and input at all would help. Everything im running in it now is stock and im sitting at 210k miles without any problems.

Thanks for any imput at all.

 

[brian2sun]

I would say invest in some good mud/snow tires.

 

[RDS3030]

I just got brand new Dunlop 265/70/16 M/S tires and they seem to be great.

 

[creatix]

Right, some good tires and if legal in your area studded tires to keep you on the right side of the road in icy conditions. Shovel, portable battery power booster, extra blanket, cell phone and CB radio for extra measure

 

[RDS3030]

My battery is a few years old and seems to be working ok, they said it could be stroger but its ok now. I was think about getting a new one, is this needed and if snow any brands that you recomend for the cold?

 

[creatix]

My battery is a few years old and seems to be working ok, they said it could be stroger but its ok now. I was think about getting a new one, is this needed and if snow any brands that you recomend for the cold?

Most definitely get a new heavy duty battery. Currently I am running red top optima with great results but not sure if I'd recommend it or get another since I've heard Optima moved their manufacturing to Mexico where product quality degraded significantly.

The two brands I am considering for my next battery, lots of positive feedbacks, are DieHard Platinum and Odyssey. Make sure the positive/negative poles are facing the proper direction in respect to the battery cables.

 

[Crit Rat]

Is the best way to determine health of a battery to go the parts store and have them do their test?
I would assume they put some kind of load on the battery and then see how quick it drains with this test, accurate?

 

[creatix]

Is the best way to determine health of a battery to go the parts store and have them do their test?
I would assume they put some kind of load on the battery and then see how quick it drains with this test, accurate?

For the most parts yes. However there are a few other variables which the load testing does not take into account. Such as battery under extended cold temperature use. Understandably most people would prefer to squeeze the last drop out of a battery before replacement. But this practice can be counter productive in time and cost when you're planning on extended trip away from home sometimes under challenging environmental conditions. It could be a simple thing like forgetting your headlights (happens to me all the time lol) from which the battery has to be strong enough to recover and recharge.

 

[theizzardking]

a float test is a better way of checking condition of the battery, load test doesn't tell you anything about the individual cells, a float test will tell you the condition of all of the cells and if they are discharging correctly. they should be able to do that for you as well at the flaps.


here's every test you need to preform on your battery to make sure it's up to snuff.

Inspecting & testing a battery

if you decide to buy a hydrometer and start running the tests yourself.

How to Use a Battery Hydrometer | eHow.com

i also run deep cycle batteries for the reason above,(CREATIX'S post) they are much better at recovering for complete discharging then a normal starting batteries and tend to have longer/more hours of running, the way i see it is if you can find one (deep cycle) that has the same or higher CCA (cold cranking amps) as a starting battery but can recover from complete discharge more effectively why not get that one? deep cycles are also better for accessories such as cb's,fridges ect, they are most commonly used in marine or rv applications for that fact.

here's a break down of battery spec's i robbed from another site. use the rating system below as a go by and make a logical choice that will suit you. i as well like the oddessy and die hard battery brands.


4. CCA, CA, AH and RC. What are these all about? These are the standards that most battery companies use to rate the output and capacity of a battery.

Cold cranking amps (CCA) is a measurement of the number of amps a battery can deliver at 0 ° F for 30 seconds and not drop below 7.2 volts. So a high CCA battery rating is especially important in starting battery applications, and in cold weather.This measurement is not particularly important in Deep cycle batteries, though it is the most commonly 'known' battery measurement.

CA is cranking amps measured at 32 degrees F. This rating is also called marine cranking amps (MCA). Hot cranking amps (HCA) is seldom used any longer but is measured at 80 ° F.

Reserve Capacity (RC) is a very important rating. This is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80 ° F will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts.

An amp hour (AH) is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries. If a battery is rated at 100 amp hours it should deliver 5 amps for 20 hours, 20 amps for 5 hours, etc.


i'd also like to note they say that the CCA isn't important on a deep cycle battery and that's becuase most aren't used as a starting battery , but i do use them as starting batteries , so the CCA on a deep cycle is important to me, lol

 

[topdown4runner]

I don't know about California, but here in Florida you are doing well if your battery lasts over 3 years.
I always buy the one with the longest warranty and take it back every 3 years or so when it starts to get weak.

Cheap insurance. Get a new battery before you head to the great white north.

 

[creatix]

Great response, very informative. Yea I remember in the old days when every battery had individual water cell caps the float test was the standard testing procedure. But with these newer "sealed" batteries like my red top Optima it's not an option anymore. Speaking of deep cycle batteries I've discovered a new generation of batteries, perhaps they have been here for years already, the "dual purpose" battery, i.e. Odyssey battery, for deep cycle and heavy duty starting. They cost more than "single purpose" but offer best of both worlds.

a float test is a better way of checking condition of the battery, load test doesn't tell you anything about the individual cells, a float test will tell you the condition of all of the cells and if they are discharging correctly. they should be able to do that for you as well at the flaps.


here's every test you need to preform on your battery to make sure it's up to snuff.

Inspecting & testing a battery

if you decide to buy a hydrometer and start running the tests yourself.

How to Use a Battery Hydrometer | eHow.com

i also run deep cycle batteries for the reason above,(CREATIX'S post) they are much better at recovering for complete discharging then a normal starting batteries and tend to have longer/more hours of running, the way i see it is if you can find one (deep cycle) that has the same or higher CCA (cold cranking amps) as a starting battery but can recover from complete discharge more effectively why not get that one? deep cycles are also better for accessories such as cb's,fridges ect, they are most commonly used in marine or rv applications for that fact.

here's a break down of battery spec's i robbed from another site. use the rating system below as a go by and make a logical choice that will suit you. i as well like the oddessy and die hard battery brands.


4. CCA, CA, AH and RC. What are these all about? These are the standards that most battery companies use to rate the output and capacity of a battery.

Cold cranking amps (CCA) is a measurement of the number of amps a battery can deliver at 0 ° F for 30 seconds and not drop below 7.2 volts. So a high CCA battery rating is especially important in starting battery applications, and in cold weather.This measurement is not particularly important in Deep cycle batteries, though it is the most commonly 'known' battery measurement.

CA is cranking amps measured at 32 degrees F. This rating is also called marine cranking amps (MCA). Hot cranking amps (HCA) is seldom used any longer but is measured at 80 ° F.

Reserve Capacity (RC) is a very important rating. This is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80 ° F will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts.

An amp hour (AH) is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries. If a battery is rated at 100 amp hours it should deliver 5 amps for 20 hours, 20 amps for 5 hours, etc.


i'd also like to note they say that the CCA isn't important on a deep cycle battery and that's becuase most aren't used as a starting battery , but i do use them as starting batteries , so the CCA on a deep cycle is important to me, lol

 

[creatix]

I don't know about California, but here in Florida you are doing well if your battery lasts over 3 years.
I always buy the one with the longest warranty and take it back every 3 years or so when it starts to get weak.

Cheap insurance. Get a new battery before you head to the great white north.

Wow, so you tell them the battery is getting weak and they give you a new one just like that? Never thought about that

 

[theizzardking]

more then you will ever need to know about batteries

Battery Tutorial

and here

Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ, Battery Manufacturers and Brand Names List, and


between these two sites you should be able to pretty much be caught up to speed on anything you need to know about vehicle batteries deep cycle or other, has a very good explanation of different types of batteries their uses and pro's and con's of each type as with any type of information think for yourself and go with what sounds like it would suit you.

me i don't really listen to much of the standard practice stuff, i'd just rather know about the rating systems and what they mean and how they effect the workings of the battery and my car from there i feel like i can make a decision on what to run, like i said before i see no point in getting a starting battery that has less CCA's ,reserve capacity and amp hours then my deep cycle by every measure or standard my deep cycle should be better for my applications and uses.

 

[creatix]

me i don't really listen to much of the standard practice stuff, i'd just rather know about the rating systems and what they mean and how they effect the workings of the battery and my car from there i feel like i can make a decision on what to run, like i said before i see no point in getting a starting battery that has less CCA's ,reserve capacity and amp hours then my deep cycle by every measure or standard my deep cycle should be better for my applications and uses.

What brand and battery rating are you running?

 

[drinknmolson]

Right, some good tires and if legal in your area studded tires to keep you on the right side of the road in icy conditions. Shovel, portable battery power booster, extra blanket, cell phone and CB radio for extra measure

get a new battery, along with what he has above get a tow strap, I have only been to tahoe skiing 2x and both I could have towed 3 people out of the ditch. with the sun tahoe gets the roads seem to get icy quick, again I have only been there twice, but it was slippery.

You may as well get a roof rack and a new Never Summer snowboard!!!

 

[theizzardking]

What brand and battery rating are you running?

i'm running Odyssey in all of my cars except the runner, I'm going to replace with one when i need it with a dual battery set-up

i just buy the largest battery i can physically fit and with the best specs, in the dual battery case you buy the 2 smallest sealed batts with the best specs and at least 800 or so CCA's

 

[creatix]

i'm running Odyssey in all of my cars except the runner, I'm going to replace with one when i need it with a dual battery set-up

i just buy the largest battery i can physically fit and with the best specs, in the dual battery case you buy the 2 smallest sealed batts with the best specs and at least 800 or so CCA's

That settles it for me! My next battery will be Odyssey. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

ahhh Tahoe, my old stomping grounds!! what resort are you working at? I grew up around that area skiing all over the Sierras. In the past few years its been kind of crappy, there hasn't been that much snow up there causing the only snow they do have to freeze up giving you the crusty effect which can also result in massive bleeding and pain if you fall. BUT they say its going to be a crazy winter this year and if thats true its gonna be goooood ridin'! Every once in a while you'll get the much desired fresh Pow day
But yeah the roads arn't that bad, i made it up the mountain in an old 86 Audi (non quattro) with nothing but all weather tires, during one of the biggest snow storms recorded Living up there may be different I remember when i was younger, seeing over 5 feet of snow burried on top of cars, houses buried to their roofs, so yeah studded tires, or chains may be a good thing while your up there. the only mountain roads that I recall that are kinda sketchy when its snowing are Kingsbury Grade and MountRose Hwy.
ummm I cant really think of anything else though let me know if ya got some questions about the area. i live in Utah now so thats why i can diss on the snow up there!! LOL but yeah man im jealous! have fun!

 

[mysticz]

2 most important things I found I need in Tahoe were de-icing windshield wiper fluid and a snow and ice scraper for the windows.

Other then that you should be fine.

 

[jacktahoe]

Congrats !

I live in both Sacramento area and Tahoe. I have two 4Runners, and my 98 is much better in the snow than my 2004. I use the All Terrain TA tires because my driveway is at a 17% degree slope and this is the only tire / vehicle that can get up it in the winter. I have gotten stuck a few times, but it was because my tires couldnt reach the ground (snow pushed my car up off the ground when driving). Other than that, I usually fill up my gas tank before going up there because the delays in the road can be really bad.

Send me a note and we can compare green 98's some time. What resort are you working at? I live right by Homewood.