An uninterrupted and hassle-free summer holiday requires preparation and planning. Don’t forget, your vehicle plays a vital role in making your summer trips memorable and enjoyable.
Summer’s high temperatures can take its toll on everyone and everything, including your vehicle. Extreme heat can push a vehicle past its limits which sometimes leads to finding yourself stranded roadside. Pre-emptive vehicle checks should include your cooling system, drive belts, brakes and tyres including tread and pressure. These form some of the essential safety checks, but your vehicle will not take you anywhere unless you have a starting battery that is reliable and in a good state of health.
In fact, summer heat can have more of a negative impact on your battery than freezing winter temperatures. Heat is the worst enemy of ageing automotive and auxiliary batteries. Heat is a major battery killer because as it makes batteries work harder. Your battery is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electric energy, batteries are affected by humidity and temperature. If they are too hot or cold, they will exhibit behavior that is incongruent to their normal specifications. This is not a manufacturer’s defect but a consequence of using your battery in an environment that is not conducive to its specifications.
Excessive heat and overcharging are the most common causes of decreasing a battery’s life.  Heat can make battery fluid evaporate faster, causing internal damage to the structure of the battery. The optimum operating temperature for a lead-acid battery is 25°C. As a guideline, every 8°C rise in temperature could potentially cut the battery life in half.
Heading into summer we cannot control the temperatures; however, you can ensure that you have a reliable Atomic Battery installed that will take you through the elements. Atomic Batteries have some of the highest CCA ratings available on the market today. Recreational vehicles, particularly off-road four-wheel drives need extra boosts of energy to run various components while still maintaining enough energy for auxiliary equipment. Choose an Atomic Battery to help eliminate those “Battery Headaches” and embarrassing moments.
We were lucky enough to be invited by the owner of Auckland’s Off-Road Adventure Park in Woodhill - Roger Winslade to take some great photos.  If you haven’t been give Roger a call and head on out there for a fun day of Four-Wheel Drive madness!