In December I installed a reman Bumblebee battery pack (thanks, S Keith!) and it's worked perfectly.

Their CS also suggested a discharge/charge cycle every 6 months to keep it in tip-top condition.

When I installed the pack, I also added wiring to do the discharge safely and it tested as working fine.

About every 6 months I take a nice, long drive through the Smokey Mountains. During this trip, I watch the battery pack fully discharge (as evidenced by the "BAT" bar gauge) until the "CHRG" green bars start appearing on the long, steep ascents. After a while, there are long, steep ascents which recharges the pack. This cycle repeats about 4 times for the whole trip.

So here's the question. Would this drive with repeated discharge/charge cycles accomplish the same effect as doing it at home with my lightbulb discharge/grid charger setup?

 

No. The vehicle will NEVER fully charge the cells or fully discharge the cells. That's the point of grid charging.

The process should be "charge/discharge/charge" not "discharge/charge"

 

Is there a definitive guide to the process? In various forums, I've read conflicting processes for this; some folks charge/discharge 2-4 times, use different wattage bulbs, etc.
FWIW, I have an older model Hybrid Automotive grid charger, and a 2- bulb discharge setup.
I appreciate all your help!

 

https://hybridautomotive.com/recon/

 

Excellent, thanks!

 

Forgot to mention that those instructions have been modified to be LESS aggressive than they were in the past. SOME cells at the threshold of failure could be pushed over the edge with the more aggressive discharges.