I used to always judge a battery's quality by the amount of "CCA". The higher the "CCA" the better the battery. But I realize you need a high "RC" as well. Well, the other day I was informed that you can't have the best of both because going for the highest CCA will inhibit how high you can get the RC. And going for a really high RC would limit how high you can get the CCA. So raising one has an inverse effect on the other? I pondered....
The conclusion I took away from that conversation was that the key is to find the sweet spot balance between the highest CCA and the highest RC.
Is this malarky? Just trying to learn.
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- Thread starter Gebo
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You are way beyond me . I buy a battery of the same " frame size " as OEM and 4 to 5 year warranty . ( I realize the warranty is largely a joke , unless the battery fails early . )
And shop by price .
Battery failed to start , on the work truck I drive , yesterday . Walmart battery . Installed January 2013 . Found out it had been on the shelf about 2 years ! :-)
It was a 5 year battery , I think . If not , a 4 year battery . Received less than $ 2 credit on the old battery .
I do not live in the extreme cold north . The temperatures often exceed 100F in the summer .
Best of luck to you , :-)
If you don't have enough CCA to reliably start the engine then no amount of reserve capacity will be any use to you.
Claud
Originally Posted By: Gebo
I used to always judge a battery's quality by the amount of "CCA". The higher the "CCA" the better the battery. But I realize you need a high "RC" as well. Well, the other day I was informed that you can't have the best of both because going for the highest CCA will inhibit how high you can get the RC. And going for a really high RC would limit how high you can get the CCA. So raising one has an inverse effect on the other? I pondered....
The conclusion I took away from that conversation was that the key is to find the sweet spot balance between the highest CCA and the highest RC.
Is this malarky? Just trying to learn.
You can have the best of both.
High CCA and High Reserve.
http://www.odysseybattery.com/
I have 10 years on a PC1750 and 8 years on a PC1500. Both are still maxing out my load tester past 1000cca every time I check em.
Expecting 15 to 20 year lifespan.
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CCA is the short high energy burst a battery can give for starting below -18°C.
RC is how long the battery will last with a small load on it (25amps @ 25°C till voltage drops below 10.5v).
It has to do to the number and thickness of plates inside the battery.
For higher CCA, manufactures put in more lead plates, but they are thinner. This gives the really high CCA, but at the cost of reserve capacity. It is also bad for battery life if you are in high heat areas. This is why many companies will sell a "northern" battery and a "southern" battery. The northern batteries have higher CCA, but a little lower RC.
If you really want to understand batteries better, go to www.batteryuniversity.com. More infor there than most need, but it is some really good reading.
THIS PAGE talks about plate thickness and how it works.
When I can buy dual terminal group 78 batteries with a 5 year warranty, for less than $50... I don't tend to sweat the details.
https://www.ruralking.com/battery-650-cca-34-78-dt.html
I dropped one in a Ford V10 motorhome (because just about anything would fit in the tray). It sat ignored, all winter in an unheated tool shed, in northern Illinois (late November to early May).
Even after 5 1/2 months, and that amount of cold... without a Battery Tender or anything... that V10 cranked over and roared to life like it had been running the day before.
I'm putting these in everything that I can, while the price lasts.
Great point mechjames. You can have the best of both but it will cost you a fair amount of money. X2 batteries made by Northstar run around $270. High CCA and high RC. 5 yr free replacement warranty. With use of a good battery charger these will last a very long time as well.
Another option is to use a larger battery than was originally installed, preferably one on the low end of CCA for the same size. That way, because it's larger, it'll have plenty of RC. And because the CCA is on the lower end (and still higher than the original batter), the plates are (hopefully) thicker and sturdier.
Get a battery at Costco. 42 month no question warranty. After 3 years get it tested, if it fails return it for a full refund and buy a new one.
I've got a Costco battery in the Bronco going on 10 years. Works fine 
Sometimes you get lucky. Only buy batteries from stores with high turn-over ...
Sometimes you get lucky. Only buy batteries from stores with high turn-over ...
This is a good thread. I, too, question at what point "bigger is better" CCA in the same dimensioned case becomes detrimental to battery life. I.E., higher CCA = thinner plates. North vs. south conditions surely must matter also.
In my case, my OEM battery is only 525CCA and it has started our small 4 cyl./few accessories car reliably even below 0F the past 5 winters. Will jumping to the next capacity of 640CCA reduce battery life noticeably due to thinner plates? Does bigger impede charging efficiency?
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
When I can buy dual terminal group 78 batteries with a 5 year warranty, for less than $50... I don't tend to sweat the details.
https://www.ruralking.com/battery-650-cca-34-78-dt.html
I dropped one in a Ford V10 motorhome (because just about anything would fit in the tray). It sat ignored, all winter in an unheated tool shed, in northern Illinois (late November to early May).
Even after 5 1/2 months, and that amount of cold... without a Battery Tender or anything... that V10 cranked over and roared to life like it had been running the day before.
I'm putting these in everything that I can, while the price lasts.
One thing to remember doitmyself is that the CCA on a battery is for 0°F. So your battery will have enough CCA below 0°F to start the battery as well. As temperature drops batteries lose delivery power and the car actually needs more power to start. So if say my 550 CCA Napa Power battery is doing good then I can expect it to start my car fairly well at say -15°F. My battery may only have say 425 CCA @ -15°F due to power drop from being that much colder. But 425 CCA is more than enough to get my car started as long as my starter is in good working order and my oil is in good shape as well. I bet my car could likely start up with needing 200-225 amps... Maybe a bit more maybe less. But again the 550 CCA is a baseline needed at 0°F.
What about group sizes? My dream battery is a 96R with top posts and screw terminals
SilverFusion you can look up the BCI battery specs and see what you might be able to fit in your battery tray. I found that I could fit a group 24F in my car. There were several others as well. 26R, 51R which were smaller than the specd group 35. The odd ball was a group 124F I think it was... Plus a couple of others as well. You may well be surprised just how many batteries may actually fit in the car you have. Though I think you may well be limited by the battery set up in your Fusion. I may well be wrong about that... But I remember having to buy a new battery for my 08 Ford Fusion and it was rather difficult to find a replacement at the parts stores. I had to go to a Ford dealership Medlin Ford in West Point to buy the OEM Motorcraft battery.
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