If you want to buy the freshest battery, bring a multimeter with and buy the one with the highest voltage. Once the battery is manufactured, unless charged, the longer it sits the lower it's voltage will be.
Best Car Battery?
- Thread starter Front_Runner
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Sorry, just realized I only listed two....
The three I am choosing from are...
1. Wal-Mart's Everstartt Maxx $62.68 36 month free replacement.
2. AutoZone's Duralast Gold $69.99 36 month free replacement.
3. Advance Auto Parts Autocraft Titanium $71.58 36 month free replacement.
The three I am choosing from are...
1. Wal-Mart's Everstartt Maxx $62.68 36 month free replacement.
2. AutoZone's Duralast Gold $69.99 36 month free replacement.
3. Advance Auto Parts Autocraft Titanium $71.58 36 month free replacement.
I'd go with Wal-Mart for one reason. You can go to nearly any town..., even small country towns, and find a Wally, or there will be one close by. Good gosh, they are even listed on interstate exit signs now. If you needed a replacement, or warranty exchange, there are more Wally's than AZ's.
Excellent point. The best practical application of warranty wins...
When I bought mine, I would have gone with an EverStart. However, for some reason, they've stopped carrying the dual terminal models.
Dual terminal is a must for me, because there are times that I will pull the battery out of the truck, and drop it in a tractor or backhoe in a pinch. For that reason, top terminals are a must.
Dual terminal is a must for me, because there are times that I will pull the battery out of the truck, and drop it in a tractor or backhoe in a pinch. For that reason, top terminals are a must.
Don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but I personally like the Carquest line of batteries now.
They are made by East Penn Deka and to my knowledge they Carquest is the only "retail" branded line of Deka's.. I could be wrong. There are very similar to AC Delco batteries which I have had very very good luck with. The best part of the Delco/Deka style of batteries is no possible way to leak any acid to corrode the battery terminal as there is no vent caps on the top (some would see that as a bad thing).
I could be wrong, but after looking at many batteries, I have come to the conclusion that almost every other brand out there is made either by Exide (which I can't stand anymore) or Johnson Controls.
Just my 2 cents...
They are made by East Penn Deka and to my knowledge they Carquest is the only "retail" branded line of Deka's.. I could be wrong. There are very similar to AC Delco batteries which I have had very very good luck with. The best part of the Delco/Deka style of batteries is no possible way to leak any acid to corrode the battery terminal as there is no vent caps on the top (some would see that as a bad thing).
I could be wrong, but after looking at many batteries, I have come to the conclusion that almost every other brand out there is made either by Exide (which I can't stand anymore) or Johnson Controls.
Just my 2 cents...
Batteries Plus "Werker" car batteries are made by Deka.
I saw something quite interesting in my mom's car, a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic. One of the screws that holds down the air filter cover was pretty corroded. None of the other screws were. I was able to get that corroded screw free, thankfully.
This particular screw happened to be right next to the battery, right next to the vent on the side of the AC Delco battery that used to be in there.
The battery I replaced it with has vents on the top but they point to the side of the battery away from the terminals (and anything else that can corrode).
I decided to replace the battery because someone (probably a VA safety inspector) turned the headlights on and left them on when my mom picked the car up and she parked it with the headlights still on. (She didn't hear the chime and the headlight switch is normally set in the AUTO position).
Since the battery had been run completely down, I just decided to replace it with a new one for $50. Plus I'd heard that some AC Delco batteries made around that time had problems with leaking between the terminal and the case.
I've never had an issue with battery terminals getting corroded unless the seal is broken between the battery post and the case. If that happens I've found that applying silicone grease between the post and the case stops the corrosion. Of course the seal usually gets broken because some people like to hammer battery terminals on...funny, it doesn't happen on batteries that *I* install...
I saw something quite interesting in my mom's car, a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic. One of the screws that holds down the air filter cover was pretty corroded. None of the other screws were. I was able to get that corroded screw free, thankfully.
This particular screw happened to be right next to the battery, right next to the vent on the side of the AC Delco battery that used to be in there.
The battery I replaced it with has vents on the top but they point to the side of the battery away from the terminals (and anything else that can corrode).
I decided to replace the battery because someone (probably a VA safety inspector) turned the headlights on and left them on when my mom picked the car up and she parked it with the headlights still on. (She didn't hear the chime and the headlight switch is normally set in the AUTO position).
Since the battery had been run completely down, I just decided to replace it with a new one for $50. Plus I'd heard that some AC Delco batteries made around that time had problems with leaking between the terminal and the case.
I've never had an issue with battery terminals getting corroded unless the seal is broken between the battery post and the case. If that happens I've found that applying silicone grease between the post and the case stops the corrosion. Of course the seal usually gets broken because some people like to hammer battery terminals on...funny, it doesn't happen on batteries that *I* install...
I've never had it leak between the post and the case. It only leaks out the vent caps or at the seam where the top cover seals to the battery case. In the Exides I have had, the ventcaps are nifty because they are actually in a recess and below the top post, so that any battery acid seepage will not get onto the post. There is even a little "spillway" to let the fluid drain. Bad news is that it just drips down into the battery tray and if you don't have plastic tray...
I had interstate that failed at 18 1/2 months. the free warranty was 18 months but they covered it, would have been $180 for the two batteries I needed.
Have had some decent luck in the past with AZ batteries, do agree with the Walmarts are everywhere, but they can be really slow when you need to get something from the auto service area, at least around here.
Have had some decent luck in the past with AZ batteries, do agree with the Walmarts are everywhere, but they can be really slow when you need to get something from the auto service area, at least around here.
It's not so much that it's leaking so you'd see liquid, but the post and terminal start showing ridiculous amounts of corrosion and when you push on the terminal you can see it moving slightly in relation to the top of the battery, which I think indicates that the seal is broken there.
The side-terminal Johnson Controls batteries are like that, along with the European reverse terminal batteries (group sizes 40R, 41, 47, 48, 91).
The vent caps that Johnson Controls uses are designed to prevent leakage even if the battery is tipped. (They were patented in 1994, by the way, I looked it up) I got to test this out one day when the deep-cycle marine battery I bought and was taking home had overturned in the back of my car. Nothing leaked out, thankfully.
Good thing it didn't leak. How are the johnson deep cycle batteries. They are pretty reasonable at costco. I need a new deep cycle battery and it is either a cheap costco one or a Trojan.
As far as automotive batteries, what about Lead-Antimony vs Lead-Calcium construction?
As far as automotive batteries, what about Lead-Antimony vs Lead-Calcium construction?
I'm using that Costco battery with a UPS. It runs my phone system, a VOIP adapter, and a Linux machine as well as a switch and a router for at least 2 hours. I've calculated it should last about 4.5 to 5 hours given it's a 15-amp load and the battery is an 85 amp-hour battery.
It's been floating at 13.8V for the last several months and I have seen no water loss.
There are actually three kinds:
lead-calcium
lead-antimony
hybrid
Most are hybrid construction (from what I've read) with one lead-antimony plate and one lead-calcium plate. This cuts down on water loss compared to a battery that only uses lead-antimony plates.
The AC Delco batteries are apparently all lead-calcium which requires a higher charging voltage. GM vehicles, which come stock with these batteries, have a higher charging voltage than do Ford vehicles which come stock with a hybrid battery. The difference is about .4 volts. (Does anyone besides GM use lead-calcium batteries? Doesn't look like it based on what I've seen).
Supposedly using a hybrid battery in a GM vehicle will result in more water loss, but I have not seen any water loss in the battery I installed in my mom's car, which I installed in April. I suppose it's possible that it isn't a hybrid battery..after all, what besides a GM vehicle is a side terminal battery going to fit? So it might well be a lead-calcium battery like the AC Delco.
I don't think you'll find a lead-antimony car battery for sale anywhere--the deep-cycle batteries are apparently lead-antimony since this is better for that purpose. But they apparently use more water.
Although I'd think with a 13.8V float voltage on a lead-antimony deep cycle battery I'd see more water loss (13.4 volts is optimal from what I have read) I thought I'd have to add water once a month but apparently not. It looks like I may need to add water every 6 months if that.
FYI, my relatively new GM W-car has top-terminal batteries.
That said, basically every other GM car I've ever worked on/seen has had the side terminal batteries. I wonder if the battery that is in there is even an AC Delco, now that I think about it.
That said, basically every other GM car I've ever worked on/seen has had the side terminal batteries. I wonder if the battery that is in there is even an AC Delco, now that I think about it.
Optima's
I have had better luck with the AutoZone's Duralast Gold and Professional. It seems to have the highest CA and CCA for the same type. Walmart has good battery but their CA and CCA are less although they are made by the same company. Unfortunately, I did not have too much luck with Sears DieHard.
Well, I'll get to see how tough the cheap AZ Valucraft batteries are - I replaced both of ours with them this year.
Yea, it's actually a common Chrysler size. I forget the group size...34 maybe?
My Epsilon body Saab has a group 48 reverse-terminal battery. It also has the higher charging voltages that I've observed in GM vehicles. The maintenance-free battery that's in it simply has the GM logo on it, apparently it's made by Exide in Europe.
I'm not even sure what Saab dealers replace these batteries with if they fail under warranty--someone on the Saab forum said they got an Interstate, which is odd since AC Delco makes a group 48 battery and you'd think GM would have the Saab dealers use those.
So, if Johnson Controls makes batteries for Sears, Autozone, Walmart, etc.... Are all of the batteries that are produced for them the same? Are they just repackaged batteries or do they meet specs for each retailer. Walmart is much cheaper than Sears, so is the Diehard a better produced battery than the Everstart? I am sure that the Everstart is good from the CR ratings, but what is the difference? Anything?
The Everstarts sold in this neck of the woods are Exide batteries. They are Johnson Controls batteries west of here.
I'd go for the battery that has the best free-replacement warranty at the best price. I'd have to say that Costco, with their 3-year free replacement warranty, is the best deal, but you need a membership.
The free-replacement warranty is the true measure of how good a retailer thinks their batteries are.
I'd go for the battery that has the best free-replacement warranty at the best price. I'd have to say that Costco, with their 3-year free replacement warranty, is the best deal, but you need a membership.
The free-replacement warranty is the true measure of how good a retailer thinks their batteries are.
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