Can too much CA in a battery..

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: George7941
I am going to disagree with the replies so far.

The "value" of a battery is directly related to its weight. The more it weighs, the more it costs to make and you are getting more for your money.

With the weight kept constant(let us say, 40 lbs), CCA and Reserve Capacity are in inverse relation to each other i.e. the more the CCA, the less the RC. So do not evaluate a battery on CCA alone.

A lot of CCA means thinner plates and while this is good for cranking on a cold winter morning, it could lead to shorter battery life.

When I am looking at batteries, I place more importance on RC.


Excellent post. Very good description.

For the OP, the battery will provide only enough current to match the load resistance. Remember, I = V/R. V is fixed or varies just a bit, say 10-12V, so you get what you get current flow-wise. Power is just I x V.

So a battery with lower source impedance will provide more power with less drop. The ability to provide power can vary greatly, the actual voltage drop will not. The load impedance is fixed.

The only bad thing with having higher cca is that if you have a hard short without protection up to the point of the fault, you'll overheat the wires and start a fire with much higher likelihood as you can source more power.

I agree that I'd prefer RC over CCA, assuming I have enough CCA for my application. So long as a short isn't formed, the higher RC battery will be able to undergo more degradation before failure.

 

[daves87rs]

So long story short, a pretty CCA could simply lead to a shorter battery life?


With that, maybe a battery with a more 600 range CCA with a longer warranty (like a O'reily superstart or Napa battery) might be a better choice?

 

[HTSS_TR]

You want no lower than OEM CCA, more Reserve Capacity and longer warranty. Yes, it costs few dollars more up front but it has a good chance to last longer, and with longer pro-rated warranty it may costs you less later when you need to replace it.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
You want no lower than OEM CCA, more Reserve Capacity and longer warranty. Yes, it costs few dollars more up front but it has a good chance to last longer, and with longer pro-rated warranty it may costs you less later when you need to replace it.


The OEM CCA for my battery is only 525, and I've noticed even the cheapest batteries are above....

 

[daves87rs]

Just told by the local NAPA that with my driving a high CCA would never get a full charge? Possible?

 

[MNgopher]

Lots of advice on batteries, some of it good. One needs to take into account the climate you live in as well to figure out the "best" battery for your application.

As has been pointed out, many of the higher CCA batteries will likely fail earlier in a hot climate due to the construction of the battery. I'm noting you are in Michigan where this is much less of a concern and cold weather starting is likely a bigger concern for your battery.

In that case, the RC and the CCA are both important. Finding a battery with a nice blend of both is a good choice.

I also note lots of discussion about not needing any more CCA than specified by the OEM. In an ideal world, sure. In the real world, things degrade under the hood of a car, including the actual wiring itself based on exposure to the elements. This often increases the overall CCA needed to kick the car over from its "factory" condition. This varies car by car, but things likely aren't as good as when the car left the factory. I'll take the CCA to ensure a cold weather start.

 

[dwendt44]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Just told by the local NAPA that with my driving a high CCA would never get a full charge? Possible?



Total B.S..
Did that guy work for AAP before?

I do/did notice that four cylinder engines often get a higher rated battery than the optional six cylinder does.
Hmmm.

There's no such thing as 'too big of a battery'.

 

[artificialist]

I always buy the highest CCA battery because I get more life out of them. Yes, there might be thinner plates, but the way I see it, the battery maker can't get away with using cheap components.

Back when I worked at a used car lot, if a car needed a battery, we had to use a cheap NAPA 400 or 450 CCA battery, and the car would be back in one month with starting problems.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
I always buy the highest CCA battery because I get more life out of them. Yes, there might be thinner plates, but the way I see it, the battery maker can't get away with using cheap components.

Back when I worked at a used car lot, if a car needed a battery, we had to use a cheap NAPA 400 or 450 CCA battery, and the car would be back in one month with starting problems.



That is a good point...

 

[daves87rs]

Alright guys, I put my theory to work today!


I picked up a nice Autocraft silver battery, going right down the middle as far as power is concerned.


810CA, 650 CCA.


Battery works great so far!

 

[Thermo1223]

The 'biggest battery is best" theory is what I wish I could apply to most my cars.

If I could fit this:

In place of this:

I would in a heartbeat...I loved the RC on the TDI. Now I know it was for the glow plugs on a cold winters day but it worked great to keep the headlights on as well.

 

[artificialist]

some people buy kits to install the battery in the trunk. Usually they do it to change the vehicle's center of gravity, but it also protects the battery from heat degradation, and enables you to fit whatever size battery you want.

 

[The_Eric]

So I have a question...

Given two batteries of different BCI group sizes, CCA being equal, will the bigger cased battery have a greater R/C?

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
So I have a question...

Given two batteries of different BCI group sizes, CCA being equal, will the bigger cased battery have a greater R/C?


Assuming similar construction, the HEAVIER battery will almost certainly have more RC.

 

[GMBoy]

I personally try to balance it all out. Meaning, I want a more powerful replacement battery with more CCA and reserve - but I will not go overboard. For example, my truck's original Delco battery was a 625CCA. When I replaced it, I got a 800CCA. I could have gotten a 1000CCA but the battery durability would suffer and since the 625 served me well for 5 1/2 years - didn't need that much.

I learned this the hard way many years ago with my Jeep CJ7. I purchased the biggest 1000CCA battery and had to replace it under warranty on average every 6-8 months. Finally, (after 3 replacements) my dad told me to go with a smaller battery since the larger one had thinner plates to get that additional power. The OEM spec was only 450CCA. He was right - I got a battery that was 650CCA, had plenty additional power and it went on to last me 4 years under some rough terrain.

 

[Eosyn]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Yeah. I buy the biggest bestest freshest battery on the shelf. But, I will dig for a battery made within a month.


I'm not a mechanic or know much about cars, that's why I'm glad this topic was raised. A couple of question about how to tell if the battery in the store is fresh.

a. Is the date of manufacture somewhere on the battery.
b. Is it easy to read or is it in some kind of code?

any and all examples would be appreciated.