Car battery question

[bbhero]

Well I have a question about this.. I got a group 24 battery from Deka made by East Penn. I figured it would fit in my Altima. Which it did by a 1/4 inch on each side length wise. I took my Deka group 35 and put it in my lady's Camry. Upon doing just a bit of simple looking up parts the Altima generation prior to my car they did have the group 24 size specified. I M thinking that Nissan went with the lighter group 35 due to wanting to drop weight. The group 35 weighs 5 pounds less than the group 24.

My question is this... Is the group 24 a better battery than the group 35?? It weighs 41.5 pounds versus the group 35 at 36.5 pounds. More weight could equal more plates possibly?? Would this help the group 24 last awhile longer??

I know it all does matter about usage long trips or all short trips etc, where the battery is located, local climatology matters as well, as does alternator working properly and so does the starter working properly as well, all of these factors make a difference in how well a battery does or does not perform/ last. But I am curious if the larger/heavier group 24 is actually a slightly better battery at the end of the day.

 

[JHZR2]

Batteries are all chemistry based. More reactants means longer operation in general.

Since car starting loads in normal conditions are much lower than the battery rating, I generally prefer higher Ah/RC and lower CCA, as I believe it makes for a tougher battery.

 

[bbhero]

Funny thing you say that JHZR2. The reserve capacity for the group 35 was 95 minutes. The group 24 was 115 minutes. CCA for the group 24 is 650 and the group 35 is 640. I thought the 115 minutes was a good aspect of the group 24.

 

[Nick1994]

My Camry calls for a group 35 but I too put in a 24. Same price so why not?

 

[CharBaby]

Same here. Should the vehicles in my signature require a group 35, I alway put in a group 24/24F as long as it fit in the holder. I always find that the group 24 is larger, more CA/CCA, longer reserve and LE$$(~ $5-$8 le$$) where I buy.

 

[Lubener]

You have to compare the specs between the two sizes for a given battery. I have always put the largest battery in that would fit. The weight alone likely is telling you something.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah the group 24 fit with about a quarter inch to spare on both ends. Barely... But it fit. Made me happy.

 

[bbhero]

Well stated Lubener. Spot on with your thinking here.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
More weight could equal more plates possibly??


Close - not necessarily more plates, but usually larger plates (more surface area), or thicker plates. Either is good.

Originally Posted By: bbhero
Would this help the group 24 last awhile longer??


Yes, absolutely.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
Funny thing you say that JHZR2. The reserve capacity for the group 35 was 95 minutes. The group 24 was 115 minutes. CCA for the group 24 is 650 and the group 35 is 640. I thought the 115 minutes was a good aspect of the group 24.


Keep in mind East Penn batteries put out more than they're rated for

 

[Donald]

More weight = beefier plates = good.

 

[Arved]

No insulator over the positive battery terminal? That just doesn't look right. I'd be more worried about that than the pros and cons of using a group 24 battery in a car spec'd for a group 35.

 

[HerrStig]

Higher CCA for a particular size is done with more, THINNER plates. More peak amps but less reliable because thinner plates can buckle and short together under high loads. If you choose your synthetic oil with care the engine ought to be easy enough to start without an ultra high CCA rating. Now, if you live way up north and need to start a 421 HO on a cold mourning..you may need the CCA. The internal connections in new batteries are now usually made of lead themselves
and when those connections fail the battery just quits without warning. East Penn does make high quality stuff.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
My Camry calls for a group 35 but I too put in a 24. Same price so why not?


There is a Group 24 in my GF's 2000 4 cylinder Camry from the factory. It was part of an option group.

 

[CharlieBauer]

Originally Posted By: bbhero
Yeah the group 24 fit with about a quarter inch to spare on both ends. Barely... But it fit. Made me happy.


Well if you're happy then nothing else matters!

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
the engine ought to be easy enough to start without an ultra high CCA rating. ...a 421 HO on a cold mourning..you may need the CCA.


Then there's another reason - - longevity, or the ability to make sufficient CCA for longer time (calendar months).

Engines Usually do NOT need "all 650 cca's" on a normal start.
Usually 150-200 amps is enough.

However - always buy the biggest battery for the same money,
because 5 years later a 500 cca battery may just *barely* still make 150-200 amps,
whereas the larger 650 CCA will still be able to put out 150-200 amps for another year or 2 longer.

So, replacement times are lengthened with a larger battery.

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
East Penn does make high quality stuff.


Indeed! "Rigid engine" Harley-Davidsons (like Sportsters and Softails) are h.e.l.l. on batteries.
Deka is all I ever run in my bikes.

 

[bbhero]

That does make sense Linctex. I appreciate your insights on this. I am glad to have the East Penn Deka batteries on our cars. They are quite good, so we are looking forward to having no problems with our cars for a good while.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Higher CCA for a particular size is done with more, THINNER plates. More peak amps but less reliable because thinner plates can buckle and short together under high loads. If you choose your synthetic oil with care the engine ought to be easy enough to start without an ultra high CCA rating. Now, if you live way up north and need to start a 421 HO on a cold mourning..you may need the CCA. The internal connections in new batteries are now usually made of lead themselves
and when those connections fail the battery just quits without warning. East Penn does make high quality stuff.

A lot of OEM batteries seem to be spec'ed for lower CCA ratings than aftermarket.

When I wanted (I guess needed wouldn't be accurate) to replace the battery in my Integra, I got an ACDelco 51R that had a lower CCA rating than most other aftermarket batteries. It had a 425 CCA rating, while most of the aftermarket ones were 500. Don't know how long it lasted since I signed the car over to the insurance company after it was stolen and recovered.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: Donald
More weight = beefier plates = good.

More than likely the plates are all the same and it is the quantity of plates per cell that adds the weight. All individual plates are designed for a certain AH capacity. The more sandwiched into a cell the higher the AH capacity.

 

[bbhero]

Exactly. The aftermarket offerings almost ALWAYS have a higher CCA. Talk about outrageously high CCA... X2 battery made by Northstar for Batteries Plus has almost 1000 CCA !! It weighs 57 pounds vs 42 pounds for mine, has a five year free replacement warranty on it to boot.