Best Car and light truck batteries

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Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
What car Batteries are the best for the money or at least really good i used to like the die hards but the last two i had were not good at all i heard i think auto zone had a good battery does anyone know
99 toyota corolla


I own 2 Toyotas. I have an Interstate in my Camry V6 (Supercharged) and my wife has the TOYOTA *Truestart* in her 2002 LE. The Toyota battery is EXCELLENT. I had my Interstate 84 MO battery just conk out on me after 4 yrs 3 months. Her battery lasted over 4 years and was still good when I replaced it. Thing is, the Toyota battery is designed to have a GOOD RESERVE...even though the CCA is less than my Interestate. In fact the RESERVE is 130A vs 125A for my higher CCA Interstate.

Check out these links:
Both our cars take the 24F..that has 130A Reserve according to this chart:
Toyoya battery

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Here is the INTERSTATE MTP-24F I have on my car (Same size). It has 800CCA, but the RESERVE is 125A:

INTERSTATE BATTERY

Toyota TRUESTART (not the Truestart 2) is a GREAT battery..VERY reliable. Not knocking the Interstate, but CCA isn't the ONLY criteria in selecting a battery.
 
CORRECTION on RESERVE# in the above post..disregard te *A* after the # it's really the MINUTES (I was thinking AMPS).
 
Today I just took our 2001 Impala with the 3.4 Liter engine and 58 K miles to a really good local shop that specializes in rebuilding starters and alternator.

I had the Idler pulley, tensioner, and belt replaced in the spring of 2007 about 15 K miles ago, So I knew they were still OK.

The vehicle was starting fine and had no sign of any problem, but the age and millage on the starter and alternator, plus the age of the battery had me concerned.

For the alternator: I had them clean the commutator, and replace the brushes and bearings.

For the starter: I had them clean the commutator, and replace the brushes and bendix and lube the starter.

For the battery: I had them replace the April 2005 Die Hard with a new Interstate Mega-Tron Plus (MTP)-78 with 800 CCA. My cost for this battery $111.00

800 CCA does seam like over kill for a 3.4 Liter V6, but the coldest we ever had here is -22 F (in 1992) and many cars did not start that day. My did. I think the Impala will start at -22F if it has to any time in the next 4 winters.

Total cost after tax $310.30


I replace batteries when they get to be 4 and 3/4 years old. The Die-Hard was rated as a 6 year battery. I will not trust any battery after 4 and 3/4 years. It is not worth taking the chance of having someone get stranded.


I found something interesting on the Interstate Batteries site. Enter your Zip code and when the map comes up click on the little map of the U.S. above the bigger map that comes up. Look at where you live and see how long a battery should last.

I did not know that the life expectance for batteries varies so much depending on where you live. The expectancy shows a maximum of 4.6 years to a minimum of 2.5 years. I happen to be in the 4.6 year area. Right in line with my learned form experience 4 and 3/4 year life expectancy that I fine tune the "get rid of time" with respect to the time of year.

I would urge everyone to go to the Interstate Batteries site and look at battery life expectancy with respect to where YOU live.

One of the things I recently learned regarding vehicle batteries is that Johnson Controls Inc. does make the best vehicle batteries. Johnson Controls Inc. makes batteries uder MANY names such as:

OPTIMA, VARTA, LTH, HELIAR, KIRKLAND, SIGNATURE, TRUE-START, ALLIANCE, AUTOCRAFT, HONDA, DIE-HARD, ACURA, ENERGIZEER, EVERSTART, MITSUBISHI, BLAINS FARM & FLEET, DURALAST, MAZDA, INTERSTATE, PROSTART, and probably a couple of others

I knew that the Interstate battery was a Johnson Controls battery.

I do not know if some of the bad talk about Die-Hard (Sears/and the tire store related to Sears) batteries, and some batteries sold at Wall Mart might be due to the fact that Sears and Wall Mart are connected, and because of the large amount of units they purchase they might put pressure on the supplier to make the product at a lower cost (ie lower quality). Years ago there was a story that Sears put pressure on Michilin to make a tire they were selling through other store chains with less tread deapth for Sears to sell under the same tire name. Michelin told them NO.

Anyhow, with the bad talk about Die-Hard and Wall Mart batteries, and knowing from other means that Sears and Wall Mart are now very closely connected on the corporate level, I chose a Johnson Controls battery name that is not sold at one of these stores that have enough volume and clout to possibly pressure a manufacturer to lower the cost of manufacturing and the quality.

BTW I did pay more for the Interstate battery than I would have paid for a Die-Hard or a Wall Mart battery. Maybe you get what you pay for? I hope so.

Just thought I would pass along what I know about batteries (ie replace them before they fail if you can figure out the life expectancy from your experience where you live, or from the map on the Interstate Battery site). Maintain (service and/or replace as required) Belt(s), Idler Pulley and Tensioner, Alternator, and Starter.

Also as anyone who knows anything about electricity and batteries will tell you: Always go for the highest CCA number battery you can fit into the vehicle.

IF THE BATTERY IN YOUR VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH CCA, YOUR VEHILCE WILL NOT START WHEN IT GETS COLD.

I remember when my neighbor bought a battery with way too little CCA in the beginig of the summer. I took one look at it and knew that there was no way that little of a CCA could crank the engine he had when winter came. Sure enough he had to get a higher CCA battery when the temperature dropped.

Also, I will be replacing the 4 and 3/4 year old Die-Hard in our other vehicle with another Interstate MTP-78 800 CCA this week. I know that the belts, alternator, and starter in that vehicle do not require any attention at present.

JimPghPa
 
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I was wondering why the Interstate Batteries site recommended an 800 CCA for the largest battery for our 2001 3.4L Impala, but only recommended a 700 CCA for the largest battery for our 1985 Olds 88 5.0L gas engine vehicle.

I called the phone no. for Interstate and the person I spoke to said that the Olds has a much lower compression engine, probably about 5 to 1, and the Impala has a higher compression engine probably about 9 to 1. He said the recommendations were based on the vehicle manufacturers recommendation. Go ahead and use the 800 CCA for the Olds if it fits.

Interesting that the smaller engine specks a higher CCA. The smaller size and smaller displacement of modern higher compression engines could fool you into thinking a lower CCA would be ok.

JimPghPa
 
I just replaced the factory battery in my 05 Dodge Dakota to prepare for the winter because I wasnt sure if it would make it through or not. I looked at AutoZone, Checker, Sears and Napa. Napa had a battery that offered 900 C.C.A.'s, but the price was over $140. Sears and Checker had nothing great for the C.C.A.'s. At AutoZone, I picked up a Duralast Gold battery for $90 with 850 C.C.A.'s and it came with a 3 year free replacement and 8 year warranty. In my opinion, it was the best value expecially with that kind of warranty. I was going to put an optima battery in there until I read reviews on them, and the C.C.A.'s werent even that impressive compared to the Duralast gold.
 
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
What car Batteries are the best for the money or at least really good i used to like the die hards but the last two i had were not good at all i heard i think auto zone had a good battery does anyone know
99 toyota corolla


I would put a Interstate in the Corolla and call it a day...It holds well in Miami jungle heat.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
What car Batteries are the best for the money or at least really good i used to like the die hards but the last two i had were not good at all i heard i think auto zone had a good battery does anyone know
99 toyota corolla


I would put a Interstate in the Corolla and call it a day...It holds well in Miami jungle heat.
They are made by Johnson controls
27.gif
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
I was wondering why the Interstate Batteries site recommended an 800 CCA for the largest battery for our 2001 3.4L Impala, but only recommended a 700 CCA for the largest battery for our 1985 Olds 88 5.0L gas engine vehicle.

I called the phone no. for Interstate and the person I spoke to said that the Olds has a much lower compression engine, probably about 5 to 1, and the Impala has a higher compression engine probably about 9 to 1. He said the recommendations were based on the vehicle manufacturers recommendation. Go ahead and use the 800 CCA for the Olds if it fits.

Interesting that the smaller engine specks a higher CCA. The smaller size and smaller displacement of modern higher compression engines could fool you into thinking a lower CCA would be ok.

JimPghPa
All the comp controlled engines take lots of amps.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Napa Batteries around N.Calif are made by Exide. Johnson control batteries ase better.

NAPA stores in Florida also use Exide.

When I worked for a used car company, the service writer would buy the 450 CCA 75/35 battery, and they would last 1 year.

I am not sure how long a premium battery would last.
 
Well, gents. I have now read this thread completely... and I had posted one about a Bosch Premium Plus that some of you responded to. Since I am on vacation this week, I've been doing a bit of battery digging and trying to understand how this business really works. I thought I'd share some of what I've found out about my particular size - this is not an attempt to hijack the thread, but to tell everyone about a phone call to Johnson Controls Tech Support that I had today.

To catch some of you up, I own a 2000 Toyota Tundra with its original Panasonic 27F that I am looking to replace after ten years of service. The truck came to me Nov 1999 and has only had the original Panasonic battery. I had narrowed my choices down to Advanced Auto Autocraft and the Bosch Premium Plus. The Advanced Auto Autocraft is a Johnson Controls product and the Bosch Premium Plus is an Exide product. Each company has confirmed to me that such is the case.

In my looking, I started keeping track of both battery availability and who was supposedly manufacturing it, and I thought it made sense to tell you guys what I know and found out about Johnson Controls 27F product that might shed some light on batteries and I thought was interesting. These are all facts and can be verified if anyone wants to take the time.

When I started originally looking, I noticed that Interstate, Sears, Oreilly's, Advanced Auto, and the Toyota dealer had the Johnson Control based 27Fs in my area. Neither Autozone or WalMart carry the 27F....And those who do have it have only one choice in the size and the specs for those options are IDENTICAL.

So this AM, I called the Interstate Warehouse here in Cincinnati and started asking some questions. This Interstate dealer said they do, in fact, supply Toyota with its Trustart and they deliver to the local dealers as Toyota has a national contract with Interstate. He said in the 27F size, the Toyota TruStart battery is the equivalent of their Megatron Plus and in the 24F size, the Toyota TruStart is the equivalent of the Interstate Megatron. And he said that their is NO Interstate Megatron in the 27F size. And, if you go to the dealer and buy the 27F, you get the equivalent of the Megatron Plus. He also confirmed, even though I already knew it, that their Interstate product was a Johnson Controls built battery.

So this AM, I placed a phone call to Johnson Controls Power Solutions in Glendale Wisconsin and was ultimately sent to the Tech Department as the normal customer service folks realize that they can't deal with my questions. Ultimately, I get a call from one of their customer service engineer types and we discuss what they actually make in the 27F size.

He immediately identifies that I must own an non-US type truck as those are the most typical vehicle for this size battery and there are ONLY ~1.5 million vehicles in this market size. By contrast, if the battery class is 24F, then there is ~24 million vehicles for this size.

So I then start asking about how many different batteries Johnson Controls actually make in the 27F size. He responds that they make only ONE. There is not enough market to justify more than that - he then goes on to say that every private label Johnson Control battery in this 27F class is the same - be it an Interstate Megatron, an Advanced Auto Autocraft, an Oreilly SuperStart, a Sears DieHard International, or whatever (they are obviously packaged different). In addition, he confirmed that Autozone does not get the 27F. I then asked him this: based upon what you're saying to me, then its really a question of price as far as the build is concerned. He responded yes.... he did go on to say that Private Label warranties should be considered as well. (There isn't too much of a difference there for the 27F : except that the Sears International is ~$140 for their 3 yr warranty -- everyone else is in the 18 month to 2 year class at a more reasonable price point).

As a contrast, he said that in the 24F, they actually make four different battery lines which are different based upon CCA... and those are picked up and Private Labeled by all the manufacturers (Interstate, Autozone, WalMart, Advanced Auto, Sears). He went on to say that in the 24F, there are actually differences in the "North" and "South" versions of the battery -trading CCA for plates and heat tolerance ("South" batteries have fewer plates to minimize the effect of heat on them at the expense of CCA while "North" batteries have more plates therefore more CCA).

I hope that this helps everyone confirm some of the stuff we've deduced about batteries... but I took this from it. In the case of Johnson Controls, it isn't obvious to me that batteries are spec'd by the Private labels - I think Johnson makes batteries based upon what it sees as the market, and the Private labelers contort the marketplace by putting their own spins on it (After all the engineer from Johnson told me that every 27F is built the same) .. At least in the case of my 27F assuming that I buy a Johnson Controls battery, I'm going to go buy based upon purely price as Johnson Controls told me that they only make one aftermarket battery in that size.

(Sorry for the long post - but I hope it helps everyone understand. I'm of the opinion that this post has the potential to torque some individuals off who love Sears Diehard, Interstate, or Autozone Duralast or some other Private Labeler. But I believe all this is fact and can be verified if someone else wants to take the time I've spent on it).
 
Just for more kudos to Johnson Controls, the OEM battery in our 2002 Outback (purchased new in August of 2001) is a JC battery (says so right on the top). Notice I said 'is', not 'was'. It's still in there. Car is a 3.0L six, with 10.7:1 compression. Has heated seats, mirrors, and lower windshield. Factory fog lamps. Low beams that stay on when the high beams are on. We live in Michigan. Needless to say, it hasn't had it easy, and is over 8 years old. To me, there's only one brand I'll consider when it finally does need to be replaced.
34.gif


Dave
 
One web site I read said that Autozone will replace a battery under warranty if a customer brings one back after their vehicle killed it, via what-ever means. The down side is that Autozone then cleans up these returned batteries, and charge them up. If they hold a charge they are sold as new.

So the warning is: Always take a close look at the terminals of any battery you purchase from Autozone, (and probably any other store), BEFORE THE BATTERY IS PUT INTO YOUR VEHICLE.

NEW BATTERIES DO NOT HAVE MARKS ON THE TERMINALS FROM PREVIOUS BATTERY CABLE CONNECTIONS.

In my research on batteries, one site lead me to a Wikipedia post about Interstate Batteries Inc. It was surprising to see that Interstate Batteries Inc. is a very ethical company, dedicated to providing the highest quality battery in ethical ways. They even have a clergy person on their payroll to watch over the practices of the company.

Another site (if I remember correctly it was by Interstate) said that Interstate used many taxi cabs in Las-Vegas to heat test there batteries and develop them to be durable and last.

Somewhere I read that the lower end Duralast are made in Mexico and not reliable. That was confirmed by the people who I had go over the Alternator and Starter and install the new Interstate battery. When I mentioned to them that a Duralast from Autozone would be 20 dollars cheaper, but I was not sure about what I would be getting in a Duralast. He said that they do get some Duralast in that have failed early and they are made in Mexico.

If I ever do purchase a Duralast it would be a Duralast Gold so it would be made by Johnson Controls.

This thread on BITOG reminds me of the Star Trek Borg Collective, "many minds working together to accomplish a task".

There are many got-chas out there in mechanical endeavors of most kinds. Hopefully by sharing what we know, and learning from others we can waste less time, and money, improve reliability, and lessen vehicle down-time.

JimPghPa
 
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Great post. You confirmed many of the things that I have been told over the years. Batteries are a product that you pretty much get what you pay for. Within price points by manufacturer, they are all pretty much the same. It seems to all basically come down to:
1. Turnover of stock at point of sale
2. Best warranty at best price
3. Convenience,user friendliness,and access to warranty if needed
 
I thought someone would pick up on the Borg Collective lead and respond with:

Resistance is futile, UNLESS IT IS CAUSED BY A DIRTY BATTERY CABLE CONNECTION, then it is a BIG PROBLEM.

Seriously, if you replace a battery with side terminals, take a small regular screwdriver (the ones that have about a 1/8 inch wide blade work great) and scrape the metal mating surface on the cable so that it is shiny. Be sure to get the small protrusions that indent into the lead on the battery shiny. And of course if it is a top terminal clean them up to (use the old style round wire brush designed for top battery connectors, or, in a pinch a wire brush for cleaning a shotgun will work).

If you are having someone else replace the battery bring the small screwdriver with you and ask them to clean it.

When large amounts of current flow it only takes a small amount of resistance to cause a significant voltage drop, and your car battery only has 12 volts to start with, and when the starter is cranking the output of the battery will have dropped to less than 12 volts so you even have less to loose. Resistance from dirty connections can easily cause enough voltage drop to prevent your vehicle from starting.

Voltage drop = Resistance X Current

If you have 100 Amps flowing and the resistance is only 6/100 of an Ohm you will have a 6 Volt drop.

If you have 600 Amps flowing and the resistance is only 1/100 of an Ohm you will have a 6 Volt drop.

In either case a 6 volt drop is enough to prevent you vehicles ignition, computer, and starter from working properly.

IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH RESISTANCE (DIRTY CONNECTION) TO CAUSE TOO MUCH VOLTAGE DROP IN SYSTEMS THAT HAVE HUNDREDS OF AMPS FLOWING.

JimPghPa

Ps: I think I have thought enough about batteries for a while.
 
The size 27F is OEM in my 1994 Lexus LS400 too. I had to buy it from Kragen which is made by Exide because I could not find it at Costco, Sams Club nor Walmart. But the size 27, same physical size with 27F with reverse terminal, is available everywhere.
 
Die Hard Platinums are re-badged Odyssey AGM batteries at almost 1/2 price.

Odyssey batteries are considered one of the best batteries around, having the reputation that Optimas used to have.
 
burch: great post, very informative!

I would like to add to your excellent post the following:

It is highly-to-extremely likely that the varying warranties offered by private retailers of JC-mfr'd batteries reflects the batch quality of the product they purchased from JC.

In other words, if Sears pays a little extra at wholesale to obtain batteries which are close to nominal design spec (as opposed to other batteries which are not so close to nominal, but are within design limits), they can easily make a profit while including a justifiably-generous warranty when the battery is retailed.

They charge more and offer more warranty because they sell only the creme-de-la-creme of the JC crop.
 
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Or they just have a generous time warranty on the battery to use as a selling point, and then they ding the customer on the pro rate on the battery if they need to utilize the warranty (like Sears did to me on an 18 month old DieHard Gold.) Last Sears battery I ever bought.
 
The following is a taken from a post on another thread related to a vehicle for Canada.

From Wikipedia:

"Cold cranking amperes (CCA) is the amount of current a battery can provide at 0 °F / -18 °C. The rating is defined as the current a lead-acid battery at that temperature can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery). It is a more demanding test than those at higher temperatures."

Now add that information to the chemical fact that most chemical reactions, including the chemical reactions that go on inside of a vehicles battery will double in reaction rate capability for every 10 degree C / 18 degree F or going the other direction on the temperature scale will half for every -10 degree C / -18 degree F.

What this means is that a battery that has 800 CCA at 0F/ -18C will have 400 CCA at -18F / -28C, and only 200 CCA -36F / -38C and only 100 CCA at -54F / -48C

The CCA drops of by half for every -10C / -18F, reduction in temp. While at the same time the power required to turn the engine is increasing due to the oil becoming thicker, and posibly the tolerance on how some internal moving parts might shrink at different rates.

It becomes obvious why good batteries with high CCA are a good idea. And also why using more than one battery is a good idea.

If you go to the Interstate battery site and enter your zip code a map will come up. If you click on the little map above that map you can see that for extreme cold temperatures the life expectancy of batteries drops off.

And if you let a battery become discharged at very cold temperatures it will freze solid and be ruined. Something about the chemistry of the acid requires it to have the majority of the charge to have the lowest freezing point.

Also batteries that are sold for U.S. southern states have a weaker acid solution than those sold for northern states. If you order new Interstate batteries for what-ever vehicle you are going to take north you might have those batteries special ordered for that climate. It may be that the Interstate batteries sold in northern Canada have a stronger acid than those sold in the northern U.S.
 
Re, storing a battery:

Most chemical reactions, including the chemical reactions that go on inside of a vehicles battery will double in reaction rate for every 10 degree C / 18 degree F or going the other direction on the temperature scale will half for every -10 degree C / -18 degree F.

If two identical batteries A and B are stored and battery B is kept at 10C / 18F colder temperature, battery B will age half as fast.

The colder you keep the battery the less it will age.

Another thing you have to be aware of is that the freezing temperature of a lead acid battery is very dependant of the amount of charge on the battery. A discharged battery will freeze at a much warmer temperature than a fully charged battery. If you are going to store it at out-door temperatures you have to be sure it NEVER is allowed to be mostly discharged. You would want it to be between 75% and 100% charged if stored in outdoor temperatures. If it freezes it will be permanently damaged.

Also if you over charge it it will be damaged.

The safest thing for the battery is to store it in a very cold room in a cellar where the temperature never gets below freezing.

I would put a charge on it about once every 3 or 4 weeks for a few hours.
 
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