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What kind of battery do you use?

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tmancusi View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tmancusi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2012 at 10:46pm
Well, was going to go to Farm & Fleet on Saturday, but found myself at Menards today so I picked up the most powerful battery they had:

Dimensions: Group 34
Model Number: 34-E108
Menard® SKU: 2616478

Exide Premium NASCAR Extreme line features superior power and dependability in more sizes, to fit more domestic and import vehicles, than ever before. And with our advanced Silver Shield Technology, the NASCAR Extreme delivers longer battery life and enhanced durability that keeps you charged even in the harshest weather. Price shown is with exchange of old battery.

Price shown is with exchange of old battery
800 Cold Cranking Amps at 0 degrees
960 Cranking Amps at 32 degrees
120 Minutes Reserve Capacity at 25 A
Silver Shield Alloy provides heat protection
40-month warranty with free 24-hour emergency jump start.
Durable and corrosion resistant terminals
Advanced cast grids improves endurance & life
Reserve Capacity Min for onboard equipment.
Heavy Cast On Straps to withstand vibration
Stabl-lok® Anchored Plates minimize vibration

Vendor: Exide

$88.99

We'll see how it holds up. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Edited by tmancusi - May/10/2012 at 10:47pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 59ramblersuper6 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2012 at 11:30am
Interstate hands down. I worked at a parts store, People would return brand new batteries all the time, It was sick, ones that were still under warranty. I'd say hey you want me to test this?, This is still covered by sears. "No, I just want a new battery now" they'd say.  The manager would let me swap my junk cores for the still good interstates on the core return pallet. I let two freeze over the winter once and Interstate replaced both of them free of charge. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/14/2012 at 7:39pm
Interstate is a darn good one! But I'm with Bill here -- what size cable do you have running from the trunk? Should be a good bit bigger than a "normal" cable that you'd use with the battery under the hood. If not, more CCA might not help as much as you'd think -- might just melt the cable insulation... 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 6768rogues Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/14/2012 at 9:01pm
Originally posted by dkrtgood dkrtgood wrote:

It's all about cold cranking amps. I just buy the highest rating (800 or more) that will fit my cars tray. Don't care who makes it really.


That is what I do. Get the cranking amps and buy for the best price. I think there are only two or three companies that actually manufacture batteries in the US.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SportaboutX Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/15/2012 at 3:58am
I have an interstate in my Hornet, it came with the car, and  hate it, leaks all over the place and seems to corrode the terminals no matter how well I grease it. I now moved it over to one of my Mercury Comets, and plan to toss it in with the next car I sell just to be rid of it. Absolutely pathetic for a 3 year old battery. I would NEVER buy another interstate, not to mention their poor ability to hold a charge as a friend's brand new interstate equipped car proved.

I run COSTCO batteries in all of my cars. They have the best warranty return policy, 3 year free replacement, and are REALLY durable, 6/8 of our cars have em and no problems with a single one from the lowly small 650 CCA unit in our Mazda to the mighty 1000 CCA unit in the AMC. I would totally recommended them to anyone, and will never buy another type of battery. Someone told me they thought Delco (or the people who supply delco) supply Costco batteries. 

--Also as I am sure some of you may have experienced when getting batteries, often they are a major pain to exchange when one goes bad within warranty period. If you don't buy from a major chain, or if that major chain changes brands, and you go to exchange their old line you are out of luck, same goes for stores with only a few locations. I got messed up in this same way after we bought a Autolite battery at Kragen auto-parts a few years back. Now it died at 40 months, has a 72 moth prorated, but kragen changed their name to orillley auto and no longer carries autolite and thus no recourse to warranty it..what are you supposed to do? Go to a Ford Dealer and be forced to pay insane dealer prices for a new one? Costco you never have this issue, just take it back and you know they wont change brands since they have their own. You also don't need a receipt, they date stamp their units and don't question you like the parts stores do.

That said I recently got for free a like new Optima Blue top Marine Deep cycle unit, a $275 battery usually. Interested to try it out in one of my cars to see how I like not having to deal with leaks anymore, but not sure what ill effects if any I can expect from using a marine battery in a car haha.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ryder6330 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/15/2012 at 5:11am
I bought a AC Delco for my Rebel. It had the most CCA I could fit in the stock location.
I still use that battery, although its not especially reliable. Of course it is 10 years old and does still start a car when freshly charged.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/15/2012 at 9:05am
I should have never got into this battery conversation. YESTERDAY the battery in my '03 Ranger shorted out. I just bought an Advance Autos Parts three year warranty battery, forget the CCS, it's what was recommended for the 3.0L Ranger. I mean a dead short! Wouldn't crank when I went to go drive my afternoon school bus route. Jumped right off. Got back from the route and it wouldn't crank again! Jumped it and drove maybe 100 feet and it shut off. Jumped again, another 100 feet. Called my brother to come tow it home. The relays under the dash were chattering and he'd had to replace the ignition switch in his F-250 due to the same problem. He brought his battery load tester because he recalled that a real low battery will make the computer go crazy. Disconnected battery, tester showed a dead short. Went to Advance and spent $105 on a battery. Naturally they had a sell on batteries -- deep cycle marine batteries for $69!! Just about bought one, but marine batteries don't like being floated near charged for a long time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 6768rogues Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/15/2012 at 9:06pm
Johnson Controls directly manufactures or owns the manufacturers of about 90% of the automotive batteries in North America.  JC makes Interstate, Diehard, Duralast, Kirkland, Everstart, Prostart, Acura, Advance Auto Parts, Autocraft, Tough One, Western Auto, Alliance, American Hardware, Ames, Blains Farm and Fleet, Battery Alliance, Bosch, Carrefour, Champion, and Amara Raja LTD (India, who cares, I don't buy batteries in India).
JC supplies batteries to Sears, Autozone, Pep Boys, Costco and Walmart.
JC also supplies OEM batteries for Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Isuzu.
JC owns the manufacturers of Optima, Varta, LTH and Hellar.
I heard that JC bought Delco's battery manufacturing, don't know if it is true.
Buy whatever you want, but there is a 90% chance it is made by JC. If it is one listed in the first paragraph, it is probably from the same assembly line that made the one you hate.
Exide and East Penn (Deka) also make batteries. I can't think of anyone else at the moment.


Edited by 6768rogues - May/15/2012 at 9:39pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bigbad69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/15/2012 at 10:12pm
Johnson Controls may make 90% of the batteries, but it doesn't mean they are all  the same. Different companies contract JC to manufacture their batteries based on a deal struck by the respective supply chain management teams. Did they want inexpensive batteries, did they want high quality batteries? How much tayloring of a design is JC willing to do for a bulk purchase from someone like GM?

Maybe the battery that has a Sears logo is identical to one that has an Interstate logo. Maybe not. We don't really know. However, it seems to me to be short sighted to assume all batteries made by Johnson Controls are the same. There's too many variable involved to be able to say that with certainty.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 6768rogues Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/16/2012 at 5:15pm
Originally posted by bigbad69 bigbad69 wrote:

Johnson Controls may make 90% of the batteries, but it doesn't mean they are all  the same. Different companies contract JC to manufacture their batteries based on a deal struck by the respective supply chain management teams. Did they want inexpensive batteries, did they want high quality batteries? How much tayloring of a design is JC willing to do for a bulk purchase from someone like GM?

Maybe the battery that has a Sears logo is identical to one that has an Interstate logo. Maybe not. We don't really know. However, it seems to me to be short sighted to assume all batteries made by Johnson Controls are the same. There's too many variable involved to be able to say that with certainty.


No disagreement. Without inside information, no one can tell if a battery is the same as another or different. It has been my experience that if a purchaser is a large volume buyer, customization of the product is undertaken. There is probably some spec modification for the large buyers and labels pasted on batteries for small customers. I was surprised that JC has such a big part of the battery industry. Not too long ago they concentrated on controls for commercial energy systems. Businesses are so varied in scope that maybe Mrs. Smith's Pies makes batteries.
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