I searched to forum for battery threads and was surprised to find very few.

Last week I left my lights on and completely drained the batteries. They were marginal to start with and now will barely start the engine. So I am in search of new batteries.

The best I can glean is the stock battery is group 65. There is mention of 1000 amps. I see 850 and 1000 CCA batteries mentioned. There was a post on another forum indicating the 850 cca will outlast the 1000 cca because the plates are thicker. Is there any truth to that? I live in south Texas and some years it does not get below freezing so extreme power is not an issue. My IP is wore out and there are a few weak GP so it requires 2 3-5 second cranking cycles. The more reserve power the better.

Motorcraft Tested Tough® MAX BXT65-850 is priced around $150 at O-Riely's which is in line with other batteries of the same capacity. Any thoughts?

 

Probably the best battery for the cost are Costco Kirkland signature batteries. They were in the top 5 of consumer reports best vehicle batteries in several categories and have a great warranty. The one in my f-150 is currently 8-9 years old and has no issues.

The trays are sized for a group 65 battery but I believe I have the group 31 I(I cant remember for sure, they were for the early powerstrokes) because they were 1000cca. I had to slightly modify the hold-downs for the batterys but otherwise they were a drop in fit. The old 6.9 had never spun over so fast before it got the 1000cca batteries. I paid about $75 each.

 

Costco no longer list batteries on the web site. It looks like they got out of the battery business.

 

costco never listed batteries on their website. but the batteries are usually in the tire department, or in some stores i have seen them in the automotive aisle.

 

You realize you are getting into the grey 'what motor oil do you use' area, right?

I have never had good luck with CostCo's Kirkland batteries, they don't last me more than 2 years or so. That's worse than Wal Mart's Never-Start.

I prefer Die Hards #1, then Interstates. Motorcraft are okay.

 

when was the last time you tried them Chevy?
the 2 in my 88 are now 8 years old and will need changing soon. the old ones in the 02 were 6 years old when they died, the current pair are only 4 months old. the one in the 04 and the one in the 99 crown vic are both 6 years old.

 

Not too long ago, I got one for the Lincoln in late 2011 and had to replace it this year. And the only reason it lasted this long is that for about the last year I've kept it plugged into a tender whenever the car was parked.

I dunno, I know some people seem to have good luck with them, but not me. Maybe it's the heat up here or something.

 

Normally I would say pick your favorite group 31 and be happy, but I seem to recall fitment issues in the obs trucks. I haven't personally done it.
We are an interstate dealer at work and our battery guy says the same thing about the 850 CCA batteries lasting better than the 1000's.

 

One problem with "brand name" batteries, the vendors can and do change suppliers esp. after 5 or 10 years, so loyalty like "it's only Wal-Mart batteries for me!" doesn't mean much. Some Die Hards are Johnson Controls, others Deka, etc.

There are only a few major battery manufacturers anyway. They are made to a price point. Like most things in life you get what you pay for, mostly. Make sure whatever brand you buy, they are fresh, oftentimes (East Penn/Deka for ex.) will use a date code e.g. L3 , on a sticker signifying the year and month of manufacture.

Big box stores will have a rack - with the freshest stock in the back of the rack. That's what you want. Don't buy anything more than a couple months old if you can help it, and especially if you need two for your rig make sure they are the same date code, and charge them thoroughly before installation at the proper rate for their amp hour capacity. If they are connected in parallel this is quite a lot.

You mention that it doesn't get cold in South Texas, maybe but I bet it gets hot. That's what really kills batteries, is heat. They may fail at the first cold snap, but it's the heat that does them in. Keep them charged at all times, avoid deep discharges and keep them cool as possible and they will last a lot longer.

 

This is why I expected to find a 100 threads with battery bantering.


Tom, thanks again for the information. I called the local Costco and they have a group 65 850cca for $90. It would be cool to have Motorcraft stickers but for $120 difference Kirkland sounds pretty good. This is not a DD and I periodically put a tender on all my batteries. Eventually these will sit at my rural property with a 15 watt solar charger keeping them topped off, so they will not be seeing any severe duty.

 

that is what i do with my plow rigs mac. those solar chargers are the best thing ever invented!!

 

Picked the batteries up at Costco today and they have Interstate labels on them. The clerk said they changed last month and the Interstate batteries have an extra weld to handle our South Texas heat. $200 out the door with 3 year replacement. There is no extended pro rate warranty which is no big deal.

 

just take them back at 2 years and 10 months and get 2 new ones. they don't even check to see if they are bad or not. just check the date sold.
i don't do it that way, but know a guy that does. he has not paid for batteries since he bought the first set 12 or so years ago.

 

All my vehicles have Interstate batteries so I was extremely please Costco changed. They seam be the only battery that will last past the warranty period in the Texas heat. I just did not want to drive 20 miles out of my way and pay $300 for 2.

 

Stay away from superstart battery's (Oreily's)
I have a set of superstart premiums in my truck there Crap
My walmart batteries in my Suburban are from 08 and still kicking.