battery recommendations
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati, OH
hey guys i wanted to follow up on this, the more cranking amp batteries were about an inch too tall to fit under the hood the had a 1250 CCA at 0F that i really wanted to get but it just wouldn't fit, now with a little modification to our battery trays i could have probably gotten it to work i just didn't have time to do that so i ended up with 900 cca from KOI auto parts. oh well maybe in a few years when i need another set of batteries i will modify the battery tray or relocate them to my tool box.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 3
From: McNairy county, TN.
Most batteries are made by Johnson Controls. They do private label (auto zone, sears, wallymart, etc.) They also manufacture the Optima line. I used to pick up batteries at their Washington state plant years ago, As the batteries rolled of the line, they slapped different labels on them.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,191
Likes: 4
From: Blairsville,Ga
Originally Posted by westtntrucker
Most batteries are made by Johnson Controls. They do private label (auto zone, sears, wallymart, etc.) They also manufacture the Optima line. I used to pick up batteries at their Washington state plant years ago, As the batteries rolled of the line, they slapped different labels on them.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,180
Likes: 0
From: OAHU,KANEOHE HAWAII
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 518
Likes: 0
From: sycamore, illinois
johnson controls makes every american made oem battery in ohio, then optimas are made somewhere by the west coast, everything else they make interstate, autozone, farm & fleet, wal-mart, sams club, costco, plus others it actually easier to list what JCI doesn't make if it says excide on the battery JCI didn't make it along with a few other small companies jci hasn't bought out yet, all jci batteries are made in mexico and labeled and filled in the states at there plants so there is no real difference in brands, if it was me i'd walk into an interstate battery dealer and ask for blems(case might be scratched, dented, label torn, ect) much cheaper like half price
Last edited by justblowin'smoke; Dec 15, 2007 at 08:29 PM.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 3
From: McNairy county, TN.
That is why I bought mine at walmart. There is always a walmart nearby when your traveling if one goes out.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,413
Likes: 1
From: Columbia, MO
Originally Posted by westtntrucker
That is why I bought mine at walmart. There is always a walmart nearby when your traveling if one goes out.
I also have use dielectric grease on my terminals for several years to prevent corrosion and have had no problems with conductivity.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,191
Likes: 4
From: Blairsville,Ga
Originally Posted by westtntrucker
That is why I bought mine at walmart. There is always a walmart nearby when your traveling if one goes out.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,191
Likes: 4
From: Blairsville,Ga
Originally Posted by justblowin'smoke
if it says excide on the battery JCI didn't make it along with a few other small companies jci hasn't bought out yet, all jci batteries are made in mexico and labeled and filled in the states at there plants so there is no real difference in brands, if it was me i'd walk into an interstate battery dealer and ask for blems(case might be scratched, dented, label torn, ect) much cheaper like half price
JCI owns interstate but they are made in a private owned factory in texas
Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 207
Likes: 1
From: Desert, Arizona.
i vote for wallys. many locations to service you and their batts are just as good as everybody elses. 3 year warranty is hard to beat. i went to goddyear many moons ago and the next town wouldnt honor the warranty when it failed. also expensive.
BTW i thought there was a company called GNB that made just as many batteries as johnson ?? still you're limited to how many choices...
BTW i thought there was a company called GNB that made just as many batteries as johnson ?? still you're limited to how many choices...
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,767
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by westtntrucker
Most batteries are made by Johnson Controls. They do private label (auto zone, sears, wallymart, etc.) They also manufacture the Optima line. I used to pick up batteries at their Washington state plant years ago, As the batteries rolled of the line, they slapped different labels on them.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 3
From: McNairy county, TN.
Originally Posted by rbaker6336
and they go bad quite offen,I returned a two year old battery yesterday that had been dead over a year and was looking at the return cart sitting there with 20+ batteries on it and noticed all of the were tagged 05 or newer