Got me a Duralast. 4/5 credits towards a free $20 purchase now form autozone.

Thanks for the recommendations. Just had to follow my wallet.

 

That may be true for cold starting, but high CCA can equal low reserve power. I had an Exide 1000 CCA battery in an '82 Police LTD. I thought the "big" battery and 100A G1 alternator would do the trick, but quickly found that my 20W stereo and 30W amp could leave me walking in no time. At one end of the spectrum there is the 1000 CCA Starting battery and at the other end there's the Deep Cycle marine type battery. IMO you really want to find a middle of the road battery with some of each property, just get a big one!

Another vote for Interstate; had many over the years and never had a problem. I also have an older Optima Red Top, it’s OK, but has never seemed to hold a charge when sitting for long periods. I don't think I would buy another one, although I do like the sealed technology. A HF solar charger hung in the window is a big help here.

 

Optima Yellow Top.

 

i had same experience with the red top optima-wouldn't have another

 

Motorcraft Battery number: BXT-56

36 month free replacement, 100 month total warranty.

CCA: 550

OE CCA: 450

MSRP: $94.95


Not a bad price, or warranty, and it's Ford Motorcraft.

 

i'm so sorry, got a Mitsu 3000GT thats a thorn in my *** at the moment.... hate that car

random post of the day

 

Well, a few missed that I already got a duralast. I read they are good batteries these days. It's been great so far. Turns the starter over with ease in the cold.

 

i like my optima yellow top. i have heard the optima battery lines need a lower charging voltage than what out alternator puts out, but i havent experienced any ill effects. for what i do with my truck, i think the yellow top was a good choice

 

I just didn't have that much money for top of the line.

 

All I can say is Group 31, I run them in everything they will fit in, doesn't particularly matter what brand they are. The one(yes, just one) currently in my 6.9 truck is a Cat branded one.
They are a proper commercial battery and are considerably better built than anything I've ran into that was intended for an automotive app. They stand up to vibration and temperature swings far better. Before I switched to them I was doing good to get 2 winters out of a battery. The one I have in the diesel right now is going on 4 years old.
I also have converted all of my trucks from post style batteries to stud type with ring lugs on the cables, which are just plain old better.

 

double post...

 

My .02c... experience at the parts counter and in my trucks (and a little research), this is what I've found.

Motorcraft and Interstate are both manufactured by Johnson Controls, and are about the top of the pile... Most Motorcraft and Interstate batteries I see pass through the store are on their 9th through 12th year of service.

Generally Optima's don't fare well (even though they are manufactured by Johnson Controls), and not many people I talk to like them because of the "short life" and the price tag. Could be because of improper care, but I've never had anyone say there Optima lasted longer then 2-3 years (again, possibly do to idiocy/improper maintenance). Never had one myself, so I can't knock it.

The batteries we sell are East-Penn / Deka (NAPA) and they hold up decently, most are 6+ years with the occasional defect. NAPA batteries use to be made by Exide, and my dad had one of those Exide budget (65 month) batteries in his Econoline for 11 years before it got too weak to run it. Never heard anybody really complain about Exide.

Every car I buy, I usually put a battery in it soon (few months) after purchase, and I'm usually replacing a Die-Hard. One exception is my F150... Going on year two of ownership, and the Interstate is strong as an ox even though it looks like it's fairly old (didn't check the ship codes on it).

Die-Hards are manufactured by Yuasa, EnerSys, and Delkor; (possibly others) depending on which model.

EverStarts are made by Enertec, Delkor, GNB, some by Exide, some by Johnson Controls. My buddy went through two EverStart batteries in four years, and I believe he's running an Exide now.

DuraLast is made mainly by Johnson Controls and Enertec; only seen a few of them come in as cores, and never had personal experience with them.

 

Ive just had bad experiences with Duralast batteries and thats why I stay away from them.

 

My RedTop's gotten me through every winter since I bought it. It's a little low lately from sitting for so long without any real charging, but I'd expect that with any battery, no matter how fancy or heavy duty it is. Once I start driving my truck again, it'll probably be good as new. I mean, I've only replaced the alternator, voltage regulator, alternator belt, and the cables (with larger-than-stock cables, including a massive Humvee negative cable)....lol

 

Well if Duralast is made by the companies that Interstate and Motorcraft batteries... surely I won't be having that bad of problems. Been great so far, but 4+ years is the real test. 2 year free replacement, anyways. If I think it's having problems at 1.5 years, I'll be sure to 'finish it off'.