So looking to get a new Battery for my 2000 Expedition 4x4 and looked at DieHard Gold from Sears. Im from Chicago and the Sears store sells DieHard south battery, and I think I should be getting an DieHard north battery for colder climates. Does it make a difference?
Any thoughts?
Thanks

 

I would ask Sears what the difference is. You are going to need some good cold cranking amps for winter. Hot climates are also very hard on batteries but in a different way. My dad lives in Palm Springs (the desert), and they can't get more than 2-3 years from standard car batteries.

There is probably a CCA reccomendation in the owners manual. I would go for something with 750+ CCA to combat Chicago winters.

 

The battery that was standard in my '03 had 650CCA, I just replaced it with the Die Hard Gold which has 850CCA. Got 7 years out of the original. Replacement was was $113 which I didn't think was too bad, the bad part of the story was how my wife had the ignition on with the AC still on while I pumped gas and it was enough to kill the battery at the pumps. Couldn't find a jump anywhere and had to roll it off the pumps and wait for a friend. Next stop was the Sears one town over, for a 15 minute parking lot swap. I wasn't aware of the north vs. south versions. I got mine while on the road in RI. I'll have to see what it is.

 

Here is a link for the Diehard Gold:
DieHard | Automotive Batteries

 

I just put a Die Hard Platinum in my truck. It sees KC winters and Alabama summers.



The original (Crappy) factory one that came with the truck lived 3.5 years and 51k miles. I hope this one will double or triple that. It's a purdy looking battery that meets the OEM requirements.

It was also on sale from $190 to $150.

If you want to do more research on the Platinum series, you'll see that it's made by Odyssey which is made by some other E company. Either way, same battery as the Odyssey but for a good bit cheaper. It has taken over in quality where Optima has left off.

-rockstate

 

The "south" batteries have less cold cranking amps but better heat resistance and I'd want a "north" version for Chicago or for Detroit, where I live.

Consumer Reports did a battery test comparison, and although the Diehard platinum battery may be a cut above, it is also twice the price. Johnson Controls makes the Diehard gold as well as Costco Kirkland batteries, Walmart Everstart batteries, and many other brands like Duralast, etc.. My original 2002 van battery went almost 7 years (and I believe that was a Johnson Controls battery as well). I wanted to replace it with a Costco battery but they were out of stock the day I needed one, so I went down the street to Walmart and got an Everstart, which is the same thing. I don't like Walmart but they had my battery and it's been fine. Nothing magical about the Diehard name except it costs maybe $20-30 more...

Both the Costco and Walmart Everstart batteries got excellent ratings in CR. I believe they were $75-80 each, within $5 of each other and much less than an equivalent Diehard gold. I'd buy a different brand name for a "north" battery. I believe the identifying feature of Johnson Controls batteries is that the rectangular caps for the cells have the corners cut off, making them have 8 sides.

The other major mainstream mfr is Exide, but I think JC is doing better in recent years. The Diehard platinum is made by yet another company (I forget the name) and is excellent, but I ain't spending $150-200 for a battery when my $75 battery will easily go 6 years.

Good luck,
George

 

If you just put it in, then how could it have seen either one yet?

 

Do you have any links to any information that back this up? I'm not questioning you, or giving you a hard time. I want the information because of someone on another board I frequent. They totally trash the Everstart batteries as being substandard and I haven't been able to find any information to offer in the debate. Thanks!

 

I gave up on Die Hard batteries several years ago.

 

Same here, I'm on the 5th year on the Optima yellow top and still going strong.

 

Well, I can do Internet searches for you but would assume you know how to use Google as well Here is a quick link that looks pretty solid but you can supplement on your own:

Duralast Batteries | Compare Reviews and Trusted Advice from Battery Experts

Keep paging down for all the pretty pictures of batteries made by JC...

Note also the following:
1. Everstarts were Consumer Reports best buys in virtually every size. Find a CR auto issue or annual buyer's guide with their battery tests and you can confirm that they rank near the top in performance and consistently are best buys (along with Costco's Kirkland batteries, which are also JC batteries) Direct the critic to Consumer Reports.
2. Did you read what I said about the octagonal cap shape? Look at the batteries and you will be able to recognize this.
3. I cannot promise that every Everstart or other house brand is always going to be a JC because I'm sure that the big chains shop around with different suppliers if they can save a dollar per unit. But my original 7 year Motorcraft, as well as the Motorcraft that lasted 7 years in my wife's old 1998 Sable, as well as the Everstart in my van, have the octagon caps. So do Diehard golds.

Note that I personally dislike Walmart and would have preferred buying at Costco, but I needed a battery one day, Costco was out of them, and Walmart was a mile away.

edit--did a little more Internet searching and although most Everstarts (including mine) are JC made, some areas have Everstarts that are made by Exide. Trust the octagonal caps to identify a JC battery. And the word is to NOT trust Exides. Maybe the critic guy has had experience with the non-octagonal cap Exide made Everstart batteries so everyone might be right

Good luck,
George

 

Yes I can Google with the best of them, but sometimes people have a way of coming up with unique information that isn't readily available in a web search. So like my dear old mudder used to say, "It never hurts to ask."

 

Just to clarify a few items in the thread. There are two main lead acid battery manufacturers in the US, Johnson Controls and Exide. The branded batteries being discussed normally come from one or the other. This mean Die Hard, Everstart, and Duralast can all be the same under the label. Good advice was given on how to identify the supposedly superior JC batteries.

Optima and copies are a dry cell, spiral core battery. Personally I have owned four of these and I was burned on all four. I have zero confidence in Optima. Unless there was a spill issue, I would never consider one especially for a premium.

Odyssey is Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) technology. These are millitary spec batteries with a minimum 10 year life expectancy and better performance than a lead acid battery can offer. I do not know about the Die Hard version but the Odyssey is offered in a steel belted case, should you require that and is also non-spillable. I have owned four of these and find them to be the best bar none. Worth the extra coin? Probably not for the average user, but they are far superior in extreme conditions and should last substantially longer offsetting the price.

 

Then stop testing them on your tongue, that's for 9 volt batteries.

 

Whatever smart guy, how are you supposed to know if the battery is good if you don't use your tongue