Best Battery for 03 F150 w/4.6
 

Been looking for a new battery before old Betsey gives up the ghost on a road trip. most prices are around 100.00. Has any one had good luck with a
specific brand? Are the more cca's better or is there a limit? Could use some
good info on the subject---Thanks

i just buy the generic battery at Wal Mart for $50. I have had good luck and getting 5-6 years on them. Have several in the various trucks and tractors. 550 CCA will crank a small V8 easy. A little bigger would not hurt. You dont need 900-1000 amps as most people thing. If you crank for 60 seconds before the motor starts, you got other problems.

Thaks Steve: I have five years on this original battery and am concerned that it will fail me at the worst time. 5-6 years out of a walmart special is real good. Will give them a look. ford truck forum is the whipp.

my stock battery lasted 7 years. i just bought a battery from advanced auto with 1,000 CCA it was about $105

Motorcraft BXT-65-850, very little difference in price between the -650 and the -850.

I upgraded to the Motorcraft 850 after my stock one died....after a few pretty cold days it has proven it's worth.

You can't beat the Motorcraft Tested Tough Max batteries...the trick is getting a hook up at the dealer. If you can score one for around $80 your doing really well.

Walmart Everstart Maxx series 65 got a "Best Buy" rating in the Nov.'08 issue of Consumer Reports.

Any battery that is a 65 series, made by Johnson Controls will do you just fine.

I'd go with the highest CCA rating you can get in your size.
The most I've seen in a group 65 is 1000.

I have a Walmart special Everstart MAXX in my old truck and it's at least 6years old and still going.....

Personally I stay with Interstate (they make the Diehards, or at least they used to...), Exide or Deka.

You may not actually need 1000 CCA, but you'll notice a difference on those cold winter mornings.....

If only all 65-series JC batteries were all the same (they aren't).

Yeah, well consumer reports also likes the Silverado. Consumer Reports does not do much of their own testing on a lot of products, but rather bases many product reviews off private testing firms, which may or may not be biased.

Also what is considered a best buy, might be a compromise between price and quality. I have found more often that not, that buying their recommended products left me dissatisfied. I am not alone in this either. My grandparents bought a Caravan back in '90 based upon the Consumer Reports ad. They are very unhappy with the vehicle, even though it still runs ok. (That is a relative term, yes it gets from point A to point B, unless that involves a hill at more than 3%, in which case it vapor-locks and has to cool down before proceeding)

Consumer Reports is not all its cracked up to be. Likewise, I am in favor of boycotting Walmart until they make full resitutions for their crimes in the marketplace, and stop violating every anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws in this nation. And when are our congresspersons gonna get off their butts and start enacting these laws? I don't mean to bring this up here, I have just seen too many times the economic damage that Walmart has brought to this nation. Walmart is an anti-American company that strong arms anyone who gets in their way.

As far as a battery I have been happy with, the Sear Duralast batteries have always treated me well. I have never had one fail under warranty, they have always outlasted their rating, and Sears is an American company that supports American products as much as possible. The only reason they have gotten into their current situation is because Walmart has undercut them with their cheap junk.

The best rated battery for this size truck is the Duralast Gold, according to Consumer Reports. I had a pair in my last truck and it'd turn over in a heartbeat, NEVER a problem. Much, much stronger than the stock battery. I'm back to one battery, sold one with the last truck and blew the other one up with a bad jumpstart, lol. But Duralast Gold (the seven year warentee from Autozone) was highest rated by Consumer Reports. Autozone even took back my blown up battery and refunded the price, four years after I bought it.

Consumer Reports does not use other's reports. "Best" ratings also take into considerations price... Walmart is CHEAP. Duralast got the highest rating, not just the cheapest. And this varies with every size battery... Duralast wasn't the best with every size.

Motorcraft. The original battery in my truck lasted 7 years and I replaced it with another Motorcraft. So far, so good.
Theres no reason to go aftermarket when the OEM stuff is so good.