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New Battery experiences please share

my autozone duralast golds have provided me with great service for two winters even after one winter my ip was failing and i would have to crank repeately to start
 
I've had good luck with wal mart batteries except for the newest set I have. They were not used much or very often. They both died. The set that they replaced are still going strong. Lack of use kills them faster than heavy use every day.
 
I'm not impressed with my red tops either. Put some Sears AGM batts in my plow and they are way better batts
 
Have you tried the proven Optima deep discharge low voltage recovery method? Tie in a good battery and put a charger on... Otherwise voltage is so low the charger cuts out for safety.

Exide orbital is another brand to look at. Odyssey batteries have a good rep - about where Optima started out.

The Optima battery that was crushed in the elk encounter did not spray acid all over the place. In fact the truck still started with the top more or less popped off one Optima. So the AGM battery is still better than the flooded cell stuff.
 
X2 on the Walmart batteries. My latest set are not as strong as previous set (bought the strongest offered both times) but they are relatively cheap and Walmart is on every corner and open most days. My 3 yr old Oriely's battery is still going ok in my tractor. But I can't say for today's Oriely's. I imagine many are rebadged - pkged but made by same companies. Seems they are cutting margins tighter and tighter and quality is suffering on batteries to keep prices competitive everywhere.

See if you can decifer the mfg date and info on what ever brand you buy and make sure the store is rotating stock.
 
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I´ve also had good luck with Costco batteries. My 6.2 Sub has has over 4 year old Costco batteries and is still going strong.
 
iamdave0887 said:
That's beyond impressive. I'm guessing these have to be ordered direct? Any idea on pricing?
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Not to doubt that battery chemistry but as far as that youtube goes without any enviromental data that does not really impress me obviously not cold out and how warm was the truck prior to that, she sounds warmed up to me. Alot of smaller batteries out there with a warmed up engine will more than likely perform well on multiple start tests.

What would impress me is if it was freezing or less out and the block was at that temp also, but then it would no doubt fall flat on it's face.

As far as I am concerned and I have this conversation with clients all the time, the reality is is that the best bang for your buck is still a regular flooded battery especially one that you can top off. And yes I do design/specify battery systems with AGM/GEL units. The regular flooded is the most charge rate (voltage, current) tolerant and can withstand abuse as long as you maintain a charge on it.

These modern chemistry units are more charge parameter picky in regards to the voltage and temperature of the battery. Automotive alternators are not really that exact when it comes to their charge rates and are also not temperature compensated. The classic scene in the marina is watching an AGM/Gel battery walk of the boat months after it was installed because the automotive style alternator killed it,and the seller/manufacturer had charging parameter info buried deep in the fine print. The optima spiral is a design attempt to make an AGM style battery that is less charge picky and be able to have a good enough plate surface area for quick amp supply. I'll be intrigued to see how these AGM batteries such as Sears fair in the Auto world, of course on their website I was not able to find any charging parameter specifics.

The Lithiums I am watching closely from a deep cycle perspective a lot of power in a small package, some of the house battery banks I install are size large and space is off the essence I'll be intrigued to see how they work out a couple of years from now.

Oh yeah what do I have in my truck, hybrid Deka Ultimates :D, 2 years on and still doing their job.

On another note, from a regular flooded standpoint there has been for a while pulse charging technology that aims to reduce battery sulphation. They come as either an add on or as part of a battery charger. I have had good results from them and recommend/supply them. On a personal test when I first tried them out several years ago I used one on an old dead battery that I had lying around my shop. I used it on my Jeep and the battery did indeed come back to performance OK and lasted about another year or so.

Cheers
Nobby
 
Sometimes you have to weigh the benefits with the cost. I suggest there is some cost savings in battery cables and pans not corroding...

Unless I get them for $150 or less my next set will be a different brand of AGM as Optima has moved production to Mexico and quality appears to be down. The Exide orbital in my jet boat (4 years old in 110 degree weather and severe pounding, winter 4 months of no use or charging it, and still going.) would be a good choice or I would try Odyssey next.

Put a Optima and a flooded cell battery on 2 similar air cooled single banger diesel light plants. Circa 1990's units.
The flooded cell will get vibration pounded into submission long before the Optima will.

Automotive use is not as extreme.

Except for that rusty battery pan and corroded cables you are almost always looking at with the flooded cell battery use. My 1995 Yukon that had Optima's in it since 1997 did not have this corrosion problem. Yes it went through a several of Optima's and their failure took the alternator with it at least once.

Heat of 105 degree plus puts batteries in the 2 year lifespan range and reduces Optima's life as well.

Lithium from a 'crush up the front end' make me wonder if it would burst into flame with contact of air? With iphones and laptops catching fire without air exposure I don't think they are prime time ready. Experimental cute hybrids maybe...
 
There's an Interstate outlet down 191st st. from where I work that sells blems at a decent price usually.
8500 W 191st St, Mokena, IL 60448
(708) 479-4500
 
xs power batteries???? it does seem impressive but I have to agree what were the conditions? The batteries are more expensive than optima and thats for the lower cranking amps. I'm not sold on them or optimas I've always had pretty good luck with regular batteries off the shelf. Remember batteries are like tires there are only a few companies that produce them and then they get different brands stamps on them.
 
Well, the Odyssey Batteries I have in my Duramax now were supposed to be 100x Better than Optima's. Well...they only Lasted 3 Years and are Junk now. Atleast with Optima's I'd get more than 3 Years out of one, but then there's those Pesky Voltage Spikes they are known to have, and when they Die, they are Dead, no coming back for them. With the Odyssey's they'll atleast Hold a Charge for 3 Days or so before they are Dead again.

Optima's are Old Technology. Yea, back when they came out, they were good, because there was nothing out there like them.

Now, there is alot better Technology in Batteries, that makes the Optima's look like a Conventional "Wet" Battery.
 
Woody35 said:
my autozone duralast golds have provided me with great service for two winters even after one winter my ip was failing and i would have to crank repeately to start
Click to expand...

Same here. They just had their anniversary and crank very fast, easy replacement by phone number, not receipt should they fail.
 
I haven't had the best success with the red top optima's either. I killed two of them in my old truck, -they warranted it once but said they wouldn't do it twice. I have had good luck with the Autozone batteries too, -but never tried 'em on the 6.5....

When I bought my 6.5 truck, -one battery took a dump, -and not wanting to mismatch, -I bought two AC Delco's, -granted, not cheap (around $130 each), -but have never looked back. I have not had one single battery-related incident for well over 3-1/2 years.

I was so impressed with the AC Delco batteries in the 6.5, I bought one for my 4.0L Jeep. It cranks that 4.0 over with authority, -and the alternator doesn't seem to work nearly as hard.

For whatever it's worth, the battery that came out of the Jeep was a 4 year battery that was well over 6 years old, -and deep-cycled several times. It was a branded battery (I believe it had a Kneckt's Auto Parts sticker on it) -likely made by Exide or Johnson Controls.

Sometimes the less expensive generic-branded lead-acid wet cell units work great.
 
Don't they say that once AC Delco batts go full dead, that they never recharge to full potential?........Or is that an "Old wives tale??"
 
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