newcarbatteryneeded

[Led-Ed]

Hi .
My car is used for short trips- less than 7 miles mostly and the battery has 4 years on it . At rest it is reading about 12.2 volts.
I think I need to change this battery before it dies on me during the winter months.
Are the Optima batteries really any better than regular?? Should I just go to Costco and get whatever they say fits my car?.They have some of the newer looking batts there.
I figured that people here think about battery performance so here goes.

 

[BIGIRON]

WalMart. Probably as inexpensive as you'll find and quality is as good as any except maybe the highend stuff (Optima, etc.) Quick and easy replacement if needed, just keep your receipt. And there's a WM almost anywhere you travel while there might not be a Costco or Sams around.

 

[Flash_Gordon]

I agree, with four years age and living in an area with tough winters, time to change. You will probably save yourself some grief in the cold.

I put an Optima (red) in my Grand Cherokee. My problem was heat. I cooked three DieHards before their time. Apparently, a very hot engine compartment, combined with warm climate. The Optimas are supposed to be more heat tolerant. So far so good.

In any other situation, I would not have paid $130 for a car battery.

I recommend you go to Costco and buy the best battery they have for your car. You can probably get two for the price of an Optima.

Mark

 

[Manzerick]

Check Wally world and also Autozone for the Duralast brand. Duralast has a solid warrenty and given ur short trips may like that safety

 

[kf4zht]

Optima Here, but that is for an offroad vehicle with lots of radios and light, on bumpy terrain.

 

[VWTim]

One thing to keep in mind if you go with an Optima, they won't tolerate a charging system that charges on the lower range of acceptable. I don't remember specific voltages, but I've had one do out due to this, and have had to warranty several at the shop I used to work in. Otherwise they're good batteries.....With the exception of the one that vented on me.

 

[smokinbasser]

After 4 years installed your battery is living on borrowed time and you have gotten your moneys worth out of it. The duralast batts at Autozone are a good buy. I am using two of them in my bass boat one deep cycle and one starting. Optimas do not have to be installed only one way but can be sideways with the posts on the side to fit size restrictions. Just an observation but in the case of the "red hot cherokee" since they are totally sealed,optimas do not HAVE to be placed under the hood with all the heat , longer power cables could be made up to relocate the battery to other cooler locations to extend their life.

 

[MrAl]

Hi there,

I purchase the lowest cost Walmart batteries i can get and change about
once every 4 or 5 years before it dies.
If you really are worried about the battery you can test it using a simple
test...connect a small but high powered resistor across the terminals
and measure the voltage. If it goes down to 10 volts when it is
new and only 8 volts when 4 years old you may wish to change it.

Since it is rather hard to come by the kind of power resistor you really
need for this test (around 0.12 ohms at 1200 watts) folks usually
just purchase a battery tester made for auto batteries.
These run about $19 or less at Harbor Freight for a 50 amp tester,
a bit more for the 100 amp tester.
Use the tester in the early morning when it's real cold outside to get
an idea how your battery is doing.

If you have a power inverter, you can connect that and hook up a nice
heavy load to act as the load for the battery, and measure the voltage
with a digital voltmeter. Compare readings when the battery is new and
when it is getting old.

You'll also notice the car/truck turning over slower when it is very
cold outside and the battery is getting old. If you could measure the
voltage while it is turning over (coil disconnected) you could also
get an idea how the battery is doing by again comparing readings
when new and when getting old.

Walmart batteries are about $40 new and last a long enough time for
that price i would say.

 

[Led-Ed]

Thanks for the responses.
For a flashlight I would know what battery to use but for a car???
I'll go to Walmart or Costco and get the best regular battery they have .I'll skip the optima for now -I prob. wouldnt notice the diff inayhow.

 

[scott.cr]

Almost all the house-brand batteries sold in the U.S. (Wal-Mart, Costco, Duralast, etc.) are made by Johnson Controls. If you look closely at the battery case, it should have the Johnson logo on it. Nothing wrong with these batteries.

Optimas are actually relatively inexpensive at Sears, believe it or not! The $180 Optima 51R for my wife's car is $135 at Sears, and installation is free (whoopty-doo).

Check this out, I once wrapped a battery with foil-backed fiberglass insulation, with the foil side facing out. It lasted me over six years before I sold the car. Since then I've been wrapping all my batteries and haven't bought a new one yet! (Longest on the road right now is in my 1996 Rustang, which is on its second battery.)

 

[kitelights]

Costco, hands down. 100 month limited warranty with a 3 year REPLACEMENT warranty. Most of them are $40 and the specs are higher than many others at twice the price.

 

[Nubo]

If nothing else, the Optimas are worth it just by virtue of completely eliminating spills and corrosion. You could put a bullet through one and it still wouldn't leak.