What's a decent brand battery for the street/strip

[87lc2/wo2]

What kind of battery do you have in your street driven turbo Buick?

 

[Rafs-T-Type]

Never heard anyone complain about an Interstate

 

[projectmoneypit]

Optima, red and yellow. Have had them for over 10 years, one is in my 72 ford 3000 farm tractor. I hardly every use the tractor (once or twice a year) and leave the battery connected and it will fire up no problem.

 

[turbobuick]

Spend the $$ and buy a Delco. Best batteries out there IMO. Over the years I have put Several different brand batteries in my GN's and none of them seemed to last more than a year or so. I am on my 3rd year with the Delco. Car can sit weeks/months and will fire up with no issues. Same deal with my Duramax which has two of them. I got nearly 6 years service out of the originals and bought two new Delco's as a replacement 3 years ago. That truck can sit days in subzero weather and will fire right up.

If you are more race and make over 650rwhp I would consider 16 volt. Expensive but worth it on a car running big pumps, big injectors, big fan, big ignition etc.

 

[coach]

It is really ashame that TURBO START went out of business. They were made in Pa by New Castle Battery. Got bought out and closed the plant, and took the name only. That is the new way of "Making the BEST"...make your piece of crap and put the Best name on it.
EXIDE is a great battery, and been around forever. I collect old signs and have a 1944 EXIDE sign.

:biggrin:

 

[Anarchy]

i have a Delco red top. with the gel in it. cost $$$ but its the best my car sat in a shop for 4 months getting the motor rebuilt and it was just plug and play when they connected it again. so my choice is Delco...

 

[notacarlo]

+1 on Delco, Interstate has a great warranty and are great batteries.

 

[Phoneguy]

Taken from Consumer Reports

Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts.

 

[Nick Micale]

........Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers...........

BUT, that does NOT mean that those manufacturers make all brands to the same specifications or quality standards for each private label?

 

[2QUICK2B6]

Well ive had good an bad things with delco ... my factory batt in the camaro lasted 6yrs with hardly any driving ... replaced it with delco 3 times now.

My brothers corvette has an interstate it lasted abt 2 months before it died.

I am currently using car quest batteries the gel type they sell ...... Im sure all batteries mentioned are good and any batt will die if it sits in a car with some parasitic drain.

 

[three turbos]

batt.

I currently run the red top optima going on 5yrs now and never had one issue,Ran a yellow top in my 10 sec. race car for 6 yrs. this was a 12/1 big block also never a problem just my $.02.

 

[Phoneguy]

BUT, that does NOT mean that those manufacturers make all brands to the same specifications or quality standards for each private label?

This was posted for informational purposes only, I didn't state that all of the batteries from one manufacturer are identical, only having different brand names attached to the battery.
Im sure that the specifications would be different for each brand but i doubt the quality standards are different.

Consider this Nick, Customer A wants a low 9 second engine built by you, customer B wants a mid 10 second engine built by you, the specs will differ but are you telling me that your quality standards will change with the 10 second build? I would hope the answer is no!

Bryan

 

[Red C5]

I had a Optima in my GN and F350. But recently bought whatever Costco sells for my mother's truck. I don't think there's really much difference for most street cars between brands.

 

[Gnx6]

The optima in my Gn is 7 years old, my other car went 9 years. But the yellow tops then were made in the US. The best battery I have seen for quality and lasting durability has been the everstart from Walmart. (yes I know, Wal mart???) I work at a Shop, and I can tell you the farm trucks (that get beat) that have the kirkland batteries always leak. I never saw the ever start from wal mart leaking and they always tested good. I see the same cars for years, and have been shocked that the Wal Mart brand seems to hold up (in my eyes) better than the others. It's reasonably priced and seems to last, go for that is not an optima.

 

[TurboBuRick]

Odyssey dry cells. They pack a punch. It's military grade. Can be mounted in any position. Made with virgin lead. Half the size of conventinal with the same ca-cca.

 

[wmerrell]

Yellow top

 

[hiboom]

battery

Johnson controls about 5 miles from my house.they sell blem batteries in a little out building cosmetic imperfections can by for little or nothing with warranty.buy new ones every 2 years whether needed or not good cheap insurance

 

[bluezone]

The Best battery i have ever ran was an Odyssey batter they are on the expensive side...

 

[87lc2/wo2]

I have experienced having Ever-Start, Die-Hard, Napa, Interstate, but never an Optima. Who sells Optima at their store?

 

[mybuick]

i sell them at pepboys red, yellow, blue tops. all around $200.00.
have noticed in the past 4 years red tops havent lasted long a few months, so with the bosch batteries are crap and dont last a week. i bought a red top as i didnt want a bosch and so far so good since april.

pepboys also have a brand called prostart which are relabeled energizer from jonson controls and these are good batteries we sell to shops and in our own service department. bareley have any problems with them.