Which car battery is best? (Test results)
- Thread starter Jerryl
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2018
to bad he didnt test an odyssey battery ... good info though ..gotta get two for the cummins soon ... wally world it is 
thx jerryl... gimma dolla
thx jerryl... gimma dolla
T-type Jones
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2018
I run a Duracell in mine, don't know what's the best today, I know the Optima used to be the best until they sold the company and now they're made in Mexico. I would buy a cheap ass AutoZone, or Wal*Mart before I touch a Optima again. Went through 3 batteries in 7 years. When they were made here in Denver they were the best...Now they're just CRAP!!!
precizion818
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
Ironically I watched this and my battery went dead and tested bad few days later [emoji23]
Headed to Walmart on Friday
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Headed to Walmart on Friday
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I had 2 Made in USA Red-Top Optimas in my Dodge/Cummins. Think they lasted about 7 years of cold morning starts. The Mexican Red-Top Optima in my Jeep didn't last very long at all. A "Battery Geek" told me that the re-claimed lead in the Mexico Optimas is not very clean & cannot perform like the old USA made ones.
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2001
Take a gander:
https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/top-suppliers/battery-manufacturers-suppliers/
All conventional lead-acid wet cell car batteries in the U.S. are actually only manufactuered by one of two companies: Tripp Lite and Mouser.
I don't know which brands are which offhand, but I'll tell you, modern manufacturing and a QC means the two are so close to each other it doesn't matter anymore. They're like copier paper at this point.
For example: Autozone Duralast. Regular, Gold, Platinum. What's the difference?
The warranty. The batteries are exactly the same. Buy a platinum and you get a fancy sticker and better warranty. The battery itself is exactly the same as the lower grade option. Exact same plant. Exact same content. Exact same risk of leaving you stuck. Wildly different price points.
So which battery to get? The cheapest one with the largest CCA rating that fits in the spot. Then don't abuse it. Keep a quality tender on it and they'll all last the better part of a decade.
https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/top-suppliers/battery-manufacturers-suppliers/
All conventional lead-acid wet cell car batteries in the U.S. are actually only manufactuered by one of two companies: Tripp Lite and Mouser.
I don't know which brands are which offhand, but I'll tell you, modern manufacturing and a QC means the two are so close to each other it doesn't matter anymore. They're like copier paper at this point.
For example: Autozone Duralast. Regular, Gold, Platinum. What's the difference?
The warranty. The batteries are exactly the same. Buy a platinum and you get a fancy sticker and better warranty. The battery itself is exactly the same as the lower grade option. Exact same plant. Exact same content. Exact same risk of leaving you stuck. Wildly different price points.
So which battery to get? The cheapest one with the largest CCA rating that fits in the spot. Then don't abuse it. Keep a quality tender on it and they'll all last the better part of a decade.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2018
yes the optima's are crap .. now my buddy had a yellow top for 6 years .. got a new one last year and it is done already !!... i had an interstate marine battery in my little 16 ' skiff and it sat outside and covered in saltwater all the time it lasted 7 years LOL
turbo nasty
Turbo Dojo / MNTR
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2001
Exide/GNB is also a large behind teh scenes manufacturer of all batteries
precizion818
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
I used to be a “Die Hard” fan of Sears battery .... no pun intended [emoji23]
I had a few of the Die Hard Gold batteries that lasted me 7-8 years. I have tried several different manufactures since (Autozone, Duracell, Costco brand, and Interstate) and struggled to get 4-5 years out of any of them. And Lawnmower batteries are a whole different story [emoji3061]
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I had a few of the Die Hard Gold batteries that lasted me 7-8 years. I have tried several different manufactures since (Autozone, Duracell, Costco brand, and Interstate) and struggled to get 4-5 years out of any of them. And Lawnmower batteries are a whole different story [emoji3061]
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NRA-ILA | End of an Era: Last U.S. Lead Smelter to Close in December
In December, the final primary lead smelter in the United States will close. The lead smelter, located in Herculaneum, Missouri, and owned and operated by the Doe Run Company, has existed in the same location since 1892.
precizion818
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
Which one you get? I am heading out to grab one in a few hours today
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Last edited:
T-type Jones
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2018
You're right, to properly charge an AGM , you must havce an AGM charger, plus when you buy one of those batteries, they'll extend your warranty by a year if you purchase the charger at the time of the battery. But even with that being said,and using the AGM charger, the optima's just don't last
