Interesting. At the present time I favor the Optima Gel Cell batteries. Plenty of power, no H2 gas emission and you can't kill em.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
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01:28 PM
hookdonspeed Member
Posts: 7980 From: baltimore, md Registered: May 2008
napa doesnt make their own batteries, and i didnt think duralast did either. and where is eastpenn/deka on that list? they are way better then any duralast/walmart junk, or are they not listed because you cant get them at large chain retailers?
I wonder how many of those are made by the same company? At one time, it seemed like GNB made all the batteries for Wal-Mart and Advance Auto/Parts America and Autozone.
I wonder how many of those are made by the same company? At one time, it seemed like GNB made all the batteries for Wal-Mart and Advance Auto/Parts America and Autozone.
Some are made by the same company, but I believe company specific specification make them different. For example, the Kmart Diehard usually carries more CCA than the identical Sears Diehard which has a different part number, also the Sears northern vs. southern have different batteries have different ratings. It all boils down to number of plates and quantity of lead.
The optima does give off fumes correct ?? I have an optima and am familiar with the spiral tech,, I thought the round felt was for release of gas.. I was going to mount the battery temporary in the cab behind the passenger seat,,My girlfriend rode in the car and I do not want to gas her because she is a smoking hot cloudmaiden,, and I am to old to get another such babe,,personally dont care if I get some acidic fumes..brain damaged already ,smoke nonfiltered camels for 30 years,so who cares !!
More poop on optima emissions,,,,Dennis, my custom low battery mount,,to lower batt temp,, destroyed a perfectly good battery box
All the batteries are made by 3 manufacturers
[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 10-11-2009).]
Johnson Controls makes Diehard, Optima, and Duralast. Delphi still makes Interstate which explains why they suck.
Brand name means liitle when most batteries are made by two or three companies. Even within one brand the quality can vary from best to worst in the same group size. Here's the explanation by CR:
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10:33 PM
spark1 Member
Posts: 11159 From: Benton County, OR Registered: Dec 2002
Do you have results for top post batteries? Wonder why AC Delco was not tested? In the past they were the best. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
The batteries were rated by group. As shown above, an Interstate battery was best in group 24 but "Best Buy" was the Ever-Start. Bosh was best in group 35 and 75 but "Best Buy" in only the 75 group. Kirkland was the "Best Buy" in group 35. The Diehard was tops in group 65 and 34/78 but "Best Buy" went to Kirkland in group 65 and to Autocraft in group 34/78.
I don't know why ACDelco wasn't tested. Those are available over a much wider area of the country than the others. I know that Pep Boys doesn't have a store in Oregon.
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10:52 PM
Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15528 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
The optima does give off fumes correct ?? I have an optima and am familiar with the spiral tech,, I thought the round felt was for release of gas.. I was going to mount the battery temporary in the cab behind the passenger seat,,My girlfriend rode in the car and I do not want to gas her because she is a smoking hot cloudmaiden,, and I am to old to get another such babe,,personally dont care if I get some acidic fumes..brain damaged already ,smoke nonfiltered camels for 30 years,so who cares !!
More poop on optima emissions,,,,Dennis, my custom low battery mount,,to lower batt temp,, destroyed a perfectly good battery box
All the batteries are made by 3 manufacturers
According to Optima their Spiral gel cell batteries do not give off hydrogen gas under normal operation. They will give off some emissons if they are overcharged. My battery is mounted in the trunk and I never smell any H2 gas or see any erosion of the metal holding strap so I am assuming that this info is correct. Your low battery mount may have been rusted out by rain water and/or road salt but you bring up a good question. .
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Duralast is made by johnson controls,walmart neverstart is made by interstate.
Duralast is actually an excellent battery,every vehicle I own has one including my lawnmower(car battery )
I have lots of experience in wal mart brand,duralast brand and motorcraft. As a Ford tech,I condemn at least 1 brand new walmart battery a week. Motorcrafts tend to last 6 years + and i've had many older customers I had to convince it was time for a new battery after 8-10 years. In my 1yr+ of working at autozone (from 5 till close and weekends) i've taken 2 duralast gold returns. 1 of them was in the last month of it's 8 year warranty (3yr free,5yr prorated) and the other one had went out of it's 8yr warranty the month before.
wal-mart has very low standards in their batteries,and even if they have to replace 50% of them they're profit margin is so high that the sheer volume they sell outprofits any losses incurred from returns. Autozone,in contrast,actually provides specifications for their batteries to johnson controls.
A car batteries useage has changed over the past years,and not all manufacturers are paying attention. Used to be a battery for a car simply started it and that was all. Then with electronic systems it also became a buffer for the electronic systems to keep out harmful voltage spikes etc.. Now it must also adapt to slow,low amperage discharges without stressing it due to so many electronic modules in vehicles.
When I do a parasitic drain on a vehicle I have to hook up all my stuff and then walk away from it for up to an hour simply to allow the various modules time to go to "sleep". Most batteries are still built to be high amperage quick drain types,and the slow 5a draws for up to 40m at a time draw it down a bit more each time. Of course most driving is city driving which simply surface charges a battery,and never fully charges the plates.
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12:20 AM
Back On Holiday Member
Posts: 6238 From: Downingtown, PA Registered: Jul 2001
As a former Sears Auto guy, and a current Wal*Mart Tire & Lube Express guy, I'll tell you what I've been able to piece together. As far as I know, all Die Hard's are made by Johnson Controls. Wally World gets from different manufacturers in different areas. I know some stores get from Interstate, but all the Everstart's my store sells are built by Exide. I believe that many are the same exact units as other brands, but with different labels. I know that almost any new battery will test over it's rated CCA's, but almost all of ours, from cheapest to most expensive, test way over ratings, usually for the first whole year. Wal-Mart seems to have more failures during warranty, but it's hard to say for sure, because we sell so many times more than the local Sears.
------------------ '84 Sport Coupe (third time's a charm?)
Wanted to lower center of gravity and a lower mount would be just a bit cooler (heat rises) air coming up from undercar would help .. cool battery
Urinal ,,?? oh just remembered that is for grave stone ?? for those who swore to befoul my grave ;;special concrete pad for partying & dancing,, I,,ll just run a long tube back to area where battery was ,,1/2 gallon jug will hold enough for me to pass thru flying vampire bat country with out stopping..Since Doctor sharphook gave my last prostate exam ..stops are more frequent..
[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 10-12-2009).]
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10:45 PM
Sphynx Member
Posts: 350 From: The Fort, CO Registered: Jun 2008
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