Therefore,buyingthebestcarbatterythatissuitableforyourspecificvehicleaswellasknowinghowtotakecareofitisamongthemostimportantcarmaintenancejobsforeverycarowner.Thisnotonlyensuresoptimalperformancebutwillalsopreventunnecessarydamagetootherpartsandcomponents.
It’snormaltochangethebatteryonceortwicethroughoutthelifeofyourvehicle.Someofthemsimplywearoutfromrepetitivecharginganddischarging,whileincaseofthecarelessdrivers,somemightdieprematurelyandrequireexpensivecarbatteryreplacement.
Securingthebestcarbatterywithsuperiorperformanceandlifespanisthereforeoneofthebestthingsyoucandoforyourfour-wheeledinvestment.Andthenextbestthingistounderstandthespecifictypeofbatteryyouhaveandhowtocareforitsothatitwillprovideyouwithexcellentserviceformanyyearstocome.
Whetheryouareanoviceoraveteran,youhavecometotherightplace.Ifyouarefamiliarwithautobatteriesandknowexactlywhatyou’relookingfor,diverightintoourupdatedhandpickedlistoftheverybestcarbatterieswithin-depthreviews.
Otherwise,spendsomemoretimeunderstandingthedifferenttypesofbatteries,thebestcarbatterybrands,howlongtheylast,andotherusefulinformationtogetthemostoutofyourbatteries.
Thebatteryisthevitalcomponentthatgetsyourcarrunning.Withoutit,you’renotgoinganywhere.Batteriesarecomposedof“cells”.Thesecellsarewhatcontaintheactualenergyneededtostartandrunyourcar.
Whenyouturnthekey,achemicalreactionoccursinsidethebattery.Thebatteryconvertsthischemicalenergyintoelectricalenergyanditdeliversthiselectricalenergytothestartertopoweryourcar.
Powertorunthecarisstoredinthebatteryandismeasuredinvoltage.Abatteryisfullychargedwhenitholds12.6voltsorabove.Whenabatterygoesdownto12.2itisonly50%charged,andwhenitisbelow12voltsthebatteryis“dead”andneedstobereplaced.
Notonlydoesyourbatteryprovidetheenergyrequiredtostartyourcar,butit’salsostabilizingthevoltageinordertokeepyourenginerunninghealthily.
Whenyouhaveaweakbattery,yourcarendsupputtingadditionalstressonthechargingsystemorthealternatorandthestartermotor.Thesepartscanmalfunctionbecausethey’redrawingexcessivevoltagetocompensateforthelackofbatterypower.Ifyoudonotinspect,testandchargeorreplaceyourbatteriesifneeded,youcouldwindupreplacingexpensiveelectricalparts–typicallywithoutwarning.
Beforejumpingintothecarbatteryreviews,educateyourselfabouttheirtypes,whichwillcomeinhandywhenyouwillbeshoppingforthebestautobattery.
Carbatteriescanbebroadlycategorizedintotwogroupsifwe’retalkingabouttheirfunction:startingbatteriesanddeepcyclebatteries.Eachtypecomeswithitsownuniquebenefits,whichyoushouldknowaboutbeforemakinganydecision.
Anotherwaytocategorizecarbatteriesisbytheirdesignandtechnology.Design-wise,therearethreetypes:lead-acidbatteriesarethemostcommonlyusedinvehiclesnowadays,whileLithium-ionbatteriesandNiMHbatteriesarelaterandmoreadvancedinventions.
Starting(SLI)BatteriesvsDeepCycleBatteries
Ourhandpickedlistoftheverybestcarbatteriesdoesincludeproductsthatcanactasbothstartingbatteriesanddeep-cyclebatteries.Understandinghowtheydifferwillhelpyoudecidewhetheryouarewillingtopayforsuchversatility.
StartingbatteriesarealsocalledcrankingbatteriesorSLIbatteries,whichstandfor“starting,lighting,andignition.”SLIbatteriesprovidealargeamountofenergyinveryshortburstsinordertocrankyourengineaswellaspoweryourlightsandotherelectricalaccessories.
Asaresult,onlyasmallpartofthestartingbatteryisdischargedquickly,typicallywithashallowdepthofdischargeofonlyabout2%to5%ofthebattery’scapacity.
Incontrast,adeepcyclebatteryisabatterydesignedtohandlemanythousandsofcyclesofdeepdischargeandrechargeoveritslifetime.Whiletechnically,itispossibletocyclethebatterydownto20%without“killing”thebatteryrightaway,itisrecommendedbyprofessionalsandfull-timecamperstokeeptheaveragemaximumdischargeataround45%to50%tomaximizethelifespanofthebattery.
Anotherkeydifferenceincomparisonwithstartingbatteriesisthespeedofdischarge.Deepcyclebatteriesarealsodesignedtodischargeslowly,therebyprovidingsteadypowerforseveralhoursatatimeinsteadofdeliveringaninstantsurgeofhighvoltageforaveryshorttime.Thisfeaturemakesdeep-cyclebatteriesidealforcampingapplications.
Inaddition,thetypicalchargingefficiencyinadeepcyclebatteryis85-95%,theverybestcanevenapproach98%,whichismuchhigherthanthatofregularstartingbatteries.
Leadacidbatteriesarethemostcommontype,whichreliesonalead-acidchemicalreactiontogetthingsmoving.Leadacidbatteriesfallintothe“SLI”category.
Oncethebatteryjoltstheenginetolife,powerforthecarissuppliedbythealternator.MostvehiclescomewithagenericSLIbatteryfromthefactory.
Thiscategoryisfurtherdividedintoflooded,gel,andAbsorbedGlassmats.Tolearnmoreabouttheuniquefeaturesandprosandconsofeachtype,jumptothenextsection“TypesofLead-AcidBatteries”.
Allthreetypesworkunderthesameconcept:oneleadplateandoneleadoxideplatearesubmergedinanelectrolytesolutionofsulfuricacidthattriggersareactionbetweenthetwoplates.
Acombinationofsuchtwoplatesiscalledacell,wherethechemicalenergyisstoredinthebattery.Atypicalleadacidbatteryhassixcells.Eachcellisabletoproduceabout2-voltsofenergy.Inmostcarbatteriesyouhavesixcells,andthereforea12-voltbattery.
Thesulfuricacidwilltriggerareactionontheleaddioxideplate,causingtheplatetoproducetwothings:ionsandleadsulfate.Theionsproducedbytheleaddioxideplatereacttotheadjacentplatetoproducehydrogenandleadsulfate.
Theresultisachemicalreactionthatproduceselectrons.Theelectronsracearoundtheplatesandgenerateelectricity.Theelectricityflowsoutofthebatteryterminalstostartyourengineandpowertheelectricaldeviceslikeradio,interiorlights,andheadlights.
Whatisinterestingisthatthischemicalreactionisentirelyreversible,whichiswhyyoucanjumpstartyourbatteryandcontinuetochargeitthroughoutthedurationofitslife.Byapplyingcurrenttothebatteryatjusttherightvoltage,leadandleaddioxidewillformontheplatesandyoucanreuseyourbatteryuntilitretiresfromoldageandrequiresreplacement.
Whilechargingaleadacidbattery,thebatterygeneratesoxygenandhydrogengas,whichcanbeexplosive.Thisiswhybatteriesaretypicallymountedunderthehood,wheretheydissipateanddonotbecomecondensed.Wheninstallingabatteryinthetrunk,afirewallmustbeinstalledtoprotectthepassengers.Thebatteryboxmustalsobeventedtotheexteriorofthevehicle.
Thenewcomerstotheautomotivebatteryrealmarelithium-ionbatteriesandNiMhbatteries.Thesebatteriesarecommonlyusedinrechargeableapplicationsforcellphonesandotherportabledevices.Comparedtotheoldleadacidbatteries,thesetwoareverystableandholdachargeforalongperiodoftime,withtheabilitytoreleasethatchargequickly.
Lithium-ionbatteriesareverysimilartotheNiMhbatteriesbelow.Lithiumbatteriesarethemostefficientbatterytypeandholdastaticchargeforthelongest,whichexplainstheirwhoppingprice.Thesebatteriesarebecomingmoreprevalentinhigh-performanceapplications,especiallywhereperformancerequiresthebatteriestobeaslightaspossible.
TheonlydownsideisLithiumIonbatteriesarenotidealforuseinverycoldweather,astheycanbedamagedintemperaturesbelowfreezing.
NiMhbatterieschargefast,buttheyhaveafasterdischargeratewhenidle.Thesearethetypesofbatteriesusedinhybridvehicles.
NiMhbatteriesusehydrogen-absorbingalloyasthenegativeelectrode,andnickeloxyhydroxideasthepositiveside.
Thistypeofdeepcyclebattery,alsocalledwet-cellbattery,requirestwoimportantmaintenanceprocesses.Firstly,floodedlead-acidbatterieslosewaterduringthechargecycle.Theymustberefilledregularlywithdistilledwaterevery2-4weeksasneededtofunctionproperlyandstayhealthy.
Notethatyoushouldonlyusedistilledwatersincenon-distilledwater,liketapwater,hassmallparticlesandcontaminants,whichweakenthebatterychemistry.
Secondly,floodedleadacidbatteriesshouldbeequalizedoccasionallytomakesureeachcellisequallycharged.Youcandothisbyapplyingacontrolledoverchargeonceevery30-90days.MoreontheinstructionsforacontrolledequalizingchargeintheFrequentlyAskedQuestionsattheendofthisguide.
Anotherdistinctfeatureisthatfloodedbatteriesproducegaswhenovercharging.Thisgasmustescapetoavoiddamagetothebatteryviasometypeofventilation,whichiswhythistypeofbatteryissometimescalledaventedcellbattery.
Sealedbatteriesarealsolead-acidbatterieslikethefloodedtype,however,astheyare“sealed”,theyeliminatethehazardsassociatedwithacidspillsorleaksandtheyallowforamaintenance-freedesign.
Easiertomaintain,sealedbatteriesdonotrequirewaterrefillingandequalizingcharge.Theyrequireverylittlemaintenanceotherthantheoccasionalcheck-uponthebattery’sstateofdischargeusingamultimeteroravoltmetertoreadthevoltageofthebattery.
Gelbatteriesareabsolutelyspill-proofandalmostmaintenance-free.TheircellscontainacidthathasbeenturnedintoasolidmassbyaddingSilicaGel,soitisimpossibleforthemtospillacidevenifbroken.
However,gelbatterieshaveseveraldisadvantages.Oneisthattheymustbechargedatalowervoltagethantheotherthreetypesofdeepcyclebatteries.Ifovercharged,voidscandevelopinthegelwhichwillneverhealbythemselves,causingalossinthebattery’scapacity.Inextremelyhotclimates,waterlosscancauseprematurebatterydeathin2-4years.
Secondly,theywillbepermanentlydamagediftheyarefast-chargedusingaregularcharger.Suchfastchargingwillgenerateexcessgasthatcandamagethecellssincethesebatteriesproducegaswhenoverchargedjustlikefloodedbatteries.
AGMbatteriesarealsosealed,spill-proof,maintenance-free,andwillnotleakacidevenifbroken.Beingthemostrecentandadvancedinventionandofferedataboutthesamepricepointasthegeltypeabove,AGMbatteriesoffersignificantadvantagesoverboththetraditionalfloodedbatteriesandgelbatteries.
Inparticular,thebestAGMbatteryhasthehighestchargingefficiency,toleratesamuchdeeperdepthofdischargethanfloodedbatterieswithoutsufferingdamages,andcanverywellwithstandlowtemperatures.Theyarealsomuchmoreresistanttovibrationandimpact,whichmakesthemidealforagreaternumberofcampingapplicationstoo.
AGMbatteriesarebecomingthemostpreferredtypeofautomotivebatterythankstotheirwell-roundedperformanceandsuperiorvalueformoney.Thus,inthisbestcarbatteryreviewarticle,weonlyfocusonreviewingthebest-ratedcarbatteriesusingAGMtechnology.
Ifyouknowexactlywhatyou’relookingfor,diverightin.Otherwise,skiptothenextsectiontolearnthemostimportantbuyingcriteriaandothertipstoselectjustthebestcarbatteryforyourneeds.
OdysseyPC680Batteryisthefirstnameinourlistforbeingthemostwell-roundedproduct.Ifyouarelookingforadouble-dutybattery,Odysseywillbeaperfectchoiceforyou:itworksbothasastartingbatteryandasoliddeepcyclebatterythatcanwithstanddeepdischargeswithoutsufferinganydeteriorationorpermanentdamages.
OdysseyPC680canhandleupto400cyclesat80percentdepthofdischarge.Thisistrulywow-inducing,giventhatmostbatteriescanonlywithstandupto50percentofdischarge,orelsetheywoulddieprematurely.
Thankstothesecapabilitiesaswellasitsexcellentchargingefficiency,thisbatteryisalsopopularamongcampersandRVers.Withstrongandruggedconstruction,thisbatterycantolerateshockandvibrations.Therefore,itcanworkwellevenifyoudriveinroughterrains.Besides,thedesignofOdysseyPC680containspureleadplateswhichpreventspills.
AnotherbenefitofOdysseyPC680isthisbatteryhasthricethelifespanandtwicethepoweroftheaverageAGMbatteriessoldinthemarket.Andextremetemperatureswouldhaveminimalimpactonitsperformance,asthisbatteryisdesignedtoovercomeextremelyhotorcoldweather,enablingittolastaslongaspossible.
Withsuchsuperiorperformanceyetofferedatareasonablepricepoint,OdysseyPC680isoftenhailedasthebestcarbatteryforthemoney,in2021ormanyyearsafter.Theonlyproblemwiththisbatteryisitispronetoovercharging.
Thingsweliked:
Thingswedidn’tlike:
Accordingtoitsmanufacturer,carownerscanusetheXSPowerD6500asanadditionalbatterytosupplyextrapowerneededforanaftermarketsystemorasareplacementforthestandardbattery.Itisidealfor3000-4000Wcaraudiosoundsystems.
Indeed,XSPowerD6500hasplentyofpowertocrankeventhemostpower-hungryperformancevehicles,thankstoitsabilitytoputout1070crankingAMPSwithamaximumoutputof3900AMPs.
Comingfullysealedinaheavy-dutyreinforcedABSplasticcase,anotherbenefitisthatD6500canresistphysicalimpactandextremelyhightemperatures.The3-yearmanufacturer’swarrantyisanotherproofthatthisbatteryisverydurable.
Thingswedidn’tlike
Hailedasoneofthebestdeepcyclebatterymodels,Optima34/78RedTopisdesignedtodeliverthemostenergetic5-secondstartingburst,anditslifespanistwicelongerthanconventionallead-acidbatteries.Hence,itshouldbeeasytounderstandthatyourenginewillfireupimmediatelyafteryouturnyourcarkey.
WhatmakestheOptima34/78RedTopbatterydifferentfromitscompetitorsisitisloadedwithtightlycoiledcolumnsofpureleadinsteadofbeingloadedwithimpureleadflatsheet-likeconventionalbatteriessoldinthemarket.Thissmartdesignensuresunbeatableoutput,ultra-lowohms,andmaximumvibrationresistance.Thisproductcomeswitha36-monthwarranty.
Animportantnoteifyouoptforthisbattery:Slowdrainkillsthesebatteries.Ifyoukeepthisbatteryunhooked,exceptwhenyouuseit,it’llworkwellwithoneofthebestamplevelsandthelongestlifespanyou’lleversee.Butifyouleaveithookedinthecarforalongtime,theslowdrainwillmakeitfailfasterthanthecheapestbatteryyoucanbuy.
VMAX857isconsistentlyratedasareliabledeep-cyclebatterythatstillfunctionswellafterrepeateddeepdischarges.Thismakesthemsuitableforanumberofcampingapplications,andafavoriteoptionforrecreationalvehiclesaswellassmallboats.However,thisbatterycannotbeusedforcrankingpurposes.
TheVMAX857AGMBatteryisdefinitelyamongthebestcarbatteriesregardingvalueformoney.Inadditiontotheleak-freedesignandheavy-dutyVMAXgridsthatallowforalongerlifespan,itsdimensionsare7.7″L,5″W,and6.1″Handitweighsonly25pounds,makingitexceptionallycompactandeasilytransportable.
ACDelco94RAGmhashigh-densitynegativepastewhichhelpstoenhanceoverallbatterylifeandperformance.Additionally,ACDelco94RAGMisdesignedwithaCalcium-Leadpositivegrid,whichallowsforlowresistance,thusbetterconductivityandhigherefficiency.
Anothersuperiorfeatureistheuseofenhancedlifealloyorsilver-calciumstampedalloy,whichextendsthebattery’scyclelifeandimprovesperformance.Itisalsoapressure-testedandsealedbatterywithventcapstopreventanykindofleaksandprovidesresistancetoextremeshock.
Ifyouarelookingforasmallcarbatterywithexcellentperformance,OptimaD35YellowTopisagoodfitforyou.Thisextracompactandportablebatterymakesitidealforsmallercarsandboats.
Thisbatteryisdesignedtoprovidedeep-cyclingcapabilityandalotofpowertomeetyourvehicleneedsifyourcarhasalotofextraaccessories.Itispowerfulenoughtostartasmallormid-sizedoutboardmotorwiththeabilitytodeliver650cold-crankingAMPs.Thisbatteryhasa98-minutereservecapacity.
Restassuredthatthisbatterycanwithstandalotofabuseontheroadandwillstaywithyouforalongtime.Afeaturethatsetsitapartfromcompetitorsisitsdurableandthickplasticexteriorforexcellentvibrationresistance.Thissmallyettoughbatteryoffers15timestheaveragelevelofvibrationresistancecomparedtoothermodelsonthemarket.
ThisOptimaD35YellowTopisalsohailedasoneofthemostenvironmentallyfriendlyandsafeforusers.Itisalsoagoodproductforseasonaluseasithasaverylowself-dischargerate,allowingyoutostoreyourcarallwintertimewithoutanytrouble.Theonlydownsideisitshighriskofovercharging.
DieHard38217isidealfortheF150range.Ithasalifespanofuptotwicethatofanaveragelead-acidbatteryandisoftenratedasoneofthebestdeepcyclebatteriesforawidenumberofapplications.
DieHard38217isrecommendedforvehicleswithheavyloadingcapacityandacomplexmechanismbecauseofitsabilitytodeliverandmaintainsufficientcharge.
AfeaturethatmakesDieHardspecialevenamongtheheavy-dutybatteries,isitsexceptional850CCAratings,whichallowsittofunctionwelleveninextremeweatherconditions.Anotherhighlightisitsadvanceddesignwithelectrolytesuspensionandsafeguardsinternalcomponents.
Cold-crankingamps(CCA)isameasureofhowwellthebatterystartsanengineduringextremecoldweatherandisacrucialcarbatteryratings.Eachvehiclemodelrequiresacertainamountofamperagetostart,especiallyincoldweather.Ifyourbatterydoesn’thavesufficientamperagetoturnover,itwon’tstart.
TochecktheCCAratingofaparticularbattery,lookforalabelonthetoporthesideofthebatterycaseandlookforanumberfollowedby“CCA.”Otherwise,checkyourowner’smanualspecificationsforaminimumCCArating.Ifthebatteryinyourcarisn’tthecar’soriginal,you’llneedtolookuptheaccuratebatteryCCAratingforyourparticularvehicle.
Ifyouliveinacoldclimatewheretemperaturescangowellbelowfreezingpoint,youmaywanttolookforabatterywithahigherCCAratingtopreventno-startissuesincoldmornings.
Reservecapacityindicateshowlongabatterycanrunavehicleifthechargingsystem,whichconsistsofthealternator,stator,androtor,fails.Ingeneral,30minutesofpowerisconsideredaverage,while2hoursandaboveareconsideredsuperiorreservecapacity.
Awaytotestactualreservecapacityistomeasuretheamountoftimeittakesafullychargedbatterytobedischargeddownto10.5volts,whichisthetypicalfullydischargedstate.Atthatlevel,thecarwillbeunabletostartwithoutajump-start.Anotherwayistomeasurehowlongyoucanaccidentallyleavetheheadlightsonandstillgetthecarstartedwithoutneedingajump-start.
Longlifeisespeciallyimportantifyoumakemanyshorttripsthatdon’tallowmuchtimeforrecharging.Thatsaid,ifyouplanonkeepingyourvehicleforupto10years,ahigher-gradebatterythatisdesignedtolastlongerwouldbeawiserinvestment.Otherwise,alower-gradebatterythatwillgetyoubyinthemeantimemightbeabetteroptionifyou’reonabudget.
Weallknowthateveryvehiclerequiresaspecifictypeofbattery.Eachvehicleneedsadifferentamountofpowerandadifferentlysizedbattery.
Forinstance,manycarscomewithAGMstosupportanincreasingarrayofelectricalcomponents,andthechargingsystemmaybeconfiguredspecificallyforanAGMbattery.Thus,youneedtocheckyourvehicle’smaintenanceguidetoknowwhatkindofbatteryissuitableforyourcar.
Batteriescomeinavarietyofsizesandit’simportanttochoosetherightsize.Iftheterminalsareinthewrongplace,yourcar’scablesmightnotreachortheymightnotfitsecurely.
Todeterminetherightfitforyourvehicle,checkyourowner’smanualoranin-storefitguide.Belowisabatterysizegroupsforyourpreference.
Thankstoadvancedtechnology,mostcarbatteriesnowadaysaremaintenance-freeanddon’tneedanyspecialattention.However,donotethatthefloodedtypeoflead-acidbatteriesrequiremoremaintenance.Theylosewaterduringthechargecycle,thustheyarerequiredtobefilledwithdistilledwateronlyevery2-4weeksasneededtofunctionproperlyandstayhealthy.
Furthermore,floodedleadacidbatteriesshouldbeequalizedoccasionallytomakesureeachcellisequallycharged.Youcandothisbyapplyingacontrolledoverchargeonceevery30-90days.
Therefore,ifyouarenotahandymanorwouldwanttosavetime,youshouldbuyamaintenance-freebatterywheneverpossible,whichiseitherageltypeorafuss-freeAGM.
Wonderhowtotestacarbattery,checkthisvideo!
Readmore:
Batterieslosetheirstrengthevenwhenwestorethemcarefully.Therefore,youshouldalwaysbuyanewonethatwasmanufacturedwithinthelast6monthstomakesurewhatyoubuyisthebestcarbatteryatthattime.
Tip:Toknowhowoldyourbatteryis,youcancheckthefour-orfive-digitdatecodeonthecoverofyourbatterycase.Thefirstpartofthecodeiskeyandconsistsofaletterandadigit,forinstance,D11.Aletterisassignedtoeachmonth:AforJanuary,BforFebruary,andsoon.
Thenumberthatfollowsdenotestheyear:forinstance,8for2008,9for2009,0for2010,11for2011,12for2012,andsoon.So“D11”meansinApril2011,thebatterywasshippedfromthefactorytolocalbatterywholesaledistributors.
Buyingabatterythathasalotofreviewsisasmartchoiceasthisbatteryistestedbyautoenthusiastsandconsumercommunities.Allyouhavetodoisreadreviewsorcheckconsumerreportsoncommercialsitessellingthebatterytogetinformationaboutthebatteryorothertypesofbatteriessoldthere.
Asafebetistograbonefromamajormanufacturerwithpositivereviews.Youcanfindinthenextsectionalistofthemostprestigiouscarbatterybrandswithproventrackrecords.
NeedanewcarbatteryWatchthevideobelowtoknowhowtochoosetherighttype:
Ifyouarewell-informedandknowwhatsuitsyourvehiclebest,feelfreetograbalesser-knownbattery,especiallyifyouhavehadapositiveexperiencewithaparticularmodelbefore.Otherwise,goingforreputedbrandsisyoursafestbet.
Prestigiousmanufacturersoftenofferbettercustomerservice,plusifyouareoptingforapopularmodelfromabigbrand,youwillbeabletogathermorereviewsandinstructionalvideosfromfellowdrivers.Belowarethebiggestnamesinthemarketwithmanyofthebestcarbatterymodels:
DieHardbatteriesfromSearsareconsideredoneofthebestcarbatterymanufacturersthesedays.Initially,thecorepurposeofmanufacturingthisbatterywastomakeitlastlongerthanthecar,andhasaccomplishedittosomeextent,though.Thisfar-fetchedbatteryproductcanimproveyourcar’sperformanceasitcomeswithmedium,heavy,andpremiumdutylines.
Well-roundedperformance,plusthecapacitytostartwelleveninextremelycoldweather,it’ssuchastealthatthesebatteriescostlessthan$100.Searsalsooffers3-yearwarranties,whichisquitedesirable.
Odysseyisagreatbatterybrandthatyouhavetotakeintoyourconsideration.Thiscompanyhasbeencreatingawiderangeofbatteriesthatarebothdurableandreliablebyusingthelatestinnovationsandtechnologies,leadingthemtothetopofthebatterymarket.
Theirproductsaresuperiorandhavealongerlifespancomparedtoothercompetitors.Odysseybatteriesaresuitableformostapplicationsfromindustrial,commercial,automatic,andmilitaryuses.
NAPAofferseighty-fourseriesofcarbatteriesforeverykindofvehicleandeverykindofweathertoo.Thebrandalsomakesbatteriesofmanysizes.SeveralbatteriesfromNAPAareconsistentlyincludedinbestcarbatterylistsfromreputedorganizationsliketheConsumerReport.
Thisbrandmakestoughdeep-cyclebatteriesthatcanfunctionwellinthehottestandcoldestweather.Themarketpriceofthesebatteriescostsfrom$100to$200.Forsuchaprice,themanufacturer’stwenty-four-monthwarrantyisparticularlydecent.
YoucanonlybuythisbatterybrandatCostcointheUS.ThisbrandoffersproductswithhighrecitalandAMPrankingathalfthepriceofcomparablemodelsfromcompetitors.
Kirkland’sbatteriesareknowntobeefficientandbuilttolast,withexcellentweatherresistance.Infact,youcangetafullrefundifthebatteryfallsshort,regardlessofthecause.
KnownforitssuperiorAGMbatteries,Optimaoffersthreeproducttypes:redtopforautomobiles,bluetopforRV’sandmarines,andyellowtopfordeepcyclebatteries.Withfastchargingtimeandunbeatablepower,thebestcarbatteriesfromthisbrandcostaround$125to$150.
ACDelco’sbatterieswillfreeyouofheadaches,thankstotheirvigorousqualitytest.Thecorrosion-freeterminalandthemassivereservoirmakethebatteriesfromthisbrandlastlonganddeliverreliableserviceformanyyearsdowntheroad.Despiteallthesequalities,ACDelcobatteriesarehighlyaffordable,makingthempopularwithbudgetbuyerswhodonotwanttosacrificeperformancenonetheless.
DuralastisabrandownedbythesamemanufacturerthatmakesDieHardandSears.ThisbrandisuptoparwithDieHardinmanyaspects,despiteitsextremelyagreeableaveragepricetag.
Carbatterieslast,onaverage,threetofiveyears.Onceyourbatteryisoverthreeyearsold,itistimeforclosemonitoring.
Toknowhowoldyourbatteryis,youcancheckthefour-orfive-digitdatecodeonthecoverofyourbatterycase.Thefirstpartofthecodeisthekeyandconsistsofaletterandadigit,forinstance,D11.Aletterisassignedtoeachmonth:AforJanuary,BforFebruary,andsoon.
Makingsureyourcarbatteryischargedproperlyiscriticaltomaximizingitslifeandbettergivingyouanenjoyableandhassle-freedrivingexperiencewithyourvehicle.Themostcommonsignsthatyourcarbatteryneedschargingormustbereplaced:
Itisasimpletooltotestthestateofyourcarbatteryathomeandinnotime,savingyoutimeandmoneywiththemechanics.Youcanfindamultimeterforaslowas$8onAmazon.
Forastep-by-stepguideonhowtosafelytestyourcarbatteriesathome,refertothecomprehensiveguidesbelow.
Batteriesarepronetotheproblemcallednaturaldischargeorself-discharge,inwhichinternalchemicalreactionsreducethestoredchargeofthebatterywithoutanyconnectionbetweentheelectrodesoranyexternalcircuit.Therefore,ifyourvehicleisgoingtobeidleforanextendedperiodoftime,forexample,youneedtoputyourrecreationalvehicleintostorageinthewinter,considerhavingafloatchargertokeepitfullycharged.
Alsoknownastricklechargers,storagechargers,ormaintenancechargers,thesefloatchargerspreventexcessiveself-dischargewhenyourbatteryisn’tusedforalongtime.Topreventthis,thechargerateofafloatchargeisequaltothebattery’snaturalself-dischargerate.
Mosttricklechargershavebuilt-incircuitrytopreventoverchargingsoyoucanleavethechargeron24/7withoutworryingaboutoverchargingthebattery,althoughsomemodelsdonotandcandamageabatterybyoverchargingit.Eventhoughafloatchargerautomaticallymonitorsandchargesthebattery,itisalwaysrecommendedthatyouperiodicallytakealooktomakesurethateverythingisstillingoodworkingorder.
Portablebatteryjumpstartersallowforconvenientjumpstartswithouthavingtoconnecttwocars.Theyarebecomingincreasinglycompacttoo,soyoucanstoretheminyourvehicleatalltimesasanemergencytool.
Leadacidbatteries
Leadacidbatteriesmustbechargedconstantlytomaintainthatcharge.Leavingaleadacidbatteryontheshelffor6monthswilldegradethebattery,especiallyinextremelycoldweather.
Coldweather
Extremecoldweatherisano-noforleadacidbatteriesandLithiumIonbatteries.Inseverecoldweather,abatterycanfreeze,whichwillshortouttheplatesandthebatterywillnolongercharge.Whenabatteryfreezes,thesidesoftheboxwillbulge.
Corrosion
Corrosionisaproblemwithallbatteries.AlittleVaselineontheterminalsgoesalongwaytoprotectagainstcorrosion.Anothersolutionisaliquidelectricaltape,whichcreatesanairtightseal,butithastobecutoffbeforeremovingthebatterycable.
CablesandTerminals
Thebatterycanonlydoitsjobwhentheconnectionsareintact.Corrodedcablesandterminalsorloose-fittingterminalscanlimitthealternator’sabilitytochargethebatteryandprovidepowertothecar.
Allterminalsmustfittightlysothatyoucannotwigglethembyhand.Youhavetobecarefulwithside-postterminals,asyoucanstripthethreadsandactuallybreakintothecase,causingelectrolytestoleakout.