Odyssey Automotive And Ltv Battery
Lots of cranking power, particularly cold cranking amps , are what makes this battery by Odyssey stand out. Buyers such as this one on Amazon appreciate the explosive starting power this battery delivers:
My truck also sits a lot, and these batteries handle that well as they are both a sprinter and a long distance runner . Most batteries are one or the other. These are expensive, but you get what you pay for. Super high quality. Mega cranking. Just check the weight on these bad boys SIXTY POUNDS of pure lead.
Final Thoughts On The Best Car Batteries
Getting the right car battery can make the difference when youre dealing with some of the extremes the country can throw at you. As you start researching and shopping for a battery, take into consideration where youll be spending most of your time, how much you value a free replacement warranty, and how much you can spend. If you decide to buy one of the car batteries on this list make sure youre paying for the features you need, and not wasting money on things you dont.
What Causes Car Batteries To Go Bad
One of the primary battery killers is beyond any individual’s immediate control, and it was the same 20 or 30 years ago. That would be climate, or at least ambient temperatures. No battery, whether it’s AAA alkaline, mobile-phone lithium or 12-volt automotive, likes extremes in temperature. They don’t like subfreezing temperatures, and they like 100 F even less. Automotive batteries, whatever the type, are going to generally last longer in Portland, Oregon, than in Alaska or Phoenix.
The biggest controllable threat to your battery’s life is excessive discharge. If the battery charge level drops to the point where you need a jump to start your car, you’ve already done damage. Allow that to happen multiple times and your battery won’t be long for this world. Put another way, the shallower the average discharge, the longer a 12-volt battery will last. Automotive batteries of all types last longest if they consistently stay near a full charge. That’s one reason it’s hard to over-battery your car. The larger the reserve capacity, the smaller a given discharge is, relative to the total available energy.
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Why Wont My Car Start If Its Not The Battery
If your vehicle wont start with a fully-charged and healthy battery, the usual suspects are problems with your starter, your alternator, your ignition switch, your spark plugs or your fuses. Its also worthwhile to clean your battery terminals and connectors if theyre dirty or corroded and see if your car will start. But the only way to be sure your battery is healthy is to test it with a voltmeter. When you have your vehicle towed to Midas, its the first thing well check.
Related link: Learn about Starter and Alternator service.
Q: What Is A Cold Cranking Amps Rating
Battery manufacturers have used the Cold Cranking Amps rating to do a lot of bragging, but for most of the country, its not something we should give so much weight to. You see, Cranking Amps is the output of the battery at 32 Fwhen water freezes into ice. Cold Cranking Amps is the measurement for how much the battery can put out at 0 F. There certainly are parts of the country that see 0 and belowIve lived therebut if your winter only dips into the 20s then you probably dont need to spend the extra money to get a few hundred more CCAs.
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Best Hot Weather: Odyssey Extreme
Odyssey Extreme
Why it made the cut: When the weather pushes the mercury way up, then the Odyssey Extreme is ready to take the heat and keep on cranking.
Specs
Cons
- Not small, not cheap
Odysseys Extreme line of batteries is designed to withstand not only extremely hot conditions but extreme cold as well. This battery also nearly cinched the best cold weather pick but got edged out on the bottom end by the Optima. The Odyssey, however, blows the Red Top out of the water for tolerance of hot temperatures: its rated from -40 F all the way up to a sweltering 176 F. That should be plenty of capacity even for hot days and hot engine bays. This battery is big, heavy, and puts out a ton of power too. The 950 CCA rating is impressive on its own, but the battery can also put out 1,750 amps for five seconds when hot. That, and its design, allows it to be deep cycled up to 400 times.
Though, all that capability does come at a price. The F-150-sized Odyssey Extreme rang in for nearly $400, putting it into uncomfortable territory if youre used to spending around $100 on a battery from Walmart . If your use case puts you in some of the most extreme hot temperatures around, then a battery rated for it is a must.
What Are Cold Cranking Amps
The battery’s Cold Cranking Amps is an essential measure for good cranking ability in cars, trucks and boats. CCA is the amount of current or amps a battery can provide at 0 °F for a 30-second duration until the battery voltage drops to unusable levels. For example, a 12-volt battery with a 650 CCA rating means the battery will provide 650 amps for 30 seconds at 0 °F before the voltage falls to 7.20 volts for a 12v battery. So in freezing temperatures, a higher CCA level is required to crank your engine. Also, as more cranking power is used, the amount of battery power available decreases.
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The Top 6 Places To Buy A Car Battery
To see where I could get the best overall deal, I compared the prices, warranties and installation fees for similar lead-acid 24/24F car batteries. This size battery fits several Acura, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Nissan and Toyota models including the car I drive.
Heres what I found in June 2022.
| 2 years | Free |
As you can see, youll have access to low prices, reliable warranties and free installation at stores you can visit in person.
Overall, I found the lowest overall price at Costco. However, Costco doesnt offer installation, which means Id either have to install it myself or pay to have it installed somewhere else. But Walmart will install a car battery, no matter where you buy it for only $10.
Walmart offered the second-lowest price including free installation and a great warranty. Plus, you can use your Walmart rewards card to get 5% cash back by ordering the car battery online.
Sams Club offered the next-best deal, followed by NAPA, AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts.
You can also find a wide variety of car batteries at for reasonable prices, but you wont get the best deal. The warranties vary by battery, and in many cases, they arent valid because youre buying through Amazon instead of a dealer certified by the manufacturer. And of course, installation is not included.
For the best overall deal, be sure to check out these top six places to buy a car battery.
How Do I Know If I Need A New Car Battery
There are a few different signs your car and your battery will give you if its beginning to lose its power. Heres a list of what to look out for:
- An engine that starts slowly
- Electrical issues or dim lights
- Your check engine light is on
- You smell something weird
- The connectors are corroded
- The battery case is deformed
- Your battery is past its prime
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How Can I Tell If A Battery Is Good Or Bad
First, youll need a multimeter. Then, follow these steps:
How Do I Stay Safe When Working With A Battery
Use extreme caution when handling electrolyte, a sulfuric acid/water solution that can damage clothing and skin. Keep an acid-neutralizing solution available, such as baking soda. Lead-acid batteries contain hydrogen-oxygen gases that can be explosive and sulfuric acid that can cause severe burns. To help avoid the risk of danger and injury, observe these precautions when handling or working with a lead-acid battery:
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The Best Place To Buy A Car Battery
Finding yourself in need of a new car battery can be frustrating, so knowing ahead of time where to shop for the best price can be a big help.
In this article, Ill take a close look at a few of the best places to buy car batteries. Youll find prices and information for Advance Auto Parts, Costco and NAPA among others. I visited each of the stores websites to see current prices on car batteries, the length of warranties and whether installation is included in the purchase price.
Optima Batteries Redtop Starting Battery
Lots of cranking power and great packaging are what buyers of this Optima battery appreciate most. It even comes with a special plastic holder to change the height for different vehicles. Buyers like this one on Amazon really appreciate the noticeable power upgrade this battery gives their starter motor:
This battery far exceeds the standard factory battery, and I noticed it the second I started the car. The starter sounded like it was turbocharged in comparison. Now I just have to wait and see how well it performs over the next few years. I am pretty confident that it will be fine though. Even the way it was packaged told me a lot about the company. I would definitely recommend buying this!!
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How Do You Know When You Need A New Car Battery
Clearly there are a lot of old car batteries out there, but the important question here is: How do you know when you need a new one, short of waking up one morning to learn that you can’t get to where you need to go? The answer isn’t as obvious as it once was.
Corrosion around the battery posts is a sign of leaking acid.
There may be signs a car battery is on its last leg. Excessive corrosion around the post and battery cable connectors probably means it’s leaking acid. Some cars will flash the “check engine light” if the battery is weak, though in most cases you won’t know what that light exactly means without access to an OBD II scanner. An obvious crack, bulge or warpage in the battery case is a pretty good sign you should be looking for a new one.
Yet the conditions noted above are relatively uncommon, and their absence doesn’t necessarily mean a battery is healthy. Ten or 20 years ago, a battery’s decline would progressively show itself in one obvious way: increasingly slow and labored cranking or engine starting, particularly during a chill. A few recently manufactured batteries can still behave that way, but most modern batteries will continue cranking normally — until they won’t crank anymore.
Cold Cranking Amps is the amount of near instant amperes a battery can deliver at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Best Car Battery Brands
Nea Pantry
Nea Pantry is a freelance writer living in downtown Toronto. She writes full-time for Honest Brand Reviews, alongside a variety of copy writing projects for local and international businesses. When not writing, you can find her in the kitchen whipping up a batch of vegan muffins.
A former student-journalist and graduate student, Justin has a long history in writing, editing, and publishing. While he loves reading and writing, Justin is also passionate about sports, music, and fitness.
Edited on
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Best Car Battery For 2022
Old school? Maybe, but no automobile is going anywhere without a good 12-volt battery.
Every battery needs a 12-volt car battery, even that newfangled electric car you’re driving around. 12-volt car batteries continue to be the biggest part of the $100-billion auto battery market, and for good reason. They power lights, ventilation fans, radios and so much more. It doesn’t matter if you have a car from the ’90s or a brand new Tesla, you should have a 12-volt battery on hand.
Whether your car is powered by electricity or gasoline, there’s no single component more vital to its consistent reliability than the battery. If you’ve noticed that car batteries don’t seem to last as long as they once did, your observation may not be far off the mark. The increasing number of electrically powered systems in the typical automobile — from heated and cooled seats to start/stop auto shutoff systems — puts an increasing strain on the battery, particularly in extreme climates.
There are more 12-volt battery technologies than ever before: traditional batteries with flooded lead acid, gel, absorbed glass mat, lithium ion batteries and more. Shopping for a car battery can be complicated, but you’ll regret it if you put it off until the day your car won’t start.
Browse the full list before you click through, then read on for a crash course in 12-volt battery technology, signs that it’s time to replace your current battery and tips toward making the new one last as long as possible.
What Types Of Car Batteries Are There
The great majority of car batteries are still lead-acid: lead plates of various designs saturated in sulfuric acid, which creates lead oxide and flowing electrons. The specifics of the technology have changed, but the chemistry remains the same.
Most new vehicles still use “flooded” lead-acid batteries.
The basic standard in 12-volt car batteries remains conventional “flooded” lead-acid. In these batteries, the lead plates are submerged in a bath of sulfuric acid. The majority of new cars and trucks still come with flooded lead-acid batteries, and most drivers will do just fine replacing them. A few still have removable caps that allow the electrolyte to be replenished by adding distilled water, but the great majority of current flooded lead-acid batteries are sealed. Nonetheless, there’s still a pool of sulfuric acid sloshing around inside. If the battery case happens to develop a small crack, the acid can drip out. If it’s tipped sideways, the electrolyte can spill out the vents.
AGM batteries on the production line at the Clarios battery factory.
Just remember there’s no free lunch. You could buy about four flooded lead-acid or two premium AGM batteries for the price of a current lithium car battery. There’s also no developed infrastructure for recycling 12-volt lithium batteries as of now. In the meantime, there’s a strong likelihood that old ones will end up as trash.
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Some Precautions That Should Be Taken When Removing And Transporting Batteries
Old batteries can be covered with fine layers of corrosive battery acid that are not immediately visible to the naked eye. Battery acid is extremely corrosive and will burn holes in clothing very quickly. So wash off and dry your old battery thoroughly. Then, transport it in a stout cardboard box to the battery sales outlet. Batteries should always be transported in an upright position. Even so-called sealed batteries can leak acid through the vent holes.
Batteries For 4x4s Bakkies And Light Delivery Vehicles
Supa Quicks range of batteries extends to those required for 4x4s, bakkies, light delivery vehicles and even tractors. Regardless of the nature of your requirements, we have the right car battery for your needs. As industry leaders in auto fitment, we know exactly what type of battery your make and model of vehicle requires, even if its the local farm workhorse!
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Types Of Car Batteries
Flooded Lead Acid Battery
The flooded lead acid battery is one of the oldest battery types and was the most common type around. But, as accessories now place a larger electrical load on vehicles upon ignition, these models arent as practical. These batteries are usually made up of six cells and have a liquid electrolyte solution of sulfuric acid and water. Some models require you to periodically top their solution up with water. Since this solution can spill, wet cell batteries need to stay vertical.
If you discharge these models below 50 percent it greatly reduces the batterys life. So, while theyre suitable for starting vehicles and powering standard accessories, theyre not a good option for anyone using heavy-duty electronics.
Absorbent Glass Mat Battery
Absorbent Glass Mat batteries are a type of valve-regulated lead-acid battery that are better than wet cell batteries in most measurable ways, but they also cost more. They are better able to support the higher electrical loads todays vehicles place on batteries. These models work like wet cell batteries, but a fiberglass separator keeps the electrolyte solution in place by absorbing it. AGM batteries are sealed, so you dont need to install them vertically. When compared to wet cell batteries, AGM models can charge up to five times faster and last two to three times longer.
Deep Cycle
The Brand Of The Battery
Battery manufacturing can vary significantly from brand to brand. Some manufacturers use premium materials to ensure greater performance and long-lasting use. Car batteries from high-end brands may cost more up front, however, in the long run, they could be a more cost-effective option since they may offer longer use than some cheaper brands. On the other hand, there are plenty of trusted car battery brands that offer more affordable solutions.
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