Best Replacement Battery Type

[xtitan1]

So do we have an up-to-date crowd-sourced opinion on "Best Replacement Battery"? or is this one of those loaded questions...

 

[CaptainXL]

So do we have an up-to-date crowd-sourced opinion on "Best Replacement Battery"? or is this one of those loaded questions...

Loaded. That's like saying what is the best car? Someone could say a Rolls Royce Phantom 2. But who has that much money? You need to ask... "What is the best battery for under $$$". Something like that to limit the choices.

Under $200 you can pretty much take your pick. All top rated lead acid car batteries are going to give a useful life. people seem to opt for either the cheapest one with the best warranty (often times a battery from Walmart, Costco, Sam's or BJ's). Other times people opt for an Duracell, Interstate, Sears Diehard...etc. This doesn't include AGM's which can be over $200. For lead acid batteries I prefer the Kirkland Signature ($70 with core returned). For AGM's the Duracell at Sam's ($125). You can also get scratch and dent (blems) from an Interstate Dealer.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Still love my Duracell AGM.

 

[02TrailBlazer]

I've had this one for the last few months, still going strong!
View attachment 29618

And the Duralast, Diehard, and Duracell AGM's probably all have identical components.

 

[xtitan1]

Have you ever noticed yourself wanting to upgrade something just because it's more expensive, looks cool, and is supposed to be "better" but "better" cannot in any way be defined? It's driving me nuts lol but so far I have been able to restrain myself from buying anything like that lol

 

[The_Roadie]

Offroaders often get AGM for the vibration resistance when we bang about on rocks. Kyle has the Duracell. James Downing and I have the Diehard Platinum P4. I had a co-worker who almost burned up his old Suburban on a washboard road to Death Valley when it broke internally and shorted out and burst the case. Old-school flat plate unit. He was a convert to AGM and I changed my OEM battery to an Optima Red right after that. Then Optimas acquired a reputation for low reliability after a factory move to Mexico and many offroaders shunned them even after they (seem to have) fixed their issues.

 

[DenaliHD66]

My original AC Delco battery lasted 8 years before it finally stopped holding enough charge to start my motor. Replaced with the exact same one and been going 2-3 years strong.

 

[KNBlazer]

I know it's an old thread, but batteries are important...

My Die Hard Gold lasted 4 years 11 months, crapped out this morning after listening to a cd for 10 minutes... Sears gave me a $50 Pro Rate, and a new battery for 83ish after Sacramento's cut ... had the pro rate been less, I would probably have gone with a Kirkland (COSTCO), I think they're like $70 dollars for the same type of warranty...

just thought I share that as of last night my local costco sells the battery for our trucks for $84.99....

 

[C-ya]

This thread reminds me I should check the electrolyte levels in my batteries after all this heat we've been having recently. (Duralast Gold in the TB, and a missing label something or other in the Camaro).

Still wish I knew how the battery is in the TB.

Sparky, I loves me some Duralast Golds! I bought my first one in '98 after my 366 day old truck lost the positive post from it's AC Delco battery. That's when I found out that they only have a 1 year warranty. That Gold battery lived in FL, ME and MI and powered 2 vehicles and 3 different motors. (Isuzu Hombre with a 2.2L 4 cylinder and later with a 357 cubic inch SBC and a Chevy Beretta with a 3.8L). It drove the Beretta out of my yard in '06 when I sold it for my sis-in-law and the battery that was in the car was dead. Put that battery in it and off it went. Since then, I have replaced the AC Delco in my '98 C1500, the wife's '04 Impala and my TB with Duralast Golds. Recommended a Duralast Gold to a co-worker with an '09 TB and he's happy so far.

 

[02TrailBlazer]

I loves me some Duralast Golds!

You know what's better than Gold??? Platinum!

 

[filthyfingers]

Be careful with the Delco's - very common that after a few years, they start leaking out of the battery posts.

Let me google that for you

Anything underneath (cooler lines, wires, etc) will corrode. Happened to my first Delco in my Envoy and also the OEM Delco battery in our Saturn L300.

Maybe it was the 2002 jinx. My first Delco battery did exactly that. Battery acid leaked from the side post, ran into the pan, out the pan drain hole and dripped onto the PCM cable
bundle I tried to get the dealer to pro rate me a replacement battery. NO WAY. I got the "Tires, battery, wiper blade story". So I bought one at Sams Club and the counter guy noticed the defect and said, "oh another one, yeah we see that alot."

Anyway I'm on my way to Sam's today for my third replacement battery since '02. If the 'voy sits for more than 2 or 3 days - its dead. The most recent replacement was a CarQuest Advanced Generation 100-84. 36 months free replacement. Bought it 39 months ago The pro rated return will get my price down to $85. Same price as Sam's. Specs are about the same.

Face it our platform eats batteries.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Face it our platform eats batteries.

Seriously... How do get this?

You are just getting your 4th battery on a 12 year old vehicle. 3-4 years is typical battery life. Hence why the they warranty them about that long.

I have an 2006 on its 2nd battery.

I never see posts on people consistently having short battery lifespans. Not here or the dead TB forum or the offroad tb forum. There is the occasional bad battery post, but nothing that says this platform kills batteries prematurely.

 

[xtitan1]

Also have a 2006 and on my second battery (got it about a year ago)

 

[The_Roadie]

If the 'voy sits for more than 2 or 3 days - its dead.

Have you troubleshot your parasitic current draw problem like a bad OnStar module or LGM that won't go to sleep or a blower speed control module that's leaky? Or are you sure it's the battery because you put in a spare or swapped to another vehicle and the problem follows the battery?

 

[filthyfingers]

Have you troubleshot your parasitic current draw problem like a bad OnStar module or LGM that won't go to sleep or a blower speed control module that's leaky? Or are you sure it's the battery because you put in a spare or swapped to another vehicle and the problem follows the battery?

Checking the new battery tomorrow. I kept the old battery for that purpose. I'll get my core charge later. OnStar has been disconnected for some time. GPS, Sat Radio, plug in phone (device) chargers have been disconnected. I'll check the LGM too. Could be time for the witch hunt Not sure where to start. Have meter, will travel.

 

[BoldAdventure]

So the title of this thread is the BEST REPLACEMENT BATTERY; what we end up with is a bunch of folks chiming in about their 3rd and 4th Walmart battery.

Let's look at some of the replies that have been ignored:

Overland Journal tested batteries for offroad use, and I got what they said was a good one. It's a favorite on ORTB as well. Diehard Sears Platinum P4.

That's what I've got, got a winch hooked up to it, and it's been great (though I've only had it for about a year)...

Mike

Since Optima moved production to Mexico many years ago, they have had a HORRIBLE failure rate and reputation in the offroad community. Sorry to report.

Optima, K&N, Mobil 1: these companies are all riding their brand name recognition to maximum profits. People purchase their products BECAUSE.

Offroaders often get AGM for the vibration resistance when we bang about on rocks. Kyle has the Duracell. James Downing and I have the Diehard Platinum P4. I had a co-worker who almost burned up his old Suburban on a washboard road to Death Valley when it broke internally and shorted out and burst the case. Old-school flat plate unit. He was a convert to AGM and I changed my OEM battery to an Optima Red right after that. Then Optimas acquired a reputation for low reliability after a factory move to Mexico and many offroaders shunned them even after they (seem to have) fixed their issues.

Still love my Duracell AGM.

Have you ever noticed yourself wanting to upgrade something just because it's more expensive, looks cool, and is supposed to be "better" but "better" cannot in any way be defined? It's driving me nuts lol but so far I have been able to restrain myself from buying anything like that lol

That's stupid. But the opposite of that logic is all the people that think their shit Walmart battery is just as good. BECAUSE it's all the SAME (in their minds, not in reality).


View attachment 32301

On the left I have my new Sears Diehard Platinum P4 battery on the right I have my old crap battery. I can't count all the times I had to jump my car.

 

[The_Roadie]

But, but, but..... Those diehards are expensive! Aren't the "best" batteries cheap?!?

See my avatar for the answer to that question.

 

[Envoy_04]

Just to add a bit here: I was always a fan of Interstate, have one on my old S10 and it's still going strong after 5 years and I think 3 times in that 5 years of being too drained to start the truck. Every time I've just used the boost box and started the truck and drove it. It turns the 4.3 over with gusto every time, and I've never been able to kill it and it's still never showed any signs of getting weak. I forget the CCA rating on it, but it's by far the best battery outside some of the factory GM batteries that I've ever had the privilege of having under my hood.

I hear now, however, that the quality of Interstate batteries has gone downhill somewhat, so I truly don't know what I'd do if I was in need of a battery. One brand that I will absolutely and always shun due to bad experience, however, is NeverStart (Yea, I dislike them that badly). Had multiple bad experiences with them, and quite frankly they just suck.

 

[Sparky]

If Johnson Controls makes a decent battery, and Walmart's batteries are made by Johnson Controls, then...

Although, Johnson controls owns Optima and we all know what happened there.

My unknown age Duralast Gold is still starting my truck just fine in these subzero temps, so odds are I'll get another when it dies.

 

[kickass audio]

I am pretty sure they are in house but I run XS power batteries in my truck and will never go to any other brand. I abused my S3400 (battery under the hood that is a group 34 just like our stock one) and ran my old car for 45 mins on the thruway with just batt power and it was still putting out a nice 12.8v of power even with the fans and everything running full blast. They are pretty costly but last a long time. I have had mine for going on 4 years now and they still have a ton of life in them and rest at 12.79v if sitting for 2 days in temperatures in the single digits. XS Power 12V 3400 Group 34 AGM Battery - 12 Volt AGM Batteries - AGM Batteries - Electrical

 

[Bartonmd]

I am pretty sure they are in house but I run XS power batteries in my truck and will never go to any other brand. I abused my S3400 (battery under the hood that is a group 34 just like our stock one) and ran my old car for 45 mins on the thruway with just batt power and it was still putting out a nice 12.8v of power even with the fans and everything running full blast. They are pretty costly but last a long time. I have had mine for going on 4 years now and they still have a ton of life in them and rest at 12.79v if sitting for 2 days in temperatures in the single digits. XS Power 12V 3400 Group 34 AGM Battery - 12 Volt AGM Batteries - AGM Batteries - Electrical

XS are supposedly really good AGM batteries that he big-audio crew even have a hard time killing.

Mike

 

[RedEnvoyDenali]

Seriously... How do get this?

You are just getting your 4th battery on a 12 year old vehicle. 3-4 years is typical battery life. Hence why the they warranty them about that long.

I have an 2006 on its 2nd battery.

I never see posts on people consistently having short battery lifespans. Not here or the dead TB forum or the offroad tb forum. There is the occasional bad battery post, but nothing that says this platform kills batteries prematurely.

Fully agree with Hardtrailz post. My 06 is just on its 3rd battery. The most interesting part of a battery change is losing the vent control motors due to their needing to re-index. Once the first one went (1st disconnect) all has been good and I am learning not fear the battery change.

 

[CaptainXL]

Have you troubleshot your parasitic current draw problem like a bad OnStar module or LGM that won't go to sleep or a blower speed control module that's leaky? Or are you sure it's the battery because you put in a spare or swapped to another vehicle and the problem follows the battery?

Agreed. A parasitic draw problem will kill a regular lead acid battery in no time. Too many deep cycles and it will kick the bucket in short order. Thus what appears to be the truck "eating" batteries is really just some accessory or other causing the problem. The solution is to methodically remove fuses until the draw is found.

In my case I have a small draw from my remote start that killed my last AC Delco every 3-4 days in the winter. I upgraded to the Duracell AGM and been good thus far. If you have a parasitic draw that is not too bad then getting an AGM would be the next best thing other than finding the parasitic draw.

 

[filthyfingers]

Agreed. A parasitic draw problem will kill a regular lead acid battery in no time. Too many deep cycles and it will kick the bucket in short order. Thus what appears to be the truck "eating" batteries is really just some accessory or other causing the problem. The solution is to methodically remove fuses until the draw is found.

In my case I have a small draw from my remote start that killed my last AC Delco every 3-4 days in the winter. I upgraded to the Duracell AGM and been good thus far. If you have a parasitic draw that is not too bad then getting an AGM would be the next best thing other than finding the parasitic draw.

I installed the Duracell AGM. The drain measures about .13A then up to 2.00A when a door or liftgate is opened (with no inside lights on). So far after 30 seconds or so, the draw goes back to about .13A. When the draw was around 2A, I pulled the megafuse and it went right to zero. I can see I need to get more mothodical and a buddy reading and recording would help. I don't want to jump to conclusions by only focusing on the rear fuse box, but I guess I'll start there.

Also, I don't have any "mods" everything is stock except GPS and SAT radio. Both unplugged but normally fed from the front ACC ports. I probably should hook them back up and see how they behave. Need to take voltage readings too. Load test the ALT?

 

[IllogicTC]

I am pretty sure they are in house but I run XS power batteries in my truck and will never go to any other brand. I abused my S3400 (battery under the hood that is a group 34 just like our stock one)

I was under the impression that the one that comes with the vehicle is a Group 78. Guess I could go look, I still have mine installed somehow

 

[Sparky]

Yeah it's a 78.

 

[filthyfingers]

Overnight no significant voltage loss (about .1 volts). Under power, at idle the voltage is 14.4v. Too soon to declare it a bad battery?

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Overnight no significant voltage loss (about .1 volts). Under power, at idle the voltage is 14.4v. Too soon to declare it a bad battery?

That's Duracell AGM you said you installed?


Voltage at idle is good.

 

[kickass audio]

XS are supposedly really good AGM batteries that he big-audio crew even have a hard time killing.

Mike

Yeah I run a DC audio 5.0k at .5 ohms and can pound on it with the truck off and have no problems. But I also have an s3400 under the hood and 4 d3100's in the back. It's funny because the 3100's are on the passenger side in the rear and you can see it leaning to the right a little. lol.

I was under the impression that the one that comes with the vehicle is a Group 78. Guess I could go look, I still have mine installed somehow

Hm thats weird, I always see 34 for ours. Most gm's seem to be group 34.

 

[filthyfingers]

So far, so good. Over 24 hrs. no significant voltage drop.

 

[CaptainXL]

So far, so good. Over 24 hrs. no significant voltage drop.

What you are seeing is probably the new vs. old battery which had little reserve from sulfating.

Keeping a time vs. voltage list would be handy. And note the temperature as well.

For example even a .15 volt drop every 24 hours can drain the battery in a week or so.

.15 volts X 10 days = 1.5 volts. 12.6 - 1.5 = 11.1 volts. The battery is basically dead if it reads 12 volts.

View attachment 32368

 

[filthyfingers]

What you are seeing is probably the new vs. old battery which had little reserve from sulfating.

Keeping a time vs. voltage list would be handy. And note the temperature as well.

For example even a .15 volt drop every 24 hours can drain the battery in a week or so.

.15 volts X 10 days = 1.5 volts. 12.6 - 1.5 = 11.1 volts. The battery is basically dead if it reads 12 volts.

View attachment 19713

Nice chart. I'm on it. Measured 12.8 after sitting all night. Tomorrow's measurement will be interesting since we are at very cold here near Wilmington, NC.

Its snowing

Natives can't take it

 

[smt 59]

I'm looking to replace my 4 year old stock battery before winter and looking for suggestions. I live in Michigan so I'm dealing with cold temps (I don't run any other equipment stereo or other).

I would like something with Higher CCA or that will spin the motor faster. What is the best for this application Gel, AGM, Standard with removable vent caps?

Price range is up to $150.00. For this price I have found Optima Red Top from Advance Auto Parts (using coupon code), AGM from both Oreilly and Auto Zone or the Interstate Mega-Tron Plus.

Interstate is my choice, check out the recent temp up here.. I have had no issues at all.

 

[Ghost]

Interstate megatron 75. Works great for me was under $100 @Firestone

 

[BoldAdventure]

K-Mart sells these awesome Pushstart batteries, they are super super cheap. They work great, and are by far the best. Don't listen to all those people telling you to buy $200 batteries. They're stupid, that's nonsense. A battery is a battery.

 

[kickass audio]

K-Mart sells these awesome Pushstart batteries, they are super super cheap. They work great, and are by far the best. Don't listen to all those people telling you to buy $200 batteries. They're stupid, that's nonsense. A battery is a battery.

And what is your proof of this nonsense? Do you know the difference between AGM and wet cell batteries? The difference between quality, output, longevity, etc. I can tell you there is a huge difference in the batteries not just the price but the way it works. AGM batteries are far better than wet cell batteries but it varies on application. For me I refuse to run anything but AGM. Plus I dare you to put a wet cell battery in your truck that is not vented and see what happens.

 

[Sparky]

What do you mean a wet cell that's not vented? All wet cells have breathers of some sort.

 

[The_Roadie]

And what is your proof of this nonsense? Do you know the difference between AGM and wet cell batteries? The difference between quality, output, longevity, etc. I can tell you there is a huge difference in the batteries not just the price but the way it works. AGM batteries are far better than wet cell batteries but it varies on application. For me I refuse to run anything but AGM. Plus I dare you to put a wet cell battery in your truck that is not vented and see what happens.

You've been had. Mike knows all that stuff. He's even a SME (Subject Matter Expert) on ORTB.

View attachment 32413

 

[IllogicTC]

K-Mart sells these awesome Pushstart batteries, they are super super cheap. They work great, and are by far the best. Don't listen to all those people telling you to buy $200 batteries. They're stupid, that's nonsense. A battery is a battery.

The best part of that brand is it actually reduces starter wear!

 

[BoldAdventure]

And what is your proof of this nonsense? Do you know the difference between AGM and wet cell batteries? The difference between quality, output, longevity, etc. I can tell you there is a huge difference in the batteries not just the price but the way it works. AGM batteries are far better than wet cell batteries but it varies on application. For me I refuse to run anything but AGM. Plus I dare you to put a wet cell battery in your truck that is not vented and see what happens.

Blah Blah Blah, those are marketing gimmicks. Here is a picture of my battery, in my truck right now. It works just fine.

View attachment 32416