Group 31 choices
 

Hi,

My yellow top Optima is 9 years old & I want to get a spare battery for when it quits.

No Diehard Platinum where I'm at.

My choices - all group 31 -

1/ another Optima yellow top 900cca - $299
2/ Deka 8A31DT/M (i think its AGM) 800cca - $200
3/ NAPA 31-110 commercial - lead acid - 1060cca - $170 (no 7235/7237 where I'm at)
4/ Carquest farm/commercial - sealed lead acid - 950cca - $160

Open to suggestions from the above 4.

Apologies in advance for adding complication, but I am a huge fan of Interstate Batteries. My most recent purchase (a Group 31 Interstate with 950 CCA; about $170) replaced an Interstate my dad had put in the truck that was almost 12 years old and still working when I replaced it. For longevity, these things are tough to beat. Again I apologize for adding a fifth battery brand to your list...

Hi James, I like Interstates but they're proud of them in my area.

I have never used the Deka AGM batteries, but the last couple East Penn (Deka) batteries I have purchased (through Federated) are no where near so good as the Dekas I used to buy 20 years ago. I am a little down on them, FWIW.

MX3000 - XS Power

[coffee]

Holy heck, Those things had better make lunch for you and last the rest of your life for that price........ :o

WOW! For $600.00 it had better be a lunch WITH BENEFITS! If my Wally World batteries last 4 years each I will be happy with the investment of $250.00 for the pair.

Cheers!

Mike

Yeah I never got a response on the email after I ripped them for dropping the group 31 / 1260 amp calcium filled commercial batteries either..

I've been running the Sears Diehard marine deep cycle with no complaints for a few years now. Last one I bought was about $250 Alaska price.

There's a farm store chain called Mills Fleet Farm here. Their house brand batteries seem to be seriously heavy and well built. I've had good luck with them in both my trucks. Both have suffered a couple of serious draw downs, some under severe weather conditions, and have recovered nicely with a good recovery charge.

Any lead acid battery will benefit from a relationship with a Battery-Minder charger. I have several sets of deep cycle batteries in service, but with long idle times. Topping them off and desulfating them for a few days every couple of months keeps them at peak performance. Again, these banks of batteries suffer from my CRS causing a deep draw down from time to time. The batteries in the camper get a pretty good workout when I'm rolling because I tend to be cheap and boon dock most of the time.

I bought my truck in '96 and it had an Interstate in it at that time, it was 2007 when I finally had to replace it and I went with Interstate again. No problems with it yet.

Out of the 4 I would install the NAPA 1060cca if I had only one battery. I believe the original was 1050cca and I've had good luck with NAPA batteries.

I never had good luck with Interstate batteries. A buddy of mine used to work for Interstate. They would go to distributors, take batteries out of the display that had been there for a few months, recharge them, peel off the old manufacturer's date sticker off it and put one on from the date it was charged. I.E. battery manufactured on 6/14 and gets a sticker. Recharged 9/14 and gets a new sticker. Then again on 1/15. You buy it and think you got a battery made 1/15 when it's actually been sitting for 6 months.
I've had mixed results with Diehard. I had one that lasted 9 years and several that lasted between 5 and 1.5 years.
I had 2 sets of Wal-Mart batteries in my 2nd gen that lasted 7 years and 5 years respectively.
I've heard some good things about Hawker batteries but they're pretty pricey.

I had two separate walmart batteries that were made within the same month and year. Both quit in the cold during the same week at 3.5 years.

I've been running NAPA for years with no problems/complaints.

But if the Yellow Top has lasted this long and worked fine why not go back to Optima?

I have a red top that came in my Corolla wagon in '08. Its still in there and functions fine!