Best battery for my car??

If it will fit...an Optima Yellow top. Might look into upgrading your alternator too so you get the most charging from running your engine when you are driving.

 

"Tip: Odyssey batts are usually the best in that department. Look into Sears' diehard platinum (only the platinum) they are re-branded odysseys for less $"

Optima yellowtop is equally as good or better. Hefty price tag thoe!

 

And walmart is a no no...Stay away

 

The problem with any car battery is they will not take a charge over and over again when completely dead. Sediment from the plates will settle on the bottom and short the battery out. A deep cycle battery is made to run down and recharge more than any car battery. You can spend a lot of money on a battery but if it doesn't give you any more life than a cheaper one you're better off just buying the cheaper ones. The ideal situation for batteries is to have a good car battery to run your car and a deep cycle to run your extras with a alternator to recharge both.

I have found that my car battery will last about 3 years no matter which one I buy. Just remember there's no such thing as a sealed battery. The gas needs to escape somewhere. So I make sure I get a battery where I can check the fluid level and add some distilled water if needed. The area that one lives in plays a big role also. From cold to hot is not good on batteries. I'd go with a 60 month battery from your local part store and be sure to keep the receipt. But that's me.

 

Cheaper still is a hybrid deep cycle/starting battery. The problem with ANY battery will be the length of time you run the car to charge it. A truck runs high RPMs 11 hours at a time, but a car may run from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Get a battery charger and hook it up at night. If the cooler still depletes the battery, install a second battery, maybe in the trunk, just for your cooler.

 

Cold cranking amps (CCAs) are more important that 1 yr, 2 yr or 3 yr status. That's just a warranty.. the strength of a battery is most important if you're testing it all the time.

You might improve from a 475-525 CCA battery up to a 750-900 CCA.

 

the optima's have had an unheard of return rate the last year or so. I'd stay away from them for now til they get it figured out

 

I've had two Optimas, but that was in 2005 and 2007, and both sons have them in their cars... no issues, but people are always changing service providers and production places, so it's easy enough to have a few bad batches.

 

we run them all the time in our jeeps for the winch's, lights etc. have a good friend who is regional manager of big wheel rosi and he's telling me they are running about 30% return rate, within a month