Battery upgrade

Homesteader · May 5, 2015

Looking to upgrade to better batteries. Should I convert to single or stay with duals. If dual what is the best batteries. If single what is the best battery?

Pstrke96 · May 5, 2015

I would never go single on any diesel. I have been having pretty good luck with the dura last golds

CMCx2012 · May 5, 2015

I removed my OEM Ford batteries and opted to install two Yellow top OPTIMA batteries instead of using brand new Ford batteries... So far, so good. Cranks right up!

bruce · May 5, 2015

die hard platinums

Arisley · May 5, 2015

O'Reilly's Super Start. Good batteries.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSBQ/65PLT/07053.oap?year=1999&make=Ford&model=F-250%2BSuper%2BDuty&vi=5014818&ck=Search_C0423_5014818_726&pt=C0423&ppt=C0005

Homesteader · May 5, 2015

Pstrke96 said:
I would never go single on any diesel. I have been having pretty good luck with the dura last golds

I've heard of some going to single battery with success.

Homesteader · May 5, 2015

bruce said:
die hard platinums

I will be checking on the die hard batteries today. Are the Platinum's a marine battery?

cbf9703 · May 5, 2015

Homesteader said:
I've heard of some going to single battery with success.

I personally wouldn't do it on purpose unless it's a play truck and even then... I've run a single when I had to, but I prefer to stick with my duals for a DD/work truck.

Derek@Vision Diesel · May 5, 2015

Motorcraft batteries.... Very hard to beat.

I wouldn't install Optima if someone gave them to me for free, they have gone down hill in the last couple years in a huge way. Manufacturing left the local plants and the quality went with it.

CMCx2012 · May 5, 2015

Derek@Vision Diesel said:
Motorcraft batteries.... Very hard to beat.

I wouldn't install Optima if someone gave them to me for free, they have gone down hill in the last couple years in a huge way. Manufacturing left the local plants and the quality went with it.

And when these finally go, I will switch over to the MC batteries without a doubt!

Powerstroke Man 6.4 · May 5, 2015

Arisley said:
O'Reilly's Super Start. Good batteries.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSBQ/65PLT/07053.oap?year=1999&make=Ford&model=F-250%2BSuper%2BDuty&vi=5014818&ck=Search_C0423_5014818_726&pt=C0423&ppt=C0005

X2

I got 65 EXT

Homesteader · May 5, 2015

Derek@Vision Diesel said:
Motorcraft batteries.... Very hard to beat.

I wouldn't install Optima if someone gave them to me for free, they have gone down hill in the last couple years in a huge way. Manufacturing left the local plants and the quality went with it.

Derek which motorcraft battery? Part #?

PSD POWER007 · May 5, 2015

I've always had good luck with Duralast Golds too. If I did anything different, I'd like to make a set of 31's fit.

Garbage_Mechanic · May 5, 2015

Here is a few tidbits:

The higher the CCA's the shorter the life of the battery. Provided your climate agrees, get the lowest CCA but not cheap batteries, commercial grade.
Buy your batteries where the fleets do, never retail, Napa is poor, chain stores are poor. As a fleet manager with a lot of batteries, I have low tolerance for problems.
I have battery's 5 years old in the 91 that I pulled out of the 96 and put new ones because the one 7 year old batteries in the 91 finally died. One of the 7 year old batteries is in my forklift
I have been running Centennials from Battery Systems. Not sure of the future of Battery Systems. They have been great for the last 15 years or so.
One group 31 commercial fleet battery probably exceeds most cheap group 65. Ask any battery vendor (not a parts store clerk but a mfg rep) and they will tell you group 65's were designed for cars not diesels.

psduser1 · May 5, 2015

I've run a set in my dually for better than five years from my local parts store, not sure who builds tjem, but they're still going strong. I'll have to do some checking, see who actually builds them, but at right around $110 apiece, they're beating the optimas, hands down.

mustube · May 5, 2015

I've always bought Motorcraft batteries when I've needed to buy new ones and never had an issue, and if you're not buying them at the dealership the price isn't out of line.

Optima battery quality is a crap shoot now. I used to work parts and the warranty rate was higher than the cheapo batteries.

As long as you get your batteries at a place that doesn't get group 65s by the pallet (fleet stores, and NAPA) then they shouldn't be on the shelf long. At the store I used to work at we didn't have any group 65 batteries more than a month old.