Cold cranking amps (CCA) is a measurement of the number of amps a battery can deliver at 0 ° F for 30 seconds and not drop below 7.2 volts. So a high CCA battery rating is especially important in starting battery applications, and in cold weather.
Tester
One thing about Walmart is that they are compulsive in providing the highest quality products available, just like Kmart. You never have to worry about getting some low budget junk made in Asia, like you would at a dealership. Yawn. NOT. Really their claim to fame is they are everywhere and open 24 hours and have beaten every last dime of profit from their suppliers. So again suit yourself and buyer beware.
Car Talk Lackey
matt357, these forum comments for you or are excellent.
e.g.oldtimer_11
Good luck.
"Does walmart sell interstate batteries?"
Nope!
Absolutely not.
Consumer Reports magazine has a battery ratings article pretty much yearly. They test for cold cranking and reliability. Suggest a visit to the local public library for back issues & read the most recent CR auto battery ratings article. The best rated battery & vendor depends on which group size your car needs.
I have purchased two vehicle batteries in the last 18 months. I guess I did something wrong because it wasn’t that difficult to do.
@VOLVO_V70 I had to buy a battery a number of years ago,probably about due for a new one, sure I checked out cca and prices at 4 different places, and picked the most CCA at the best price, bang for the buck so to speak, Sure you can buy anything and it will probably work, but I prefer to make a buying choice with the most information available. Like our thanksgiving get together, I make a mean cocktail sauce, and had a choice, buy pre-cooked shrimp from vietnam or indonesia of fresh caught raw shrimp from the gulf of mexico not farm raised. Sure the import might not kill me but to peel and devein and cook the raw shrimp was my preference.
Sure it would not be difficult to purchase potential growth hormone, polluted, child labor raised shrimp from indonesia or wherever, but I did not take the easy route because you can pick and choose, as I prefer to do.
NOT SAYING YOU DID ANYTHING WRONG, but not saying you did anything right,
When it comes to automotive batteries, I am not loyal to any particular brand.
Although cold weather can challenge a weak battery, batteries in cold climates tend to last longer than batteries in warm climates, so I think a replacement stock battery with 500 CCA will suit you just fine. Your four cylinder engine doesn’t require a large battery to start.
@Barkydog, I don’t think I was clear on that. I said that as long as the battery is fully charged it does not matter, and that is true. But it is also true that in very cold weather, the smaller battery will deplete its charge much quicker and that can make the difference between starting and not starting.
To sum it up, both batteries start off supplying the same current, but the smaller battery just doesn’t supply it very long. Ohms law determines the current, not the battery size, at least initially. As the smaller battery depletes, its voltage drops and so does current.
So you are right that when it is very cold, size does matter, just not at the very beginning which is what I was referring to with that statement.
Not to go off on CR again but like I said I just have found their ratings usually not useful. A lot of their brands tested just don’t seem to be mainstream and readily available at least in the Midwest. And they never seem to delve into the details of different brands from the same manufacturer and what makes them the same or different.
Seems to me listing 50 different battery brands without listing the few manufacturers that make them all and what brand specs differentiate them misses the mark. Just like cars and power tools these days, brands don’t seem to be very useful when they are all made in the same plant, just with different brand names.
My experience w/CR as a counter view to @bing’s valid view above, I’ve never been given a bum steer from them, as long as I selected from among their highest reliability rated products. Not saying every selection was just exactly perfect, or particularly inexpensive to purchase, but in every case the CR recommended product provided long and reliable service. My 24 year old Corolla for example was a CR rated “high reliability” and “best buy” product. And indeed it is provided me a long term value. And the battery I purchase for my truck 12 years ago, best buy rated by CR, and still working.
Not totally true. The smaller battery, or an older battery, has a higher internal resistance, so it will deliver less current.
Ohm’s law says I = E/R, but R is the sum of battery internal resistance, cable resistance, starter resistance, and ground return resistance.
Yep!
If you live where the temperature drops below zero for many days in a row, you want the highest CCA’s in the battery that will fit in your vehicle.
When the temperature is that low, you have only so many attempts to get the engine started.
Also, did you know that you can have instant heat in the interior of the vehicle with the AC turned on when the temperature is below freezing?
Tester
I used to buy all my batteries from a local store located in an old industrial area that sold batteries to almost every trucking company in town. They would custom make any battery cable for you on the spot at a price competitive with the parts stores.
When my son in law needed a battery for his old 6 volt car, I went to them and the counter man asked if I wanted a Willard or a Viking.
When I asked him what the difference was, he said “just the label, I don’t put them on until it is sold.”
So much for brand loyalty. Unfortunately like many good local businesses they got sold to a national chain.
I know that. If you do Kirchoff analysis, the internal resistance of the battery is not that significant at the start of the starting cycle, even in an old smaller battery. But it increases much more quickly in the smaller/older battery.
In comparing the internal resistance difference between a new 500 and a new 700 CCA would be very small.
when the battery resistance hits about 20 to30% of the loop resistance, then starting the engine is probably not going to happen.
But, I still recommend getting the highest CCA battery that you can fit into the available space when replacing the OEM battery. As vehicles age and accumulate miles, they take longer to start. Corrosion on various connections can become a problem too. There are a lot of good reasons to get the larger battery.
INTERSTATE MT 51R top score = 69 ~$130
EVERSTART MAXX 51R score = 61 ~$107
are the only ones to consider if weather can strand you
The extra money and amps = longer life and actually have saved me money & time in replacement batteries, so long as you keep it full term.
Less likely to be stranded in weather life threats down here in South,
the MAXX has been
easier to get/exchange due to Wal-marts everywhere
cheaper, sometimes rarely on sale
first 3 years = 100% free replacement (rare)
lasts well over 5 years in this 28-110F humid climate, even in the older vehicles, e.g. 1999 & 2001
takes a beating & keeps on ticking
My rich son’s super duper expensive OPTIMAS (no matter what color top) can’t offer any of these perks … I consider them best for impact vehicles like bass/race boats being pounded by waves.
KUDOS to db4690
Even here in NH that’s rare
I have used interstate batteries for years and never had an issue. My thing is I want a battery that is very good in winter and cold temperatures. You can get the battery anywhere you want. I have heard people say Walmart batteries do not last as long, but I never tried one. I would get it from your trusted mechanic or a place like Pep Boys or Auto Zone. If you go in Autozone they will help you to get the right fit and the strongest battery that will work for your car. Finally make sure you are getting a five year battery. some now are only three years. If you get three years than you will be changing battery again sooner than with five year.
I wouldn’t trust Autozone to put wiper fluid in my vehicle.