By Jim Grey

Buying a good car or truck battery is like searching for a good heart.
Without a heart, the body won’t work. Without a battery, a car won’t start.
In the Carolinas, vehicles need a battery that will crank over the engine when it is 20 degrees or 105 degrees outside.

Cranking is the hardest work a battery does and to help consumers, manufacturers created a rating system for this capability, with different descriptions that set cranking amps ratings.

Here are some tips to help you buy the right battery for your car and your typical weather.

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)
This is a measurement of the number of amps a battery can support for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit maintaining a per cell voltage above 1.2 volts for a six-cell battery. This means a battery rated at 600 CCA will provide 600 amps for 30 seconds at 0 degrees without falling below 7.2 volts.  Or to put it simply, the vehicle should start.

This is the most critical battery rating. Find out the best rating for your engine by reviewing your owner’s manual.

Reserve Capacity (RC)
This is a measurement of the number of minutes a battery can supply power to your car’s electrical system without falling below the minimum voltage, so the battery has enough power to run the engine if your alternator dies.
 
The higher the CCA and RC numbers are, the better the battery will perform and probably, the more expensive it is. However, it is the best way to get your money’s worth.

Some ratings can be misleading and you should be cautious buying a battery with the following ratings displayed. These ratings generate higher numbers that may cause a consumer to believe the battery will work at temperatures it is not suited for.

Hot Cranking Amps (HCA)
This is measure of the number of amps a battery can support for 30 seconds at 80 degrees Fahrenheit without falling below 1.2 volts per cell. The result is higher numbers that make the battery seem more capable than it is.

Cranking Amps (CA)
This is the same as HCA except the test is done at 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Again a higher rating number is the result.

A problem occurs when buyers compare hot and cold crankings.  The higher HCA and CA numbers make it appear a better deal.   However, the truth is HCA and CA ratings are not a severe test and allow manufactures to produce a lesser, and cheaper, product.

Battery Freshness
Next, consider the freshness of the batteries. Low maintenance batteries stocked by better shops are rotated every 90 days and dated to determine their freshness.

However, after these batteries are cycled 2 or 3 times they end up on a discounter’s shelf as a great deal.  Be sure and inquire about the freshness dates when buying off the shelf. After nine months, buy a newer battery.                                  

Battery Tips
The product life of a battery is 3 to 4 years and you should replace it before it fails. Sometimes a discounter convinces a consumer to buy a battery based on a replacement schedule, which is actually a warranty.  Look closely and you may find that after three years you have paid the original battery price.

Because the discounter knows when a battery has a higher chance of failing, it sets the warranty price to protect them against the loss.

AAA Carolinas’ AutoMark car care centers and the AAA Battery Assist program offer free replacement for the first 24 months of a 72 month battery, then prorate the warranty price beginning with the 25th month.

Battery Care
Keep battery terminals dry, clean and tight.  Check by grasping the terminal and making sure it is snug. Use gloves. If terminals are dry, clean and tight, then apply some grease or sealer over the terminals to protect the connection.
If your battery has gone dead, new procedures and precautions are necessary.  Many new vehicles have electrical systems that do not allow the regulator on the alternator to recharge a fully discharged battery; the battery must be put on a battery charger.

On some electrical systems a discharged battery may burn out the alternator, trying to charge it up.  Again a battery charge is needed to protect the charging system from overworking.