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We Rank 10 Car Battery Brands And Explain Who Should Buy Each One · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the rats ate into the wiring, which was underneath the battery, is where that all rats are possible.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, squirrels.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Could have been any of the above.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't I didn't take a picture of them when we were down there gnawing on my wiring.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Or that day we walked in here and they were partying with, you know, other animals.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway, that's our lead-in for Jeff in the worst to best category of batteries.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: There it is.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: You're going to start.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, number 10, because we're going to do 10 of these.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Number 10 is Everstart.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Everstart is a Walmart store brand.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Everstart is affordable.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's a lead acid variety.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: But buyers have encountered unreliable and short lifespans with it.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: However, they're well reviewed on Walmart's website, and Everstart has a fairly wide variety of battery sizes.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: So it's 10, we're starting at the worst.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I will say that that I just put one of those in one of my granddaughter's cars.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: And because I've had good service out of them, but mainly because Walmart's everywhere.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: So if she's back in San Marcus or Houston or someplace and she needs a battery, we've all used it.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: So get one.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Number nine is Interstate.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: The green label and occasionally green topped interstate batteries are available at many independent shops and at their own interstate all-battery centers.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: And also, Mike, through Costco's.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: I did not know that.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: The reliable battery replacement is an interesting history.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Interstates are available in a large number of group sizes and applications.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So that's number nine on the list.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: I thought that they were good.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I had one one time many years ago.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: It worked out okay.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: We we have an interstate store there in Bowmine, and those those guys are they're great to work with.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: The one that uh I did not know is this is number eight.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know it was in high on the worst list because Motocraft I thought was a very comparable brand, but the Ford Motor Company, house brand of batteries, is available at all Ford dealerships as well as O'Reilly Auto Parts, allowing folks who want to maintain the OEM parts on their vehicles to access replacement batteries almost anywhere.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's why O'Reilly's has it.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Typically, uh the warranties are also accepted at all facilities.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Here's the point with Motocraft.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: The benefit is that the decision was made that Ford knows what battery goes in each car.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: So if you'd have it done by the dealership, they know it's right.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you have it done by an independent and they put the wrong battery in, Ford's not going to warranty anything because they know what battery goes in it.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: As an example, uh the battery for a like a 1996 Ford Ranger, whatever it is, small vehicle, is like 250 bucks through the dealer.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: So keep that in mind when you buy these things that you can get what you pay for.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: The next one on this is a GM brand.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's an AC Delco available from third-party retailers and directly from GM.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: The AC Delco batteries come in a variety of group sizes and performance ratings, and they're competitively priced.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they offer a standard warranty, a range of group sizes designed to fit GM vehicles, and a few AGM options, which is the absorbent glass.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: While they're officially recognized by General Motors as the only batteries recommended by GM, sort of what Motocraft does, for the vehicles, they don't offer any spectacular things when it comes to options and features.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and again, the absorbent glass mat is a fiber, they're fiber layers between the positive and negative plates in the battery.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: So that's where they come up with that.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: And the Corvette went to an AGM battery in production.
• 3:38
  unknown: Yep.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Is that what they have now?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: They do.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I could buy one for my 01.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: You could.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: You could probably pay a top dollar for it.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're going to pay a top dollar on anything, yeah, really.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: The number six on this list is a Bosch.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Bosch lands in the middle of this ranking for a good reason.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: They're a brand that provides a dependable, well-regarded battery at a good price from their affordable one-year warranty up through batteries, Mike, they come with four-year full replacement coverage.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: Bosch runs the gamut of both quality tiers and group sizes.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: German.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, there you go.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's the quality.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Here's one that I did not know even existed.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's called an anti-gravity battery.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Beat me up, Scotty.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: Anybody?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: A recent addition to the car battery market is anti-gravity batteries.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: Their niche isn't in providing the most power like competitors, but providing a greener solution to automotive power with lithium-ion batteries.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: The same kind of rechargeable batteries used in products all around the house.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: Anti-gravity batteries are primarily used in motorsports, not in passenger cars, as their batteries are significant significantly lighter than the AGM lead acid batteries.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: So there you go.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: So but so they're going to produce the same amount of juice power reliability.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Number four on my list is XS Power.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: XS.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: XS Power is a newer automotive battery brand.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Cool logo.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's one that uh made its mark in the industry with some wildly overpowered batteries.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, some of these batteries might even have excessive power.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Their batteries feature light gray design with aggressive labeling and unique connection terminals for users connecting these batteries to expensive audio and electrical accessories.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: So these are the guys that have to be.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Forgot about that.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: The pool boxes.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so there you go.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: But that's number four on the list.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Number three on the list is Odyssey.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Odyssey batteries have a number of features that have pushed them high on the rankings.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: This is number three.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And their commitment to over-engineering has given them the battery reputation of reliability.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: They claim a longer life service, longer life cycle, and a shelf life, too, because that's important if the battery's sitting around.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: In the event of a failure, Odyssey offers a four-year full replacement warranty on several of their battery lines, at least one year for most of their products.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So Odyssey is number three.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Never heard of them.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: Number two, you heard of this next one.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a diehard.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Not the movie, Mike.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Not the movie.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Used to be the Sears brand.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And this battery is the one that your dad told you to put in your first car when you bought it.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Die Hard remains the great aftermarket option even after Sears sold the brand to advanced auto parts back in 2019.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: However, the new ownership, it didn't affect the actual product because whether the die hard was purchased from a Sears Auto Center or from an auto zone, the battery was still manufactured by Clarios.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: So you can get this?
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: Wait a minute.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Clarios is the same company that makes go.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: No, you go that that uh that makes Optima.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: AC Delco and Die Hard are made in the same factory on the East Coast.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Back when I was with XL Parts.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: They that was one of the things.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Different lines.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, drumroll and the number one battery is Optima.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Optima batteries use several unique design choices that move them to the top of this list.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Their six-pack design and spiral wound cells are used in both the lead-based and AGM versions of the batteries.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Lead, or I'm sorry, lead, leading to an instantaneously recognizable and wholly unique battery in a world of heavy plastic boxes.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: They are not inexpensive.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: The most affordable option for a 1996 Ford Ranger is$250.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: But the reliability, it's trusted.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: They have a good warranty backing the product on your red top, yellow top, and blue top batteries.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So there you go.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: Where can you get those now, though?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can actually buy them directly from the factory from about the same price that you would pay at any retailer, and they will mail it to you.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Did not know that.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I did not know that either.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: How do you mail a battery?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: They do?
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of stamps.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of stamps.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that was fun.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Podcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.