Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
The value power battery left at a high state of charge will last longer than any abused battery that costs 5 times more
Agree completely.
Just want to add that any battery contnually left in an under charged state qualifies as abused. The lower the state of charge and the longer it remains there, the higher the level of abuse, and the faster the battery capacity, and cranking amps, decline.
Also there is a wide deeply ingrained misconception that the alternator is an instant magical battery recharger. The sad truth is, is that a battery that is only 80% charged, needs no less than 3.5 hours at proper charging voltages to reach full charge. Your vehicle will not hold the ideal charging voltages to accomplish the 100% recharge from 80% in those 3.5 hours, thus the actual time to achieve 100% State of charge from 80%, can easily double or triple the driving time required.
One can discharge a battery to 80% in 20 minutes of listening to the radio with the engine off, perhaps less, but there is NO POSSIBLE WAY, to recharge this same battery, depleted to 80%, back up to 100% in less than 3.5 hours.
It does not matter if you have a 200 amp alternator. It requires time at the proper voltages to reach 100%, and the 100% recharged battery is the happy battery.
If more people were aware of this and could actually do something about it, very few batteries would need to be warrantied, and batteries would be much less expensive than they are.
How charged is your battery? Use a hydrometer, and not the cheapo type with floatng balls. Those are a waste of landfill space. OTC 4619.
A voltmeter is only useful if the battery has not seen any charging or discharging for many many hours, and only if there is a reference for comparison on that specific battery.
Meaning a AGM battery A might rest at 13.1 volts when fully charged, and flooded battery B might rest fully charged at 12.62 volts. AGM battery A reading 12.63v would be very far from being fully charged.
So person X seeing 12.7V and declaring the battery is fully charged, could verywell be viewing the inside of their own rectum, yet broadcasting their view with full deluded confidence with the hope of company to join them.
Don't be like person X.
I've no personal experience with wal mart's cheapest starting battery, and never will.
However, Noone is going to get more than they pay for from a retailer.
Though many live their lives trying to prove otherwise.