Best battery for Northeast?

Hey everyone. I live in central/northern Maine, and I would like to get a new battery for my Impala.

I was wondering if anyone had a subscription to Consumer Reports and could tell me what they say the best battery is for our size (78); and then once that is determined, I would like to hear from those who disagree with their ranking and good reasons why.

I understand I may be opening a can of worms here, but it will be an interesting thread for a while, anyway.
Thanks.
Ogre

Hey everyone. I live in central/northern Maine, and I would like to get a new battery for my Impala.

I was wondering if anyone had a subscription to Consumer Reports and could tell me what they say the best battery is for our size (78); and then once that is determined, I would like to hear from those who disagree with their ranking and good reasons why.

I understand I may be opening a can of worms here, but it will be an interesting thread for a while, anyway.
Thanks.
Ogre what year is your impala,the best replacement would be the ac/delco, have not ever heard of one gone yet, I have a 1981 z28 camaro, all original car for 26 years and still has the same factory battery, I have also had 7 impalas from 2003 -2005 ,not a hitch, they are all pretty well the same but a buddy of mine has gone through 3 in the past year in his truck as he purchased them from walmart, Junk.

Johnson Controls 78P-1000. They are sold under various names, through various outlets. Wal-Mart sells them, among other offerings, Sears' "Die Hard" line was once manufactured by Johnson Controls (but now may be Exide), Costco, many auto parts chain stores, and fleet outlets sell J-C batteries under their own labels. Most will still indicate that they are Johnson Controls batteries in small print somewhere. They also manufactured Motorcraft batteries at one point, and may still.

I just replaced one in my '96 Lumina (78-1000CCA) that was installed in February of 2000. It went seven full years of -20ë-+105º weather before it just plain failed to take a charge. I usually feel lucky if they go 5 years.

One thing I have discovered over years of use is that the higher CCA rated batteries typically have a higher plate count, even in the same size case. A Group 78 battery rated at 550 CCA may have only four plates per cell, while the 1000 CCA rated Group 78 battery (same external physical dimensions) may have six or more plates per cell. That's just that much more reserve capacity, and less stress on the entire assembly under extreme conditions.

Sorry, 2003 base model.
Original battery right now, but I think it is starting to go.

My experience is a little different.

The Delco battery in my '86 Trans Am failed at 22,200 miles in 1992 - Pretty good. The J.C. replacement failed in April of '98 at 42,200 miles - Again, pretty good. The Delco replacement for that failed in January of 2004 at 42,600 miles. That was pretty good service, too. It's replacement is still working fine, three years and 6,000 miles later.

The Delco battery in my '94 Impala failed in August of 1998, or only 3½ years of service. The Delco replacement for that failed in February of 2002. Both of those were disappointing. The J.C. replacement for that is still working fine, five years later.

The Delco battery in my '96 Impala failed in October of 2002 at 4,100 miles (it sits a lot). The replacement J.C. battery is still in it, five years later with no signs of problems.

The Delco battery in my '96 Sonoma failed at 47,000 miles in January of 1999, or after only three years, but it sits outdoors instead of in a heated garage. Still, that was less than optimal service life. The replacement for that failed in November of 2004, or 5½ years. The replacement for that is still running the truck at 134,000 miles, but I "cheated" and enlarged the battery tray at that time to accommodate a group 78 instead of the standard 75 battery (for more plate/electrolyte space).

The Delco battery in my '96 Lumina failed in February 2002, or after 6 years, which is pretty good. The Johnson Controls replacement for that lasted until last Thursday, or another seven years. I put another on right back in it.

The Delco battery in my '00 Astro failed at 61,000 miles in December of 2004. The J.C. replacement is still running that vehicle.

As you can see, the Delco batteries are reasonably good, but aftermarkets can be just as good. Another thing to remember is that AC-Delco/Delphi does have a slight advantage in batteries used in GM vehicles. Delco charging systems typically regulate a few tenths of a volt higher than most other car lines. This can be tougher on maintenance free batteries with no provisions for checking/adding water. Delco batteries have a bit more expansion space for the liquid and separate the bubbles from vapors better when they vent. All that helps keep the level correct instead of venting it out over time and running the battery lower on electrolyte. If you don't get a Delco battery, at least get a replacement with removable vent caps so that you can periodically check the electrolyte level.

AC Delco.
I know it may seem unlikely, but AC Delco batteries are somewhat unique in design and materials and have been consistently the best. I have owned dozens of vehicles in the past 22 years (private and commercial) with probably about 100 batteries, and AC DElco have always been the best, longest lasting and most reliable.

This was a subject in the Engineering subforum last summer, and, as I recall AC Delco batteries were very highly regarded by most folks there.

Excellent responses! Thank you for your inputs and experiences. I could research all day and find about 100 examples of conflicting information based on statistics alone, but none of it means a thing until I hear from some people who have lived it.

I found this site http://www.galttech.com/research/cars/buy-car-battery.php that says this about battery manufacturers:

"The majority of car batteries are created by 3 manufacturers - Delphi, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries. Delphi makes some EverStart models sold in Walmart and ACDelco. Johnson Control Industries makes Duralast seen in Autozone stores, Diehard - sold in Sears, Kirkland - the Costco brand, Motorcraft - which Ford sells, some of the EverStarts, and Interstate. Exide makes Exide batteries, Champion, Napa and even a % of the EverStart batteries."

I had been eyeballing a Duralast (good price, good warranty, local Advance Auto store), and now that I see that they are made by JC, I believe I will go for it. I put a new Duralast in my 86 F-150 in about October or so, and through this severe cold spell that we just had, that thing cranked like a BEAST! I couldn't have been happier with it's performance in my truck, but I wanted some Imp owners to tell me what luck they have had with different batteries.

Thanks again, all who have replied and who will reply.
Ogre

"The majority of car batteries are created by 3 manufacturers - Delphi, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries. Delphi makes some EverStart models sold in Walmart and ACDelco.
I found this statement hard to believe as I have had TERRIBLE experiences with Wal Mart's Neverstart, (err I mean Everstart) batteries. I've gone through 3 in a 1 1/2 year period. Yeah, they honor their warranty but after R&R a battery 3 times to take it back to the store to be tested and replaced, it gets kind of old. That's why I made the decision when I needed to replace a battery last year to go exclusively with A C Delcos. On average I have had them last in my GM vehicles 8 to 10 years, and some friends and acquaintences have had the same good luck with their Delcos as well. I buy them from my local A C Delco warehouse and the price fairly close to the competition's batteries in my area.

I found this statement hard to believe as I have had TERRIBLE experiences with Wal Mart's Neverstart, (err I mean Everstart) batteries.
I don't doubt that the company makes the batteries for both AC Delco and Wal-Mart. I also don't doubt that the specs are different for the respective distributers. Delphi could easily be manufacturing to tighter specs and using different/better materials on the Delcos than the others. It is done all the time.

Delphi and Delco merged in 1998 to become Delphi-Delco, so it is only logical that they would make the AC Delco.

But I just read in the 2006 Annual Report from Johnson Controls http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/annualreports/2006/pg5.htm and it says:

"About 80 percent of the batteries we manufacture each year are sold through the automotive aftermarket, which is resistant to changes in the economy. Our North American aftermarket customers include the largest retailers and distributors such as Advance Auto, AutoZone, Interstate Battery, Sears and Wal-Mart. In Europe, aftermarket customers include Carrefour and Auto-Tiele-Unger.

We make original equipment batteries for many of the world’s largest automakers including BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen...

We entered the Chinese market in late 2005 through the acquisition of the Delphi battery business...."

So maybe both AC Delco and Everstart are made by JC now, but I still can't believe that all are made to the same standard.

It could also be that not all batteries of one name are made by the same company. It's possible (and quite likely) that, for example, the MAXX series from WW could be made by someone other than the manufacturer of the standard Everstart series.

The "geniuses" in Bentonville, Arkansas pressure their suppliers constantly in the interest of price over quality. I wouldn't doubt for a minute that a "72 month" battery produced by JC and sold through Wal-Marx is substantially different than a "72 month" battery made by JC and sold through other outlets. I know from personal experience that Electrolux/Eureaka vacuums sold at Wal-Marx are different than those sold from some other outlets, and wholesaled to Wal-Marx for less for good reason. The same phenomenon in auto/truck batteries would not be beyond reason, although I've seen some fairly old "EverStart" batteries made by JC and still working.

I put an "Optima Red Top" battery in my 2001 Impala LS 2 years ago... It's been perfect so far...