Which Battery To Get?
 

Hey guys, I need a new battery and I need your advice/help on which one to get. My budget is 100.00$ so please don't list other battery brands like Optima which I cannot afford. I narrowed it down to 2 batteries and I honestly don't know which one is better since I have heard good reviews for both. 1. Duralast Gold and 2. Interstate Mega-Tron Plus. Let me know which one is better and state your reason. If you have or had one of these batteries then that would be great to hear some feedback on them. Thanks.

hey bro duralast gold is good i have had it for almost 2 years :) no problems


good luck






2004 rx8 GT 6 speed
32000miles

1. DieHard

2. Duralast

Johnson Controls makes Duralast Batteries, Die Hard, Interstate, and Optima Batteries. As well as other store brand batteries. So likely your two choices are similar.

This is a decent article.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.as...tentid=4023696

My friend works for Autozone now and worked for Sears automotive before and he had told me already about Johnson Controls and the fact that there were only a couple of automotive battery manufacturers.

I always get a kick out of it when people tell me how badass die hard batteries are compared to Autozone batteries.

Honestly though I have not had good experiences on the RX8 with Duralast batteries. I had a new one die in less than a year that was replaced under warranty but to be honest I was having alternator issues. Read the article and then look at the specs and decide. Also, the Duralast will require a piece of wood to prop up the battery so it is level with the box. Otherwise the positive terminal is a bitch to get on.

i can see why. :)

anyway, i've been a diehard (no pun intended) DieHard user for the last 14 to 15 years or more. the only reason i bought a Duralast when my Rx-8 needed a battery last year is because my dad read a recent (to then) article in the newspaper and told me that they had ranked better than DieHard. so i was like ... whatever! and i tried it. so far, it hasn't failed me, but it's ONLY been a year. i could get 5 to 6 years out of my DieHards, so time will tell.

however, given that they're made by the same people, for pretty much the same market, i feel it'll hold up.

also ... i don't doubt your issues, but i'd like to say that i never had any fitment/connection issues with mine. it drained after about 9 months due an unrelated problem i was having, but once re-charged, it's been just fine. i still have it.

I put an Advance Auto Parts economy battery, for about $50, in my Accord a couple of years ago. So far it's held up well to the abuse of the car sitting for two or three weeks at a time. Has a six year warranty, which is as long as any Diehard I've had in the past.

IMHO, if you can find a maintenance free battery for $100, definitely go for it. Otherwise it's not really necessary to spend that much on a conventional battery. Make sure the new battery does not fill the box - you need some air space around it. Look for the battery TSB in ASH8's TSB post.

Ken

thanks for your responses. the duralast gold really needs a wood piece under it for a proper fit? i thought if the size was for our car then it would fit good..

Well, my FC came with a Duralast Regular battery. it was the wrong size, I cant read the labels cuz its faded. but its slightly bigger than RX-7's battery box, Which is also a Group 35.

but, so far, I think it holds up ok. I left my FC outside (at my garage) for almost 2 months. Try to start it today cuz Im Finalizing the Suspension setup need to move it around, battery is dead of course. Door still opens and stuff, just too slow to crank. So I took a Redtop out(never been used, brand new) jump it. Starts right up, let it charge for a bit, turn it off. 30 minutes later, start again, no issue. Not bad. and its a regular one too.

hmm..which to get..

Duralast GOLD U GHEY even though I have a Yellow Top ;)

suck a cock or 2. i don't care about optima batteries.

haha, my next car battery will be on my friend's Costco card. Yup, good ole Kirkland to the rescue! My last battery replacement was an Interstate, it seems they might make the Kirkland brand also.

how did you like the interstate battery and which one did you have?

Consumer Reports tested 'em, found that in group 35 the
Duralast Gold 35-DLG
from Autozone was the best.

S

good info, thanks.

As long as it hasn't been sitting in the back of the store for years...the warranty replacement Duralast battery the previous owner of my 8 had installed has last over 4 years.

The Interstate I had was in my old 240SX, had it in there for at least 4 years never skipped a beat.

they've both been reliable batteries.

Die Hard Platinum has 740 CCA while Duralast Gold is 640 CCA. That's a big difference. The Die Hard is almost $200.

Get Duralast gold ... about 90 bux

Just on the last day of your free 3 yr replacement warranty ... the battery *for some reason* just DIE !!!! .... if u know what I mean :) I mean the warranty continues, but at least u get another battery for free. TIMES ARE HARD MAN :)

i'd go DIEHARD not duralast

The Optima will only be around $115 at Costco if you have that option

Interstate doesn't make batteries, they are made by Johnson Controls. The fact that Duralast doesn't fit right without the wood bugs me.

Mine Duralast fits ok, but I can't get the model number cos there's a bunch of corrosion (normal crap) that covers the label. Going to pull the battery later and take pics :)

duralast