Need a battery recommendation.

[Nibroc99]

I dunno, I've had 4-5 in 3.5 years on mine, and my Chevy gets new ones at least once a year and I never drive it. Maybe it's the Texas heat, but back in the early-mid-90's they seemed to last 3-5 years and cost a lot less. And that was in Houston. My Bronco stays in a garage (and my truck before) and I clean the windshield and wiper as soon as they get blurry or streaky (it drives me crazy). So yeah, not been my experience.

I live in massachusetts where we see a range froim up to 100°F in the summer and -10 in the winter lol, and those wipers kept wiping great. It's all about quality rubber and most of all cleaning them as often as you can. I use RainX every 6 months and also use the RainX de-icer washer spray in the winter and the bug remover green spray in the summer. Not a single streak!

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[bravely]

Honestly, I get my batteries at Wal-Mart. Since Wal-Marts are all over the country if one fails early it's easy to replace or get a pro-rate core charge depending on the warranty you choose. Also a decent battery tender will be your batteries best friend. I have a pigtail for my tender that is bolted to the battery lugs so it's easy to connect when I park at home. Don't even have to open the hood.

walmart batteries are actually highly rated

 

[userdude]

I live in massachusetts where we see a range froim up to 100°F in the summer and -10 in the winter lol, and those wipers kept wiping great. It's all about quality rubber and most of all cleaning them as often as you can. I use RainX every 6 months and also use the RainX de-icer washer spray in the winter and the bug remover green spray in the summer. Not a single streak!

100deg! Imeen, we hit 12deg here once or twice a year. I'm glad you have such amazing experiences with your beloved wipers.

 

[RK Racing]

I switched over to “”Full Throttle”” after trying just about all the expensive batteries and I am extremely happy with the “”Full Throttle”” brand

 

[Moe-Jave]

Enlightening. Walmart flooded lead are already tired at new purchase.

I’m a big Project Farm fan and really appreciate how thoughtful all of his testing is. Watching him come up with a rigorous and objective approach is the draw for me. He has some very cool testing harnesses!

So, he did say that in past tests the lower end Walmart units scored quite well. That flags either the batch or maybe new manufacturing choices. That’s the thing, every brand faces this issue from time-to-time (I’m off on Optima after three bad batteries!). I’ve had good luck in the past with Walmart, so I’ll roll the dice…

On the AGM front, Walmart did quite well in this test. None of the AGMs scored as well in the CCA department but that is to be expected (and good enough for me). I agree that AGMs are far more durable in higher vibration environments like off-roading. I plan to buy an Everstart Platinum AGM from Walmart when the time comes.

Walmart‘s warranty process is great! I recently swapped my girlfriend’s dying battery out and at just under two years, they simply replaced it with a new one (warranty varies by tier).

 

[TheKim]

Anybody remember when windshield wipers lasted years, not months?

I'm still on my OEM battery and windshield wipers, don't jinx it
I do long drives regularly and keep the battery on a tender if it's going to sit for a bit. I wait to use my wipers until the windshield is decently wet and even then I keep it probably one speed lower than everyone else haha - this all likely anecdotal and your results vary.

 

[BadlandsCarbon]

Will stick with an AGM battery when it comes time to replace. Bought an AGM battery for my truck from NAPA, time will tell if this was a poor choice. The lead acid battery was leaking which required me to restore/fix the battery clamp for the truck. Big fan of Rain-X.

 

[Nibroc99]

Will stick with an AGM battery when it comes time to replace. Bought an AGM battery for my truck from NAPA, time will tell if this was a poor choice. The lead acid battery was leaking which required me to restore/fix the battery clamp for the truck. Big fan of Rain-X.

If you use Auto Start-Stop at all, then AGM is really the only choice as it does recharge much quicker. Plus it won't be damaged by tipping and losing fluid, or be susceptible to shock damage when off-roading and hitting heavy bumps etc. Plus the alternator charging profile is set for AGM, so you'd need to reprogram the BMS in forscan. Besides, lead-acid is fine but the only benefit is cost savings, isn't it?

 

[evofxdwg]

There has been discussion on this here before. Someone needs to be first adapter and report on success or failure of specific Lithium starting batteries. EDIT: They guy who said his swelled twice did not say what brand or PN so no help. (I reread and caught that the brand was Antigravity that swelled. Thanks. They are much pricier than the Ionic, but looks like they have more group size options.

I have the Semi Truck version of the Ionic lithium in my motorhome. Going on 16 months now with no problems (Cummins B6.7 engine). If it lasts the warranty period, it will still NOT be cost effective over the 2 sealed lead acid (60+ lbs each) it replaced (about $115 each these days). If it lasts 3x longer (midrange of their 2x-4x claim) than lead acid, then it would be cost neutral. Time will tell. But it was easy to handle and decreased my gross weight a bit since it weighs only 31 lbs, and I could remove the interconnecting cables.

Im not going to be the first adapter right now for the Bronco. But will assess that option when my OEM battery gets weak.

Automotive version Ionic start battery.
$439
weight 15lbs
specified operating temperature range: -4F~140F (it has an internal heater so if stored in below freezing conditions, need to keep it on a charger big enough to power the heater and charge a bit - havent researched this since I live in the south)
Claim: "Lasts 2x-4x longer than lead acid"
Limited Warranty: 5yrs

I have NOT investigated whether the Bronco computer might have issues with it, or can be changed thru Forscan to accommodate its ideal or better operation, nor even if the terminal configuration is correct.

 

[evofxdwg]

If you use Auto Start-Stop at all, then AGM is really the only choice as it does recharge much quicker. Plus it won't be damaged by tipping and losing fluid, or be susceptible to shock damage when off-roading and hitting heavy bumps etc. Plus the alternator charging profile is set for AGM, so you'd need to reprogram the BMS in forscan. Besides, lead-acid is fine but the only benefit is cost savings, isn't it?

Sorry not true (italics). Lithium outperforms both in recharge current capacity, and charge efficiency. Yes the alternator (actually regulator) voltage is probably not ideal for Lithium. I dont know if the Forscan options include a Lithium or custom profiles. Cost savings benefit depends on actual life of the lithium so who knows. One benefit is certainly weight reduction. There are some other features of the lithiums that might be good or bad: Auto cutoff after a period of inactivity; heater for cold conditions - certainly requires charger; Bluetooth monitoring.

 

[87-Z28]

Sssoooo… slightly confused and trying to make sense of this thread… lithium wipers from Walmart for the win? But only with non prorated warranty?

 

[strawhatguy]

Battery goes into suspend after sitting for 1 day.

glad to buy the ultimate battery..

I use it all summer in New England, sits in garage on battery tender most of the winter.

what is the biggest and best battery brand or type to buy for my situation?

Thanks

I was having this issue, and as it was still under warranty, I had the battery tested at the dealer. It was fine, good even, but there was a code on my Bronco the tech reset, since then it’s been fine. Unfortunately I didn’t get which code it was but maybe it’s just that simple.

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