Searched but only found some threads dating several years ago, so I was seeing if any new options have come along for our cars.

I need to get another battery for my car. OEM lasted me 5 years without a problem until now so I was wondering if I should just got with another OEM one or are there any aftermarkets that do just as well. Not looking for something that is "super lightweight" just wondering what all of my options are.

 

Five years out of your oem ain't too bad.

I just went with a Kirkland battery (Costco's brand name), made by a major battery manufacturer for Costco. It has better specs than the OEM Honda battery, I think it's worth about $70 , probably varies on location. In my area it's cheaper than the Honda battery and should last as long if not longer. I don't know what constitutes the best battery but with better specs than the oem battery at a lower cost and quality product it's an easy choice for me. Oh yeah you need a Costco membership or someone you know.

 

I just went with an Energizer from Sams Club. I think I ended up spending like $58 + $7 core charge but I have had it now for 3 years and not a single problem. Drive the car about 1000 miles a year, if that and the battery still holds a charge, however I do hook it up to a trickle charger in winter, just fyi.

 

Just put in Delco battery about 70.00 with core. I like the fact it is black and not some wierd color combo plus I have this battery in my other vehicles and have had great luck with the product. Only GM product I can recommend

 

I got a DieHard on sale for $50 - unless you have some special need, any battery will suffice these days.

 

The only real test reports I've read about batteries are from Consumer Reports. They do one every year or two. You can access it from their website.

However, they didn't test our group size, and it looks that there is too much variation between group size's to make brand generalizations.

I'd buy at Sam's or Costco just because they are not expensive, they do the installation and testing for free, and they have no hassle return/replacement policies.

I used to go to Sears because of their free testing...but no more.

 

I still prefer dry cell batteries, but it's a personal preference.

 

Although the cheaper batteries work OK and I currently am using a Walmart special, there is a real disadvantage with many of them.

The high G forces that can be generated with hard driving can force some acid out the vent holes of the low priced conventional batteries so you may have corrosion at the base to cleanup on occasion.

 

Ditto on the dry cell batteries. I run Odyssey batteries in several cars. The PC680 works well in the S, if you have a system and like to pound it the PC925 might be better.

 

If you are just looking for a normal, run of the mill lead acid battery just stick to what you can pick up cheapest. All have similar capacities and reliability. There are only three major US battery manufacturers: Johnson Controls, Exide, and East Penn. Delphi used to make batteries but was acquired by JCI in 2005. Johnson Controls makes WalMart's EverStart, DieHard, Duralast, Interstate, Optima, etc.