How-To: Choose The Best Batteries for Your Truck

What could possibly be worse than the Monday morning commute to work?

How about when you go to start your truck one cold January morning in preparation for your drive and all you get from the truck is endless cranking or a dull click from the starter?

Of course, batteries are pushed the hardest in the winter and in our freezing conditions it was really no surprise that the fail so often in these conditions.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience, as this had actually happened to me. I hadn’t driven the truck at all that weekend, so my batteries were just done with life after sitting inactive that long in the cold.

I learned a couple of important lessons that day, number 1 being that jumper cables do you no good at all if no one is around to give you a jump, number 2 being that when 5 year rated lead acid batteries haven’t been replaced in 7 years, they’re pretty darn prone to fail at any point.

What is the best truck battery?

If you shop around in stores and online these days, you’ll find that there are more than a dozen different main battery brands. What you probably didn’t know (and neither did I) but there’s really only a few of the main manufacturers that are actually producing the batteries for all of these different brands.

In case you were wondering, the breakdown of the manufacturers of the different mainstream brands are as follows:

Johnson Controls makes Duralast (for Autozone,)  EverStart, AutoCraft (Advanced Auto’s brand) as well as Diehard and Interstate.

Exide is another of the big guys, they put out batteries under their own Exide brand, as well as under Orbital, Bosch and Marathon.

EnerSys Energy Products is the company behind the Odyssey brand batteries.

East Penn Manufacturing is well known for producing the Deka brand automotive batteries.

Top 4 Battery Review

All of these different options when searching for the best place to buy new batteries for my truck has led me to create a review, or comparison of the best group 65 batteries for my 6.0 powerstroke. Of course, if you are in the market for a new truck battery, you would want verify that your truck uses this size group also before buying one (most diesels do).

Take note:  If your truck uses two batteries, it is best to have a matching set, as it will extend the overall life of your truck’s electrical system. Always replace in pairs for a dual battery setup.

Odyssey 65-PC1750T Automotive and LTV Battery

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Features

• Cold Crank Amp (CCA)- 950
• Better warranty: Limited 3 and 4 year full replacement warranty - not pro rata
• Longer service life: With 3-10 years of service life, ODYSSEY batteries save consumers time, money, and aggravation^Longer cycle life: 70 percentage longer cycle life compared to conventional deep cycle batteries, up to 400 cycles at 80 percentage depth of discharge- high stable voltage for longer periods of time^Faster recharge: The highest recharge efficiency of any sealed lead battery on the market, capable of 100 percentage recharge in 4 - 6 hours
• Mounting flexibility: Non-spillable design^Vibration resistance- design protects against high impact shock and mechanical vibration
• Extreme temperature tolerant- Operating temperatures from -40 degree Celsius (-40 degree Fahrenheit) to 45 degree Celsius (113 degree Fahrenheit).^This item is not for sale in Catalina Island

Odyssey has been making the best batteries around for quite awhile now, and while they are definitely not the cheapest option, they are virtually unbeatable in terms of quality.  This monster in particular provides 950 CCA (cold cranking amps) which would be enough power to start the most stubborn of trucks, even in extreme weather conditions. The sealed AGM (absorbed glass mat) design of the battery will hold up to almost all conditions that you can throw its way, from vibration to very cold and very hot temperatures, it can handle it all.

 



Bosch S6551B S6 Flat Plate AGM Battery

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Features

• 760 CCA, BCI Group: 65
• Up to 2x longer life vs. conventional batteries via Energy Life technology
• Maintenance free and spill proof battery construction with 4 year free replacement warranty included
• Backed by Bosch Roadside Assistance program provided via Auto Road Services

Product Description

This maintenance free, spill proof Bosch S6 AGM battery provides greater energy and deeper cycle capacity as well as extended shelf life and greater charge acceptance/recharge capability compared to conventional flooded batteries. AGM batteries have a high vibration resistance, no freezing potential and are the only choice for Start-Stop applications. With Bosch Energy Life Technology this battery is the perfect choice for your vehicle to drive carefree the whole year.

This is a relatively new offering from Bosch, this state of the art AGM group 65 battery boasts a 2x longer than regular lead acid battery life, and delivers 750 CCA to start your truck in the most demanding conditions. Bosch are pioneers of the AGM technology that is prevalent in todays best batteries, so it is no surprise that theirs is one of the highest quality battery options for your diesel.

 



NORTHSTAR Pure Lead Automotive Group 65 Battery NSB-AGM65

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Product Description

NorthStar Automotive Batteries deliver more starting power and increased reserve capacity to power all on-board electronics. NorthStar batteries are designed to deliver superior performance, while exceeding conventional battery life expectancies.

This option from Northstar has great reviews, its a beast of a battery. This battery has more than enough power for most daily-driven trucks and then some.



ACDelco 65AGMHR Professional AGM Automotive BCI Group 65 Battery

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Coming in at middle of the pack pricing, but with a trusted name brand behind it, is this AGM battery from AC Delco. Many folks swear by this battery, it is a very popular option with many many diesel owners. Boasting high cycling capabilities and being very charge receptive, as well as 100% leak proof,  it’s no wonder this is a popular option. I know of a couple of guys who went with this battery and had nothing but good experiences.

 

Hard start issues caused by low batteries

On a diesel truck, the amperage of your batteries is of even more importance than on a gas powered vehicle. When you turn your key and engage the ecm, glow plugs, ficm, fuel pump and starter, a huge draw is put onto the batteries, and they really need to be healthy for everything to work as it should.

I’ve seen trucks before that sounded really healthy and fine when cranking over, but just seemed to not want to start. I later found that this was because the batteries were not supplying enough amperage for all of the ancillaries to do their jobs.

With this in mind, if your truck starts having issues with starting, the first thing to test would be the batteries, if they are older than their rated lifespan.

FICM Damage caused by bad batteries

Another big thing to watch out for, especially with the 6.0 powerstroke, is bad batteries taking out your FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module). A defective FICM can easily keep your truck from running correctly, or even at all, often throwing codes for all of the injectors, which is a dead giveaway.

It’s a good idea to always periodically check you batteries to make sure that they are not putting excessive load onto the charging system, which is what ends up damaging the FICM.

Read more about how to trouble shoot and repair your control module in our FICM repair guide.

 

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