DieHard Gold Battery or Interstate Mega tron plus? (1 Viewer)

[AJM0617]

Hey guys, it is time for me to replace the battery on my 92 LC. It is now barely starting at 12* weather in the morning. I've narrowed down my choice between the Sears DieHard Gold and Interstate Mega Tron Plus, both Group 27. which one of these two batteries is a better choice? the Interstate is a little bit more expensive but not that much than DieHard Gold. I would get the DieHard Platinum but I don't want to spend $2XX on battery.. let me know guys.

Thanks in advance.

 

[alia176]

what are the specs on each battery?

 

[greentruck]

I'm a big Interstate Battery fan, because of both personal and work experience with them. But the Diehard is no shady battery, either.

I'll leave that aside for the moment to note something about both companies that they've shared to this point, a national network of dealers able to deal with any issues that may arise after the sale. It's uncertain what will happen, but word is that financially struggling Sears is trying to find a buyer for its auto center line of business. What effect this will have on its Diehard and other battery sales is uncertain. Certainly, many Sears auto service centers have closed in recent years, making their national network less ubiquitous. Just a point of info for those making this choice.

 

[Frankencruiser]

I don't have a winch or other power hungry accessories, but the Interstate battery in my truck is going strong on its 8th year. The truck starts quickly and still starts if I leave the dome light on for a day.

 

[RockJock82]

I just bought an Interstate battery at Costco and it spins my 460 over quicker than my 200$ Optima.

 

[alia176]

I just bought an Interstate battery at Costco and it spins my 460 over quicker than my 200$ Optima.

That's interesting, didn't know that certain Costcos carry the interstate batts.

 

[adrox]

another vote for interstate.

 

[jcardona1]

I just installed an Interstate 65 Mega Tron Plus this weekend as they have a great rep and great warranty. Chose the group 65 size as they have the most juice out of all batteries that would fit...

Specs

 

[Tools R Us]

I'm a big Interstate Battery fan, because of both personal and work experience with them. ...

Agree, good batteries. But, batteries are consumables, they are all going to die. So it best to shop for service/availability/warranty/price. Costco is a great source, unfortunately somewhat size selection limited. Some have had good results with walmart batteries, easy/quick warranty service. We are fortunate to have an account, good relationship with the local Interstate warehouse, great to deal with.

 

[greentruck]

Hi. My name is Mike and I am an Interstate battery addict...

I run a MTP-27F in my Primary tray and a 24XM-XHD (Marine Cranking) in my Auxiliary tray.

 

[greentruck]

Agree, good batteries. But, batteries are consumables, they are all going to die. So it best to shop for service/availability/warranty/price. Costco is a great source, unfortunately somewhat size selection limited. Some have had good results with walmart batteries, easy/quick warranty service. We are fortunate to have an account, good relationship with the local Interstate warehouse, great to deal with.

Kevin,
Most Interstate Battery outfits are independently owned, but I suspect they set a pretty high standard for partners. Good service was a plus back when I used to buy a lot of batteries from my Interstate dealer.

Your point on batteries being consumables brings two things to mind. Since Interstate does batteries...yeah, that's it...their stock is pretty fresh in general. I've been in their local warehouse and have enough experience to see they run a tight shop in terms of turnover and fresh stock. Just enough to satisfy customers needs, with regular restocking.

The second point is a broader one on batteries as we tend to know them in our automotive applications, usually some form or variant of basic lead-acid battery chemistry. And this had input from our Interstate guy, off the record, but forthright as they do stand behind their warranty on this for lengthier periods...

I used to be involved in supporting fleet maintenance for a large grocery wholesaler. Batteries in your truck-tractors are important, but every modern diesel has several, plus a driver who's paying attention to how it's starting, etc. On the other hand, you typical reefer unit has one battery and operates unattended most of the time. Going for absolute reliability is important with reefer batteries. You can't just throw a new battery in every season, which we had a problem with some techs taking an easy out for things they didn't want to dig too far for -- and sometimes justified to get a load out of the gate on time. But as a management strategy, if you want near-absolute reliability from your battery, change it every 4 years.

Why? It's the basic limitations of lead-acid battery technology. Yes, there are ways to generally extend it, but they all suffer from the fact that the plates in your battery are being altered to less efficiency and becoming brittle and subject to vibration damage. Riding in the nose of a semi for 4 years extracts a cost. BTW, I'm no expert on battery chemistry, so that's the best way I can put it from a conversation more than a decade in the past.

Interstate does stand behind their warranty. But it doesn't cover things like loss of a load, obviously, no more than if your fridge went down at home. And their batteries rarely cause any issues short of that warranty in applications other than semis. That sort of hard use does cause a few more problems than say, riding around in a LandCruiser, All I can say is try putting anyone else's batteries in that sort of service and see what happens.

Thus, I typically R&R the primary battery in my personal vehicle every 4 years. YMMV
I'm sure the Interstate battery would likely start thingts the full 85 months, but I have extraordinary expectations from my 80, just like I did when I helped send $100,000 loads of frozen meat out the gate.

 

[AJM0617]

Thanks for all the replies. I am going for Interstate Mega Tron Plus group 65 as long as they give the same warranty as if I were to get the "recommended" battery which is group 27.


Sent from my Windows Phone

 

[bsmart82]

I also like interstate batteries. I just replaced my battery with a Toyota true start 27f, which in my area are made by interstate and I get employee cost at the dealer. The 65 has a little more cca but the reserve capacity is the same as the 27 and the terminals are correct on the 27.

 

[LFD2037]

Have you considered the O'reilly/AutoZone/Die Hard Advanced Gold/Deka/East Penn AGM batteries? I did a lot of research to figure this out. I put them together because they are all the same, just relabeled Deka Intimidator/East Penn AGM's w/775 CCA, 955 CA & 120 min. of RC. They come in a 34R which will fit our rigs w/a 1" spacer under the battery. They can be had for $135-169, w/Sears probably being the most expensive & O'reilly w/$10 off $50 probably the cheapest. They'll last a good bit longer than the lead acid type & handle vibrations much better.

 

[greentruck]

Have you considered the O'reilly/AutoZone/Die Hard Advanced Gold/Deka/East Penn AGM batteries? ...SNIP... They'll last a good bit longer than the lead acid type & handle vibrations much better.

Just wanted to note that this is still lead-acid battery chemistry. It's all sealed (AGM type), though, which is different than the maintenance-free auto batteries typically used.

Yes, vibration resistant, that's the real issue here for off-road rigs. Thing is they start off good from the factory, but the plates erode in service. Various methods to slow this, make vulnerable areas thicker, etc, but it's just like people getting old. They all do eventually, some just take longer than others.

 

[LFD2037]

Just wanted to note that this is still lead-acid battery chemistry. It's all sealed (AGM type), though, which is different than the maintenance-free auto batteries typically used.

Yes, vibration resistant, that's the real issue here for off-road rigs. Thing is they start off good from the factory, but the plates erode in service. Various methods to slow this, make vulnerable areas thicker, etc, but it's just like people getting old. They all do eventually, some just take longer than others.

I left out the word typical(lead acid battery). Sorry.

 

[hawaiicruz]

Sears going out of business not withstanding, I would spring for Diehard Pltnm. if you possibly can. I just traded in 2, three and half year old platinums out of my superduty, that had been abused and run down to nothing, too many times to count, for 2 new batteries no questions asked (literally $500 worth of batteries)

 

[Cruzerman]

I think either choice will work for you. Personally, I would get a Costco battery. Consistently rated very high and priced right. I could be wrong, but I think they are made by Interstate.

 

[Heckraiser]

I have never had to return a diehard battery (because I bought the platinum, lol), but I have returned a couple interstates and it is very simple. I think interstate compensates the dealers pretty well since in two locations I had zero pushback for trading in a dead battery. They carry them at costco now, which is a great deal if you have a membership.

I guess the flipside of that is that I have managed to kill two interstate batteries prior to the warranty expiration.

Right now I have an interstate in the Acura and Walmart "Everstart MaXX" in both the cruisers. The 62 only gets started once every few weeks (sometimes over a month) and even in frigid temperatures always fires right up. I would recommend the walmart battery if you're looking for bang/$.

 

[Heckraiser]

I think either choice will work for you. Personally, I would get a Costco battery. Consistently rated very high and priced right. I could be wrong, but I think they are made by Interstate.

Costco used to have their own batteries (Kirkland Signature), not sure who they were made by, maybe interstate. Now they just carry plain-old interstate batteries. And they're cheaper than the Kirkland ones used to be!