Battery suggestions....

[TOMMYGUNNZZ]

Looks like the cold spell took out my battery. Of course it was -18 out... anyway, what battery have you had best luck with? Looking for brands, cold cranking amps.
2014 Ram 1500 Big Horn, 5.7 hemi.

Those optima batteries are really good. I have them in every vehicle I own. Bit pricey tho.

 

[Dr B]

Don't forget to chech the manufacturer date. Try to buy one that is only a month old.

 

[rod from md]

Those optima batteries are really good. I have them in every vehicle I own. Bit pricey tho.

i had two opt batteries in my boat..one afternoon , i stopped in the marina and the dock area had a horrible smell turns out one of the batteries in my boat was so hot it was smoking . thank fully i was there and able to turn off the charger and disconnect. later , after cooled and removed, it had become a brick, w no voltage. had I not stopped by, its very likley that would have ended w a boat fire

i had another in my old truck that just completely died to 0 volts without warning

i know many have good results w them, but because i almost lost my boat to one, only run old fashioned lead acid batteries and will replace them every so often..price wise, its a wash over time , assuming they opt battery couild last twice as long

 

[Connie Mack]

cold weather an diesel are hard on batteries, i splurged an have (2) yellow tops. really don't need that much battery, but when ya need them they are there. i believe the red tops would of been just fine.

 

[EricKBattleGround]

I asked a colleague who has designed charging systems for about 10 years for medium- and heavy-duty trucks when I needed to replace batteries last year on another diesel-powered rig (NOT my Ram). The summary of the conversation:

Tie for first place: hands down, Northstar and Enersys (Odyssey). Northstar was purchased by Enersys in 2019 or 2020. Expensive...they will last a long time, 3 years is typical in a sleeper-cab big rig where a year might be all you get from something else. You get what you pay for, and you will pay for what you get.

#3 - Interstate batteries. It is a big step down from Northstar and Enersys. These are usually available at Costco and may be available at independent repair shops. (I have a pair in a truck with a diesel engine that's not a Dodge, and they are happy to crank the engine over.)
#4 - Johnson Controls. Used to make DieHard and several other brands, including - past tense - Costco. Harder to find.

From there, you are buying a commodity product, and should have the expectation that it won't last as long or work as well. In a sleeper-cab semi, a year is great performance (4 x Group 31 batteries) for any of the commodity batteries.

 

[Brian2081]

I had a Optima red top when they were made in Colorado. That battery lasted almost 10 yrs in my old 98 Silverado 2500, and we had some pretty harsh winters.

When it died I replaced it with another red top, and only got about 3 yrs. out of it when it died (WTF) $230. Turns out during the run of the first battery, Optima moved manufacturing to Mexico and longevity went by the wayside.

Bye Bye Optima. Hello Diehard again, and was still going strong when I sold 2.5 yrs ago.

Oh, and I was not the only person complaining about Optima's short life span.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I asked a colleague who has designed charging systems for about 10 years for medium- and heavy-duty trucks when I needed to replace batteries last year on another diesel-powered rig (NOT my Ram). The summary of the conversation:

Tie for first place: hands down, Northstar and Enersys (Odyssey). Northstar was purchased by Enersys in 2019 or 2020. Expensive...they will last a long time, 3 years is typical in a sleeper-cab big rig where a year might be all you get from something else. You get what you pay for, and you will pay for what you get.

#3 - Interstate batteries. It is a big step down from Northstar and Enersys. These are usually available at Costco and may be available at independent repair shops. (I have a pair in a truck with a diesel engine that's not a Dodge, and they are happy to crank the engine over.)
#4 - Johnson Controls. Used to make DieHard and several other brands, including - past tense - Costco. Harder to find.

From there, you are buying a commodity product, and should have the expectation that it won't last as long or work as well. In a sleeper-cab semi, a year is great performance (4 x Group 31 batteries) for any of the commodity batteries.

Johnson Controls moved their battery manufacturing from Milwaukee to Mexico. Quality went way down.

All that's left in the US is Northstar, Odyssey, East Penn (Deka, Duracell, RoadRunner), and Trojan (deep cycle).
In the never-ending race to the bottom for maximum Executive Pay, I suppose it's only a matter of time before they're gone too.

 

[crash68]

I checked the meter on the cluster this morning and it’s showing 14 and over the middle line while driving. So maybe it’s ok for now? Not sure if the gage is reliable though.

You checked the voltage gauge while driving? That just tells you your alternator is working.
You'll want to check your battery after it has sat overnight before you start the truck with a good voltmeter, not the dash

 

['06 Ram 2500]

Duralast AGM from Autozone. Just replaced my battery after 7 years - not because it went bad but because I wanted to replace it on my time. They were hard to find late last year. $220 well spent. Got one for my Porsche as well.

 

[Adam E]

I'm in opposite conditions in central FL though I like the Optimum yellow Top

I've had two that lasted 11 year+
Both went with the vehicles when we traded them in.

I'm on my second Mopar battery, first went out under warranty.
I'm planning on going yellow top when this one needs to be replaced.

 

[RedSRT4Me]

Johnson Controls moved their battery manufacturing from Milwaukee to Mexico. Quality went way down.

All that's left in the US is Northstar, Odyssey, East Penn (Deka, Duracell, RoadRunner), and Trojan (deep cycle).
In the never-ending race to the bottom for maximum Executive Pay, I suppose it's only a matter of time before they're gone too.

Last time I was informed about Johnson Controls many years ago they were the ones who manufactured Optima batteries. This was 2005 though. Who makes them now?

 

[Different Drummer]

Duralast AGM from Autozone. Just replaced my battery after 7 years - not because it went bad but because I wanted to replace it on my time. They were hard to find late last year. $220 well spent. Got one for my Porsche as well.

I love AGM batteries. Used them with solar on a MH for years. They were fabulous.
I have always thought that when the day comes I would like to replace my under the hood battery in my RAM with an AGM battery.
Can you comment on how well the AGM plays with the charging it gets from the alternator.
AGM will charge fast and will happily accept what ever amperage is thrown at it. However, AGM's don't deal with higher voltage as well.
Anyone with experience, please educate me on AGM batteries as a starting battery.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Last time I was informed about Johnson Controls many years ago they were the ones who manufactured Optima batteries. This was 2005 though. Who makes them now?

Do not know.

 

[MN97SCB]

Ended up going the Wal-Mart way. H7 for $149 w/ 3 year warranty. Went hoping to get the AGM but they did not have any.

 

[RedSRT4Me]

Ended up going the Wal-Mart way. H7 for $149 w/ 3 year warranty. Went hoping to get the AGM but they did not have any.

Right on. When your truck needs to get back on the road you get what's available. The only wet battery was the factory one for my truck. Went south after 1 year. Hopefully yours will last longer.

 

[Wild one]

I love AGM batteries. Used them with solar on a MH for years. They were fabulous.
I have always thought that when the day comes I would like to replace my under the hood battery in my RAM with an AGM battery.
Can you comment on how well the AGM plays with the charging it gets from the alternator.
AGM will charge fast and will happily accept what ever amperage is thrown at it. However, AGM's don't deal with higher voltage as well.
Anyone with experience, please educate me on AGM batteries as a starting battery.

I've been running the biggest AGM battery i could stuff in this battery box for 4 years now with no issues.As far as alternator goes,it's the original one that came on the truck

 

[crash68]

I've been running the biggest AGM battery i could stuff in this battery box for 4 years now with no issues.As far as alternator goes,it's the original one that came on the truck

View attachment 237615

Hey that battery box is cheating...lol
In the Gen4 gassers it's possible to use an H8 battery instead of the H7 size battery. The EcoDiesel already has a H8 AGM 800CCA from the factory.
I replaced mine with an Odyssey 49-950 AGM, it's a 950CCA battery. No issues cranking over a diesel in the cold.

 

[RedSRT4Me]

I've been running the biggest AGM battery i could stuff in this battery box for 4 years now with no issues.As far as alternator goes,it's the original one that came on the truck

View attachment 237615

View attachment 237616

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Nice install! Love the attention to detail.

 

[Wild one]

Nice install! Love the attention to detail.

Only downside is the damn thing weighes 75lbs,so it's a grunt lifting it in and out,also lightened my wallet up by a fair bit,lol.They've changed up the colour abit and the price has went up some since i bought it a few years ago,but this is the one that i bought.To be legal for the dragstrip,it takes a fair bit of wiring,as you have to kill power to the fuse box,and you still need to run heavy feeds up to the front to where the original battery was tied in.The master switch on the box actaully kills the battery,but if the trucks running it won't shut it down,that's where the switch in the rear bumper comes into play,as it kills the fuse box,with both switches turned off,i feel pretty safe parking it outside a hotel room when i'm at an out of town track racing,as it's gonna take anybody trying to steal it,a few minutes to figure out how to get it powered back up so it'd actually start. It's wired so i can go back to the stock battery set-up under the hood pretty easily,for if or when i decide to trade the truck off. The trucks built so i can sort of return it to something that can still be sold or traded off,the only thing i wouldn't go back to stock on,would be the cam and headers,they'd go with the truck,but all the nitrous set-up along with the stand alone fuel cell / battery box etc. are set up so i can return the truck to something sell-able in about a day.This switch in the rear bumper makes it NHRA legal.

MOTOMASTER NAUTILUS EXTREME AGM Group Size 31 Battery Canadian Tire

 

[RedSRT4Me]

Only downside is the damn thing weighes 75lbs,so it's a grunt lifting it in and out,also lightened my wallet up by a fair bit,lol.They've changed up the colour abit and the price has went up some since i bought it a few years ago,but this is the one that i bought.To be legal for the dragstrip,it takes a fair bit of wiring,as you have to kill power to the fuse box,and you still need to run heavy feeds up to the front to where the original battery was tied in.The master switch on the box actaully kills the battery,but if the trucks running it won't shut it down,that's where the switch in the rear bumper comes into play,as it kills the fuse box,with both switches turned off,i feel pretty safe parking it outside a hotel room when i'm at an out of town track racing,as it's gonna take anybody trying to steal it,a few minutes to figure out how to get it powered back up so it'd actually start. It's wired so i can go back to the stock battery set-up under the hood pretty easily,for if or when i decide to trade the truck off. The trucks built so i can sort of return it to something that can still be sold or traded off,the only thing i wouldn't go back to stock on,would be the cam and headers,they'd go with the truck,but all the nitrous set-up along with the stand alone fuel cell / battery box etc. are set up so i can return the truck to something sell-able in about a day.This switch in the rear bumper makes it NHRA legal.

MOTOMASTER NAUTILUS EXTREME AGM Group Size 31 Battery Canadian Tire

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At least that 75lbs is where it belongs over that rear axle.