Battery life

[Dihrdbowti]

Ok so I have had my Yukon for 2 1/2 years now. I don't know how old my batteries are and so far they have not given me any problems. I do have a load tester so I suppose I can test them but out of curiosity what is the typical life span of our batteries and what have you replaced them with? In a couple of weeks I'm planning on leaving on a 2000 mile back roads trip with my son and don't want to get caught. As a side note my climate I would say is mild compared to some. Mid to high 90's mainly to just into the 100's during summer and maybe a week or two single digits over night in the winter months.

[DmaxMaverick]

Optima!!

"Red Tops" for normal use. "Yellow Tops" for normal to deep cycle use, like cranking and dry camping, or if you have a lot of accessory use. They're expensive, but will save $$ when it comes to inconvenience (like a failed battery in the bush) and longevity.

Autozone carries them. Costco has them for less $$.

[JeepSJ]

The length of a battery depends on a lot of things. One of the biggest factors is heat. When I was in Washington, it was not uncommon for my batteries to last well beyond their expected life, as it was not exposed to extreme heat. I had the factory battery in my Ranger last 8 years, and another factory battery lived for 7. At the other end of that, Dad lives in Vegas and even the high-end wet cell batteries only seem to last about 4 or 5 years due to the heat (I'm trying to talk him into Optimas next time).

[kaylabryn]

I have to agree, I live in Phoenix, and did live in Yuma. In Yuma the average life span for most batteries is in the 2 year range. I have since switched to Orbital batteries, been going for almost 4 years with no problems. They also have one heck of a reserve if you happen to drain them down, just let them sit and the dumb things regain alot of life. I know most batteries will recover some once you take the load off but were talking a bunch.

[Dihrdbowti]

I have a red top Optima in my Land Cruiser and haven't had any problems. Even mounted it on it's side. I went out to the Optima site and looked up my Yukon. Optima says they don't have one that fits. So I tried Tahoe and lo and behold there it is... Guess that's what I get for being specific...

[andrew8896]

Yup, Optima is the way to go... I have the redtops in my truck... always turns over strong.

[DmaxMaverick]

....and even the high-end wet cell batteries only seem to last about 4 or 5 years due to the heat (I'm trying to talk him into Optimas next time).

For those that don't know.....

Optima batteries are wet cell, lead/acid batteries. They are just designed differently. They have that "6 pack" look because the cells are cylindrical, with spiral wound plates. The venting system allows them to be mounted in any orientation. They are a much better design than traditional, IMO.

Dry/gel cells are good, but lead/acid is the most efficient/effective method of storing electrical energy (that's practical for automotive, anyway). Gel cells are too sensitive to climate conditions, and dry cells have no practical reserve capacity.

[tommac95]

I'm pretty sure the dry/gel cells cannot charge or discharge nearly as intensely as wet.

I'm running two junkyard batteries i bought used in fall of 2001....but the temps here are moderate.

[trbankii]

I'm looking into these issues myself. I just replaced my motorcycle battery (Vulcan 800) at nine years, the battery in my Toyota is going on ten years, and the car battery hasn't been replaced in the five years I've owned the car. Despite the people that say it isn't an issue if the batteries are matched, I still have this feeling that the two batteries connected has something to do with it. Any thoughts on this?

[N9Phil]

Since my work trucks sit outside, I change batteries every 3 to 4 years. Summer heat is not a problem for me. Winter cold and dependability are my main concern. I always change in pairs using the largest ones I can fit in the holders.

N9Phil

[tommac95]

trbankii--

If the batteries are connected in series [ 6.8+6.8=13.6 , 6.8+6.0=12.8] then matching isn't critical, because a weak cell or two will only drop the output voltage a tad , a weak cell will not discharge a second healthy cell .

If the batteries are connected in parallel , as the OEM GM arrangement, then the weaker battery will always drag the stronger down to its' level , thus decreasing the amp-hour capacity of the total battery array.

One of my used batteries is weaker than the other. So i get the effect of maybe 1-5/6 (or 1-3/4) used batteries , rather than two [13.6+12.0=12.0; or 13.6+12.6=12.6]. Each time i connect the batteries together a small arc indicates that they are at different levels, attempting to equilibrate; the weak cell(s) in Battery1 force the strong cells in Battery2 to try to charge them.

Good practice is to replace in matched new pairs, with decent quality identical items.