Community Forums

Robert T · 03-05-2011, 06:54 PM

Time to get new batteries , they are 7 years old. I presently have four Interstate U2200 for coach batteries and two group 31 Interstate 700 amp batteries for cranking .

I have been looking at Crown and NAPA batteries. The NAPA batteries seem the best buy . The ratings for the coach batteries are rated better than the Interstate batteries for the same price. The Interstate U2200 rated 122 minutes @75 amps, the NAPA 8146 is rated @133 minutes @75 amps,the NAPA cranking batteries rated at 950 amps at a $3.00 less than the Interstate.

Any one tried using a NAPA battery good ,bad or indifferent?

trainsktg · 03-05-2011, 08:19 PM

Well, I've had a NAPA battery on my F150 since last summer. Works great, and it was made locally here in OR (not China

).

Keith

DriVer · 03-05-2011, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert T

Any one tried using a NAPA battery good ,bad or indifferent?

Robert T.,
Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts.

BryanL · 03-05-2011, 10:31 PM

As he says ... lead acid batteries are a commodity based on a mature technology so brand names and such things don't mean much. There are 'lines' that provide models with different trade-offs between capacity, ruggedness, and cost but even those differences tend to be rather small.

That leaves the retailer. Find one who sells a lot to folks who use them like you do, offers a good warranty, and stands behind what he sells.

Then do your part to use and maintain the batteries properly to get best life and service from them.

Automobilist · 03-06-2011, 12:42 AM

Personally, I never really liked batteries in parallel. Just replaced four parallel 12v with two Trojan T105's in series in our Journey coach.

BryanL · 03-06-2011, 08:13 AM

re: "Just replaced four parallel 12v with two Trojan T105's in series in our Journey coach." -- so now you have two strings in parallel. That's gotta' hurt the like. ;-)

The whole parallel vs serial business is an interesting human psych thing ... as far as performance, it's a wash. If you have more than the smallest battery bank you are going to have both configurations, anyway.

What one likes is nice if one can afford it. Others tend to 'like' what works best, is most cost effective, and is readily available from a reputable source. It's nice to have the luxury of choice ...

VietVet · 03-06-2011, 11:52 AM

So what is the better configuration , wet versus glass mat?

Coconut · 03-06-2011, 12:08 PM

Robert
I dont know how much space u have however I am looking at the interstates
u2400 new model have yet to get the price yet from interstate rep but the battery
has an a better rating and only 3/4 inch taller.
As far as AGMs unless gassing is an issue and money is not an issue the AGM are good batteries. Cost effective ? prob not, Longer lasting Depends you got 7 years out of the ones you have not bad. I will prob go back with wets as they serve the purpose and do not cost 2x 3x the price. Plus I am good with the maint of the wets as I dont boil them and keep the water in them but dont overfill them.
works for me
Coconut

mjp · 03-06-2011, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VietVet

So what is the better configuration , wet versus glass mat?

When it came time to replace the wet cell batteries, I installed AGM batteries. I have been very pleased with their preformance to date. Much have been reported on this site and many others on which is better and why. Just my humble opinion AGM batteries work better for me.

Automobilist · 03-06-2011, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BryanL

re: "Just replaced four parallel 12v with two Trojan T105's in series in our Journey coach." -- so now you have two strings in parallel. That's gotta' hurt the like. ;-)

The whole parallel vs serial business is an interesting human psych thing ... as far as performance, it's a wash. If you have more than the smallest battery bank you are going to have both configurations, anyway.

What one likes is nice if one can afford it. Others tend to 'like' what works best, is most cost effective, and is readily available from a reputable source. It's nice to have the luxury of choice ...

Two golf cart batteries don't cost any more than four auto "deep cycle" batteries. But they do offer superior real-world performance. I don't know what type of motorhome you own, or how you use it, but most diesel pusher & toyhauler folks I run across typically use golf cart batteries. Much better capacity, and built to endure the real "deep cycling" that a coach battery lives with. Better charging as well, as the charger charges both batteries equally. With batteries in parallel, the charger typically sees the lowest battery, and charges accordingly. In our case, we almost exclusively dry camp, which means lots of battery use, even with a small solar charger and a diesel generator. In every case I've seen, including three of my own RV's, golf cart batteries in series work better for coach batteries than multiple 12v paralleled.

As far as two battery banks, the coach and starting (automotive systems) batteries are not parallel. They are completely independent, with the exception of a emergency tie switch in case the starting batteries fail. Yours and the original poster's should be the same.

In my opinion; the original poster would be best served by buying two golf cart batteries instead of four car batteries.