How Many Cold Cranking Amps Do I Really Need?
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- OPTIMA Batteries
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- Glendale, WI
Cold Cranking Amps have long been touted in battery marketing as the go-to specification when selecting a battery, with "more is better" being a common theme, but is it true? Before we get into figuring out how many cold cranking amps you really need, let's define cold cranking amps. Cold Cranking Amps (aka CCA) is the number of amps a 12 volt battery can deliver for 30 seconds at a temperature of 0°F, while maintaining at least 7.2 volts.
The first question you should ask yourself is if your vehicle will ever encounter temperatures as cold as 0°F? For about 90% of the United States, the answer is "probably not." Even those who live in areas like Wisconsin or Minnesota, where temperatures can get that cold during the winter, may still park their vehicles in garages overnight that could be 20 degrees warmer than the air temperature. While most of the US won't see more than a few days of such extremely cold temperatures, they are more common in Canada and Alaska.
The second question you should ask is how long it takes for your engine to start? Most start within a second or two and even older diesel trucks probably won't need to crank for a full 30 seconds. So do you really need to buy a car battery with as many cranking amps as you can find? Probably not. You should definitely buy a battery that meets the requirements set forth by the OE manufacturer, but there's probably not a need to buy a battery that far exceeds the cranking requirements of your vehicle.
What you may want to pay closer attention to is the Ah or Reserve Capacity rating of the battery. As explained in this video, even though newer engines are often smaller than older engines, the batteries being used in those vehicles are significantly larger than those used in older vehicles. Why do newer vehicles with smaller engines need such big batteries? Because newer vehicles are more demanding from an electrical standpoint than ever before. Vehicles equipped with start/stop technology will cycle batteries far more than a vehicle from even 10 years ago, that doesn't have that feature.
Many modern vehicles also have satellite-based connectivity for radio stations, integrated car alarms and tracking systems like OnStar, that operate at all times and do consume battery power. Auto manufacturers know this and they are also familiar with Peukert's Law, which draws a connection between how quickly and deeply batteries are discharged and how that impacts battery performance and lifespan. The easy answer, at least to maximize the chance a battery will operate through the end of its warranty coverage, is to use a physically larger battery.
That's why you see automakers using significantly larger batteries in vehicles with small, four-cylinder engines, than they ever did in the older days of big block powerplants. It's not about the cranking power or CCA, it's about the reserve capacity over time. If it's a focus of importance for automakers, it should be a focus of your attention as well. The H7 or 94R battery is now commonly used in many modern vehicles and it is significantly larger than batteries used in similar applications just a generation ago.
OPTIMA's DH7 YELLOWTOP weighs in at just over 60 pounds, but in the case of modern lead-acid batteries, more weight is a good thing, because it indicates the presence of more active material and more robust components, like the cast straps that connect the cells together in OPTIMA Batteries. We routinely see batteries of the same H7/94R size, that occupy the same amount of space but somehow weigh eight pounds less. Whether it's less active material or less robust components inside the battery, either possibility is likely to lead to poorer performance and a shorter operating lifespan.
Conclusion
To answer the battery question as it relates to how many cold cranking amps someone really needs, will probably come down to a decision you'll need to make for a specific size of battery, like the H7, Group 48 or some other size that is specifically called for in your vehicle. You'll have some choices within that specific size, commonly referred to as "good, better or best" at a given retailer and each choice may have varying specifications, prices and/or warranty terms. All of those batteries are likely to provide enough cranking amps (or cold cranking amps) for your engine, but if you live in an extremely cold environment (like Alaska or Canada), give more consideration to batteries rated at a higher CCA.
For everyone who doesn't live in Canada or Alaska, given what we've explained about the electrical demands of modern vehicles, we think it would make a lot of sense to consider the weight of the battery and the Ah or Reserve Capacity rating when making your purchase decision. Those specifications are far more likely to have an impact on battery performance and lifespan for your vehicle than Cold Cranking Amps.
Whatever battery you do end up choosing, we'll remind you that proper voltage maintenance is the key to maximizing the performance and lifespan of that battery. Using a quality battery maintenance device on a regular basis may not make the cheapest battery perform as well as the best battery, but you'll get the maximum performance and lifespan that battery is capable of delivering, if you ensure the voltage is properly maintained.
The first question you should ask yourself is if your vehicle will ever encounter temperatures as cold as 0°F? For about 90% of the United States, the answer is "probably not." Even those who live in areas like Wisconsin or Minnesota, where temperatures can get that cold during the winter, may still park their vehicles in garages overnight that could be 20 degrees warmer than the air temperature. While most of the US won't see more than a few days of such extremely cold temperatures, they are more common in Canada and Alaska.
The second question you should ask is how long it takes for your engine to start? Most start within a second or two and even older diesel trucks probably won't need to crank for a full 30 seconds. So do you really need to buy a car battery with as many cranking amps as you can find? Probably not. You should definitely buy a battery that meets the requirements set forth by the OE manufacturer, but there's probably not a need to buy a battery that far exceeds the cranking requirements of your vehicle.
What you may want to pay closer attention to is the Ah or Reserve Capacity rating of the battery. As explained in this video, even though newer engines are often smaller than older engines, the batteries being used in those vehicles are significantly larger than those used in older vehicles. Why do newer vehicles with smaller engines need such big batteries? Because newer vehicles are more demanding from an electrical standpoint than ever before. Vehicles equipped with start/stop technology will cycle batteries far more than a vehicle from even 10 years ago, that doesn't have that feature.
Many modern vehicles also have satellite-based connectivity for radio stations, integrated car alarms and tracking systems like OnStar, that operate at all times and do consume battery power. Auto manufacturers know this and they are also familiar with Peukert's Law, which draws a connection between how quickly and deeply batteries are discharged and how that impacts battery performance and lifespan. The easy answer, at least to maximize the chance a battery will operate through the end of its warranty coverage, is to use a physically larger battery.
That's why you see automakers using significantly larger batteries in vehicles with small, four-cylinder engines, than they ever did in the older days of big block powerplants. It's not about the cranking power or CCA, it's about the reserve capacity over time. If it's a focus of importance for automakers, it should be a focus of your attention as well. The H7 or 94R battery is now commonly used in many modern vehicles and it is significantly larger than batteries used in similar applications just a generation ago.
OPTIMA's DH7 YELLOWTOP weighs in at just over 60 pounds, but in the case of modern lead-acid batteries, more weight is a good thing, because it indicates the presence of more active material and more robust components, like the cast straps that connect the cells together in OPTIMA Batteries. We routinely see batteries of the same H7/94R size, that occupy the same amount of space but somehow weigh eight pounds less. Whether it's less active material or less robust components inside the battery, either possibility is likely to lead to poorer performance and a shorter operating lifespan.
Conclusion
To answer the battery question as it relates to how many cold cranking amps someone really needs, will probably come down to a decision you'll need to make for a specific size of battery, like the H7, Group 48 or some other size that is specifically called for in your vehicle. You'll have some choices within that specific size, commonly referred to as "good, better or best" at a given retailer and each choice may have varying specifications, prices and/or warranty terms. All of those batteries are likely to provide enough cranking amps (or cold cranking amps) for your engine, but if you live in an extremely cold environment (like Alaska or Canada), give more consideration to batteries rated at a higher CCA.
For everyone who doesn't live in Canada or Alaska, given what we've explained about the electrical demands of modern vehicles, we think it would make a lot of sense to consider the weight of the battery and the Ah or Reserve Capacity rating when making your purchase decision. Those specifications are far more likely to have an impact on battery performance and lifespan for your vehicle than Cold Cranking Amps.
Whatever battery you do end up choosing, we'll remind you that proper voltage maintenance is the key to maximizing the performance and lifespan of that battery. Using a quality battery maintenance device on a regular basis may not make the cheapest battery perform as well as the best battery, but you'll get the maximum performance and lifespan that battery is capable of delivering, if you ensure the voltage is properly maintained.