How To Know What Battery You Need For Your Car

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Your vehicle’s battery is as important as any of the electrical and mechanical systems that help it operate at maximum performance. In fact, because all of the vehicle’s systems are interconnected, when your battery is failing, the vehicle’s performance will suffer. Choosing the correct battery that will serve the precise needs of your car is tantamount to ensuring a long, healthy life for the car. A Ford Five-Hundred battery is appropriate for certain types of vehicles and not others. It wouldn’t function properly, for instance, in a Honda Civic.

Check Your Owner’s Manual

Your vehicle’s owner’s manual yields information that is crucial to keeping it running in good form for a long time. It will provide you with details on every aspect of the vehicle, including those regarding the battery. The manual describes the battery’s details and also how to maintain it. Most will encourage periodic checks to investigate corrosion, electrolyte levels and condition of the plates and shield. The owner’s manual will tell you about the original equipment manufacturer’s recommendations.

Look for Group Sizes on Old Battery Label

The battery’s group size refers to the physical dimensions, terminal locations and type required for your vehicle. It’s based on your vehicle’s make, model and engine type. The battery that you install must be from the appropriate group size to avoid issues. Although some vehicles can accommodate a battery from another group size, it is not recommended.

A Mitsubishi Montero-Sport battery doesn’t belong in a smaller vehicle. For one reason, the logistics will reveal that the battery is physically too big to fit in a smaller engine. This could cause all sorts of problems, from providing too much burst to the alternator to literally scarping against the hood, causing sparks and potentially causing a fire.

The battery label provides information that owners need to know regarding group size. Installing the proper battery will ensure that it fits right and can be held down appropriately.

Other Important Battery Details

Another pertinent battery detail is its cold-cranking amp rating. Cold-cranking amps measure the battery’s ability to start the car during extremely cold weather. The battery will list its cold-crank rating, which refers to the number Battery of amps the battery can support for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

For those living in cold climates, like the northeast or the midwest, a battery’s cold-crank rating reveals how it will perform when the temperature slides down past the freezing mark. To eschew this information is to ask for problems down the road.

Your vehicle’s battery is the heart of the vehicle. It needs to be the right fit to ensure proper performance and safety. Installing a 2019 Kia Soul battery into a Ford Ranger will most certainly come with issues. Even if it is capable of generating the requisite power, because of the mismatched elements, you risk damage to the alternator and potential risk of fire. Visit an online auto parts store today to learn more about choosing the proper battery for your car and thus ensuring high performance for the life of that battery.