Reprinted from CarCare.org
If
your car battery is dead or even weak, you're not going anywhere. It is
the leading cause of starting trouble, whether because of lights left
on, a charging system problem or other cause.
Sometimes it is
just that the battery has outlived its usefulness. But even at best, a
healthy battery in 80-degree weather has only half of its output when
the thermometer dips to zero.
When shopping, remember that a battery is rated by cold cranking amps
(CCA), indicating its power and the reserve capacity rating (RC), which
indicates how long your car's accessories can run and still have enough
power to start the engine.
Since
starting a car in cold weather can take up to twice as much current to
turn over a cold engine, cars in colder climates would benefit from a
higher CCA rating. Check your owner's manual for the original equipment
manufacturer's (OEM) minimum requirements needed for your car and
select the battery adequate for you needs. Buying one with an excessive
CCA rating may be a waste of money.
In every situation, more RC
(reserve) is better, like a little extra in the checking account. The
size and number of plates in a battery determine how many amps it can
deliver. By having more and/or large plates, you can increase the
normal life of the battery. This is what distinguishes a three-year
from a five-year warranty battery.
Battery manufacturers build
their products to an internationally adopted Battery Council
International (BCI) group number based on the physical size, terminal
placement (where you connect the cables to the battery) and terminal
polarity. BCI and the battery manufacturers offer application
guidelines that contain the OEM cranking amperage requirements and
group number replacement recommendations by make, model and year of car
and battery size, CCA and RC specifications.
Reprinted from CarCare.org