I have a 2007 F150 supercrew & I've drained the battery 4-5 times already. Yes, using the radio while the truck is off can do that, but not so quickly. Does anyone have any powerful, long-lasting battery recommendations? Thanks.

 

Motorcraft batteries are extremely tough. Maybe curbing the purposeful consumption will help the battery last longer.

 

get yourself a boombox and some d-cells?, even a jumperpack I have one, and LOVE IT. it is even great for small motors, and when you need a 12v source anywhere, and they are only about 70 bucks.

 

Interstate MTP65 is what your truck should call for. That is the one I have in mine and the Ranger. Interstate is the #1 battery

 

optima yellow top or a kinetik

 

I use Optima deep cycles on my boat but Interstate is the best battery for your truck, hands down.

 

my interstate battery is falling after being 3 years old...

given that it is falling after it ran its self down after sitting for a week, otherwise, it has never been dead.

 

If the battery is going to be deep-cycled as you describe, I don't know how well automotive batteries are going to do in that kind of service.

An an extreme, perhaps consider finding a place to put a 2nd battery with a battery isolator to keep the starting battery topped up, while allowing extended periods of discharge for the 2nd.

Maybe just go for more capacity - figuring a way to shoehorn a larger battery in, or maybe adding a 2nd battery in parallel, like the diesel pickups (well, at least the older ones that I'm familiar with) have?

Other than that - suggest to shop the warranties. I have an AutoZone Gold series with a 3 year free, 8 year prorated warranty - well out of the free period now, still turns things over well.

Don't know who makes the AZ batteries. It's my understanding that there are only three makers of conventional lead-acid auto batteries in the U.S. - guessing Interstate, Exide, and Gould(?). Everything else is supposedly rebranded versions of one of those.

*Edit* However, just because a rebranded battery may be made by Interstate or whoever does not necessarily mean it's the same quality.
Case in point, back in my 'AutoZone-for-everything' days, I noticed that the AZ-branded serpentine fan belt was made by Gates Rubber. Hmm, good deal, or so I thought. While the belt didn't fail, when it was replaced later (routine maintenance), it was compared to a real Gates belt - could see differences in construction and 'heft', with the real Gates belt easily being the better quality. I think it's reasonable to believe that in addition to quantity purchases, quality corners get shaved in efforts to get the rebranded unit costs down.

 

Optima batteries SUCK ***!!!!!! They will not last a long time in a daily driven vehicle. They are good for race cars or mud trucks only becuase they are physically stronger and can take the bouncing around abuse.

 

not true, we had one in one of out chevy work trucks for a bout 7 years, but I do aggree with you that they suck, why spend that much on a bettery that only claims to be more rugged.