Anyone use Interstate batteries?

[azTony]

I was looking at batteries and was wondering about the 8V Interstate batteries. Anyone have experience with them? Good? Bad?

[kgsc]

I think the jury is still out but I am hearing those are made in Mexico

[azTony]

I thought Trojan's were the **** but the more searching I do the more confused I get. We (our 4X4 club) get a discount through Interstate. I need to check on the warranty but thought I would throw this question out.

So if they are made in Mexico there is an interpreter required for installation?

[turkeyshooter]

Check the weight on them per battery vs Trojans and it might give you an idea of how they compare to the best. I was told today they are not very good by a battery dealer. He sold Trojans and Yocam.

[rib33024]

here's a few threads on the subject



http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/searc...RID%3A11&hl=en

[azTony]

I guess I need to find a local Trojan dealer...

I have a query out but have not gotten an answer (I may be asking too many questions) but are the cables the same for 6 6V batteries vs. 6 8V batteries? If they are the same size I should be good to go I would think.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by azTony

I guess I need to find a local Trojan dealer...

I have a query out but have not gotten an answer (I may be asking too many questions) but are the cables the same for 6 6V batteries vs. 6 8V batteries? If they are the same size I should be good to go I would think.

I don't know much of anything about the 8V Interstate batteries, but when I was look for 6V batteries last fall, I had a pretty good deal set up through the auto repair shop that maintains my vehicles for seven GC2-XHD 6V batteries.

At the time I did the price checking, his Interstate distributor told him he was getting quite a few warranty returns on the other deep cycle batteries, but not on the GC2-XHD. However when I went to place the order a month or so later, his dealer told him he was starting to get a high return rate on the GC2-XHD also, so I didn't order them.

I ended up going with Exide GC-145 batteries (245AH) purchased through a local tractor supply store.

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As for 36V vs 48V cable sizes: Regardless of the voltage, it take the same number of Watts to move a cart from point A to point B.
Watts equal Volts times Amps, so the higher the voltage the lower the Amps.
AT 48V, you cables will only have about 2/3 the amps flowing through them as they had at 36V, so if they weren't getting hot at 36V, they should work just fine at 45V.
Six batteries are six batteries, so the cable routing will be the same.

[azTony]

@JohnnieB Why not Trojan's? Just curious. There is a lot of threads that go in many different directions like personalities. I am just trying to understand so I can make an educated decision when the time comes. ;)

[yurtle]

FWIW,
I bought my buggy used and got nine years to the month out of my Exides. Made in 2002.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by azTony

@JohnnieB Why not Trojan's? Just curious. There is a lot of threads that go in many different directions like personalities. I am just trying to understand so I can make an educated decision when the time comes. ;)

Logistics and bang for the buck. Which are the same reasons I initially considered Interstate.

My performance goal was driving distance (run-time), so I was looking at higher than standard AH ratings and seven batteries rather than six. The Crown CR-245 was at the top of my original list, followed by Trojan, Deka and US Battery offerings in the 245AH range. None of those brands can be obtained in my local area, so shipping or driving expenses had to be added to the already premium prices, so I kept searching.

A friend that owns the auto repair shop that has been taking care of my cars for years can order Interstate Golf Cart batteries and would sell them to me at little more than his cost. As previously mentioned, that didn't work out because his wholesaler gave him a heads-up about the warranty return rate. Then he suggested I check out a tractor supply store that had recently opened for business (Rural King) that was selling Exide batteries at very reasonable prices. They only stocked the GC-110 and GC-125, so the GC-145 was a special order and the ones I got had only been manufactured a month earlier and the battery voltage as received averaged 6.34V and all seven were within 0.01V of each other.

I ended up paying less for the Exide GC-145 (245AH) than I would have for Crown, Trojan, Deka or US, I only had to transport them 5 miles and I didn't have to trade in my old batteries (no core charge). It was more than I would have paid for the Interstate GC2-XHD (232AH), but I wouldn't have been able to keep my old batteries if I had gotten them.

Personally, I don't believe there is a great deal of difference between the major brands of batteries with similar AH ratings.
My advice is to anyone needing to replace their batteries is to do your homework and find out what is available in your area and go with whatever will give you the most bang for the buck over the lifespan of the batteries.
Just remember that the lowest priced batteries tend to be the lowest AH and the lower the AH the less performance and lifespan, so spending a few dollars more initially might be more cost effective in the long run.