Looking for some insight on the BEST battery I can get for the truck. This one has just decided to be an ***.

Its a 78, IIRC, the same as the one in the 87-99 H bodies.

So.

Interstate?
DieHard?
EverStart?
Optima?
Exide?
Other?

Need it RIGHT now, so a quick answer would be awesome!

100000000% hands down, optima

in the cold optima'* fail quickly, so it is not the best solution, "hands down" for everyone,

but, considering you are in Florida, freezing isnt much of an issue. that gets my vote.


ps. 2 or 3 of the options are the same battery.

there are only 3 major battery manufacturers.

1 johnson controls, aka JCI
2 exide
3 interstate

I think I might just go with an EverStart MAXX just because you can return it every like 2.5 years and get a brand new one. Doesn't seem like a bad deal to me! not to mention that walmart is probably the closest retailer to me for this.

My Optima yellow top is 5 years old now (maybe 6?). It always starts, even when the alternator died and I drove for 30 minutes.

Optima red is whats under my girl'* hood

i killed 2 red tops, and a yellow top. each only lasted a year, for me. i am now running an jci dual terminal 900 cca, so far going on its 3rd year. each time the optimas failed it was in cold weather or early spring.

http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic582144.htm

From another forum dated June 2006:

"the top two car battery manufacturers, Johnson
Controls, Exide, private label millions of car batteries every year.
Actually here is the line up:

Johnson Controls is the largest manufacturer with 31% of the total
followed by Exide with 14%, GS Yuasa (pending merger of Yuasa and
Japan Storage Battery) with 10%, Matsushita with 4%, East Penn (Deka)
with 3%, FIAMM with 3%, and all others with 35%.

ACDelco is a branding by General Motors and most of their batteries
were manufactured by Delphi, but Delphi sold their car battery
manufacturing business to Johnson Controls last year.

Please see Section 7.8 in the Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ on
www.batteryfaq.org for some buying tips."

I have a interstate and it has never failed me yet,the expensive optima battery I owned before was a joke,took it back for the interstate and saved $$$