What do you do if your car battery dies in freezing weather and your hands are freezing too? With roadside assistance, you might be okay. But what if it’s the middle of nowhere and nobody can help you out. If you wonder, “Can I use a battery with higher cranking amps to avoid the situation?” then this is the article you need.
What Is the Difference Between Cranking Amps and Cold Cranking Amps?
Cranking Amps (CA) or Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is referred to as ratings that are useful in determining the current or power that your car battery can provide. Despite their similarity, there is a distinctive feature between both these ratings. While Cold Crank Amps are measured at around -18 degrees Celsius, Cranking Amps are only estimated at 0 degrees Celsius.
To get a better insight, you can consider the formation of batteries. If a battery has more plates that are thinner in conformation, then the more Cold Cranking Amps it will possess due to the greater surface area that many dishes offer inside the battery. Now, the higher Cold Cranking Amp will indicate the higher starting power of the battery.
The total power of a car battery fascinates the engineers more than the running power. During the design phase, formulators prefer to make batteries that can offer a higher power within 15 seconds. This interest surpasses the capacity per amp hour needed to power a deep cycle battery. Therefore, we do not recommend you to use a starting battery for deep discharge uses, including solar energy.
Why Should You Consider Cold Cranking Amps?
When you are in the market for purchasing automobile batteries, the two basic specifications you should consider are the CCA and Ah. CCA refers to Cold Cranking Amp, while Ah is a shorthand for Amperes hours. Typically, a car battery has 60 Amperes hours. That is why you need to ensure that the battery can hold enough fluid for a longer time as per your needs.
Notably, when starting your car in an extremely cold environment, the battery’s storage capacity is not to blame for starting your truck or car. In simplest terms, Cold Cranking denotes the power your engine requires for cranking after it has cooled down under environmental temperature.
So, instead of storage capacity, the Cold Cranking Amp plays a part in igniting your car’s engine in cold weather. If you want to consider an ordinary automotive battery, you can look for Cranking Amp ranging from 400 to 750 A. As for a 60 Amp battery, 750 CA will diminish your battery’s output. Thus, resulting in only a few fine cranks. Therefore, you should consider batteries with a higher Cold Cranking Amp instead of storage capacity to have your battery working perfectly in extreme cold.
Why Is It a Cold Cranking Amp and Not a Hot Cranking Amp?
We all know how difficult it is to ignite the engine in lower temperatures when your battery has left you in the lurch. Although warm temperatures can deplete your battery’s juice, cold ones can make it impossible to crank the engine.
During the 30 seconds of high-degree discharge when you have started the engine, the starter battery is supposed to provide a large amount of current. Thus, the ampere values of your battery generated at a lower temperature propose a no-win situation.
In cold temperatures, both your engine and battery fluids are affected. Since the viscosity of fluids increases, the impedance also boosts up. Hence, it is challenging to deliver the current. Moreover, battery voltage also drops down, resulting in less electrical energy for ignition.
In a warmer environment, the hot temperature increases the chemical reactions in the battery, which then provides double the available battery power. Therefore, Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) should be of more interest to you than the Hot Cranking Amps (HCA).
Does It Mean a Higher Amp Battery Will Provide More Power?
A higher ampere-hour (Ah) translates into the elongated run time, while a higher voltage denotes more battery power. Thus, batteries with higher ampere will deliver more power and better performance.
Is It Better to Use a Battery With More Cranking Amps?
Cold Cranking Amps are crucial for your battery’s normal functioning and a suitable life span. As CCA is a measure of your battery’s ability to work in cold climates, more amps will promise more and faster cranking. Therefore, you should prefer a battery with at least 3 cold-cranking ratings to a battery with low cranking amps.
Can You Replace the Battery With a Higher CCA?
It’s frustrating not to be able to start a car due to low voltage. The car battery goes dead, and you don’t understand why.
Batteries charge with CCA (cold cranking amps). Therefore, if you want an engine to start in colder temperatures, get a battery that has a high CCA rating.
Here is a great solution for engines that do not have much voltage, such as those from older cars, trucks, and SUVs. You can replace your car battery with a high CCA rating, and your engine will surely start up without hiccups!
Read Also: How to Change the Battery in a Ford Key Fob?
What Happens if You Use a Huge Battery Not Recommended for Your Car?
The size of your battery would not affect your car’s working at all. However, it will take longer to recharge your battery with a bigger size. Moreover, you can use a bigger battery without the fear of your car draining the electrical current. The larger the battery, the longer it will last since it won’t automatically draw current.
Conclusion: Is a Higher Cranking Amp Better?
While any battery can start an engine, the higher the CCA, the better. The higher your battery’s cold-cranking amps (CCA), an important measure of starting power, the better it will be at starting your car engine during cold temperatures.
Look for a replacement car battery with CCA higher than the one currently in your vehicle. A higher CCA means your car will start easier in cold weather.
