Best Low Rider BatteryThe Skull Crusher Project, which Impact Battery sponsors, is heading to Louisville, KY February 24-26 to participate in the 2017 Carl Casper’s Auto Show. As I read through the exhibitors section outlining this year’s attractions, something caught my eye: The Low Rider Hopping Nationals. I have never seen a low rider competition in person before. And if I were to be completely honest, I really have no idea how the competition is judged. But aside from the intrigue of seeing what these guys can create from essentially nothing, a question jumped into my head. Which batteries are the best for lower riders? And with that, it was decided. My boys and I will be driving north in a few weeks to check out some incredible cars and see firsthand what batteries are being used at the Hopping Nationals. More importantly I want to discover why these folks selected the brand of battery strapped in the trunk. What drove them to make that decision?

Low Rider Battery Hypothesis Formed

Without knowing all the intricate details of the Low Rider realm, my assumptions are that two performance metrics would be highly sought after and essential: Reserve Capacity and Vibration Resistance.

I also have made an assumption that a sealed lead acid absorbed glass matt battery that cannot leak electrolyte would be seriously preferred. After all, these machines are capable of bouncing all over the place so acid sloshing around and exiting the battery would be a bad thing.

My third assumption is that these guys who spend big time dollars making their machines look and perform just right wouldn’t be silly enough to utilize a second-rate battery. They will want to employ the best of the best.

My forth assumption is more of a guess. I think these guys parallel several batteries together staying in 12 volts versus placing them in series and ending up with 24-72 volts. Irregardless of final voltage, I bet most will not own a lowrider battery-saving premium smart charger or employ best practice charging techniques.

As a Battery Specialist, armed with these basic assumptions, and my limited lowrider knowledge, I have an idea as to what attributes and brand of battery would be present at the competition. I also have my opinion as to which would be best for these low riders.

The Batteries I Expect to See

To that end I expect that I will see the following brands: OPTIMA for their superior vibration resistance, ODYSSEY for their high reserve capacity, NORTHSTAR for never experiencing catastrophic failure, perhaps KINETIK (popular in the car audio world) and finally FULL RIVER.

Why I Believe These Are The Best For Your Low Rider

These brands all have something to offer. There are two attributes that they all have in common. For starters they are all sealed AGM batteries that should not leak. Secondly, their very nature makes them more vibration resistant than their non-AGM counterparts (conventional batteries).

The first two listed are heavily marketed and extremely well known. The tightly bound spiral cells of Optima truly provide the best resistance to vibration compared to other batteries. Odyssey has received high marks from the US military and by association seems to receive a special stamp of approval.

Although, not to be outdone and to make a statement of supremacy, the engineers at NorthStar Battery Company literally filmed themselves shooting their high performance battery with a rifle. The result? Well, you need to see the video to believe it…

Yeah, that battery ended up with a gaping hole in its side. Better yet, it is still functional and maintained 12.95 volts! And if that wasn’t impressive enough it was still able to start a Chevy pickup truck!

One Stands Above The Rest

Can you see where I am going with this? We could be like every other battery company and compare the features of each brand and list the leader for the various specifications. But at the end of the day all you would have is a spec sheet promising to produce. Let’s put it into perspective. You just spent countless thousands to paint a canvass out of metal and chrome that not only looks incredible but is expected to perform flawlessly. Wouldn’t you want to trust a lowrider battery that can go through hell and back to take you to the winners circle? For some of you building a low rider is a hobby, for others a profession; still others it’s a lifestyle. At every level, if you want to make a statement, you bring you’re ‘A’ game. This NorthStar video made a statement: When you are using their battery, not even the gun-slinging streets of Chicago will stop you from getting home! That’s a metric I don’t see on anyone else’s spec sheet! Just imagine how it will perform in competition.

We recently wrote an article titled “The Best AGM Battery No One Knows About” which compared several of the top brands and their specifications discussed here today.  If you need that technical data to help re-inforce the notion of what these rifle-wielding NorthStar battery engineers just illustrated then by all means explore that article. The more you investigate, the more enamored and confident you will become that a NorthStar battery is what you want in your low rider.

Conclusion and Forward Looking Statements

Between now and the car show I am going to hop on Google and see what those in the low rider industry are saying and using. After attending the 2017 Carl Casper’s Auto Show I will then summarize what I discovered. I hope my predication on what I believe is being used will be correct. Perhaps I will be sorely wrong and conventional batteries will be used. If that turns out to be the case my next article will have to deal heavily in battery education. Understanding winning habits such as lowering long-term cost of ownership and utilizing the best tool for the job will help produce a winning attitude and winning teams.

Read Part Two: "What I learned About Lowriders, Batteries and Charging" from talking with Louisville Sluggers and Those Guys among others.