News

It’s true, in Florida we don’t have the kind of winters they do in, say, Cleveland or Minneapolis, and we’re all pretty grateful for that. Still, cold weather takes a toll on any vehicle’s battery.

If your cell phone or laptop are more than a year or two old, you’ve probably noticed it doesn’t have the battery life that it used to. That’s because any battery that’s rechargeable can only withstand so many charge/discharge cycles before it starts to weaken, and that includes your car battery.

Now, consider this. An automotive battery operates on a chemical reaction between the lead plates and sulfuric acid in the cells. In each cell, one plate is positive and one is negative, with the acid serving as an electrolyte to conduct, transfer and store electricity. When the battery is fully charged, the negative plate is lead and the positive plate lead dioxide. As the battery discharges, the electrolyte loses much of its acidity and reverts back to being mostly water, while both positive and negative plates become lead sulfate.

It’s at this point that cold weather really compromises how a battery works. With battery acid turning back into water again, the chemical process involved is slowed drastically at freezing temperatures. At about 35 degrees, the battery can store and deliver about 50 percent of the cranking power it can at 70 degrees.

Now, remember that with conventional motor oil, oil thickens at colder temperatures and thins out under extreme heat. Thicker motor oil means that it will take longer to circulate up to the valve assemblies and other upper engine parts at startup, causing wear. It also means that the starter and battery have to work harder to turn the engine over, putting additional stress on the battery.

You may have found out the hard way that oftentimes batteries can just fail without much warning, leaving you stranded in a parking lot somewhere. This winter, don’t go through the cold months wondering if that’s going to happen to you. Stop by Family Tire Distributors in Pembroke Pines, FL or make an appointment, and let us do a quick inspection and maintenance on your car’s battery. We stock a wide range of top quality batteries for vehicles, and we’re sure we’ve got one for you!