How does the Cold Cranking Amperage rating help me select a battery?
(CCA) is the maximum amperes that can be continuously removed from a battery for 30 seconds at 0F before its voltage drops to unusable levels. A 550 CCA battery can supply 550 amperes for 30 seconds at 0F. This rating is only useful in the selection of engine starting batteries. NOTE: Do not confuse Cold Cranking Amperage (CCA) with Marine Cranking Amperage (MCA) or Cranking Amperage (CA). MCA and CA is a higher battery rating measured at warmer temperatures. BATTERY RATINGS How are batteries rated and what do the ratings mean in battery selection? ANSWER: The most common battery rating is the AMP-HOUR RATING. This is a unit of measurement for battery capacity, obtained by multiplying a current flow in amperes by the time in hours of discharge. (Example: A battery which delivers 5 amperes for 20 hours delivers 5 amperes times 20 hours, or 100 ampere-hours.) Manufacturers use different discharge periods to yield an different Amp-Hr. Rating for the same capacity batteries, therefore, the
*CCA is the maximum amperes that can be continuously removed from a battery for 30 seconds at 0F before its voltage drops to unusable levels. A 550 CCA battery can supply 550 amperes for 30 seconds at 0F. This rating is only useful in the selection of engine starting batteries. NOTE: Do not confuse Cold Cranking Amperage (CCA) with Marine Cranking Amperage (MCA) or Cranking Amperage (CA). MCA and CA is a higher battery rating measured at warmer temperatures.
