Replaced my battery with an H8. My observations:

[FirstFord]

2022 (took delivery March '22) Lariat 3.5 EcoBoost; 15,800 miles:

My truck is not a daily driver; typically, I drive it mainly just when I need a truck. That means that sometimes it actually is a daily driver, and other times it will just sit for days, or even weeks being parked. VERY early in the ownership experience (I think the second week...), I fell victim to systems shutting down to save the battery. It was, in fact, these experiences that sent me to F-150 forums (which is highly unusual for me!) before I made an appointment with the dealership. After looking through several different 14th Gen F-150 forums, I settled on this one. For one thing, it struck me as being more organized than the other forums. And my education commenced!

For almost 2 years, I have been regularly plugging my truck into a battery smart charger/tender, and it has solved the few issues I was having. But after almost 2 years of using the charger, my attitude towards this "solution" began to change. The whole process began to slowly become objectionable - I want to be able to just get in the truck and go! - and just like I do with every other vehicle. I found myself slowly begin to resent the fact that I had to plug my truck in every time I brought it home, and unplug it when I was going to take it out. Enter the H8 battery upgrade. I just swapped out batteries yesterday. These are my observations:

- As is my usual practice, I "topped off" the new H8 battery with a charger prior to installation. And I'm glad I did - when I put my charger on it, it reported that the new, off-the-shelf battery had a SOC of 64%. For the task of "topping it off", I purposely selected the 2A charger option to slowly bring it up to "full".
- In other posts, some people have reported experiencing difficulty in installing the battery, particularly with fit, and had to cut/modify the battery tray to get the H8 to go in. I had none of those experiences - the battery pretty much jumped right in!
- Prior to battery installation, I ordered the battery wrap "blanket" from an online Ford parts source, using the Ford P/N listed in many posts. The original battery blanket fit the battery very nicely. The new H8 blanket fit my new H8 really, really, tight - in fact, for awhile I thought I had the wrong blanket. I had to pull and stretch the blanket to finally get it on the battery. The stretching process reduced the thickness of the blanket significantly, and therefore (presumably) the performance of its intended purpose was reduced. I did not physically measure, but my eyeball micrometer indicated that the thickness was reduced by some 50%.
- The battery cables (and the cabling to aftermarket accessories attached to the "+" side of the battery) took a little "finagling" to get them to make the stretch to accommodate the longer battery, but not a major obstacle.
- I tested the old, original battery after I pulled it - it was at 78% SOC, supporting the statements made that Ford uses an 80% figure. After I pulled the old battery, I put it on a charger to "top it off" before it finds a second life in another vehicle.
- I performed a BMS reset. I hooked up the smart charger one last time for the overnight hours. According to my plans, that will be the last time it goes on a charger.
- From here on out, I should (in theory, at least) be able to treat my truck like any other "normal" vehicle. We'll see how it goes.

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[air2mag]

Please keep us updated on this. I’m about to the point you are. It’s ridiculous I have to keep charging a battery on a new truck.

 

[SumGuy]

I too am planning on picking up an h8 at Costco this weekend. My truck is constantly going into low power mode where remote start will not work, approach lighting doesn’t work, interior lights don’t turn on when door is opened, and more.

The dealer tested the battery and said it is in spec, but clearly that isn’t the case.

I don’t know the value of a battery blanket. I’ve never had one prior to this truck and my q5 for example started with only a hint of hesitation at -15F.

Hopefully the truck can do the same without the blanket.

 

[Brad34]

I just replaced mine with an H8 also. My battery blanket is not nearly as tight. I think the larger battery, while still an improvement, will just delay the inevitable. An F150 that sits for long periods and/or only takes short trips will drain the battery eventually. I plan to plug mine into a charger one night a week and see how that does.

 

[FirstFord]

I think the larger battery, while still an improvement, will just delay the inevitable. An F150 that sits for long periods and/or only takes short trips will drain the battery eventually. I plan to plug mine into a charger one night a week and see how that does.

Your point is valid and well taken - especially without driving the vehicle regularly. Still, even if I do eventually have to resort to putting it back on a charger again I would rather have to put it on a charger once every 4~6~8 weeks , than every time I touch the truck. I would still consider it enough of an improvement that - at least in my mind - it was worth the upgrade.

 

[Nasto]

2022 (took delivery March '22) Lariat 3.5 EcoBoost; 15,800 miles:

My truck is not a daily driver; typically, I drive it mainly just when I need a truck. That means that sometimes it actually is a daily driver, and other times it will just sit for days, or even weeks being parked. VERY early in the ownership experience (I think the second week...), I fell victim to systems shutting down to save the battery. It was, in fact, these experiences that sent me to F-150 forums (which is highly unusual for me!) before I made an appointment with the dealership. After looking through several different 14th Gen F-150 forums, I settled on this one. For one thing, it struck me as being more organized than the other forums. And my education commenced!

For almost 2 years, I have been regularly plugging my truck into a battery smart charger/tender, and it has solved the few issues I was having. But after almost 2 years of using the charger, my attitude towards this "solution" began to change. The whole process began to slowly become objectionable - I want to be able to just get in the truck and go! - and just like I do with every other vehicle. I found myself slowly begin to resent the fact that I had to plug my truck in every time I brought it home, and unplug it when I was going to take it out. Enter the H8 battery upgrade. I just swapped out batteries yesterday. These are my observations:

- As is my usual practice, I "topped off" the new H8 battery with a charger prior to installation. And I'm glad I did - when I put my charger on it, it reported that the new, off-the-shelf battery had a SOC of 64%. For the task of "topping it off", I purposely selected the 2A charger option to slowly bring it up to "full".
- In other posts, some people have reported experiencing difficulty in installing the battery, particularly with fit, and had to cut/modify the battery tray to get the H8 to go in. I had none of those experiences - the battery pretty much jumped right in!
- Prior to battery installation, I ordered the battery wrap "blanket" from an online Ford parts source, using the Ford P/N listed in many posts. The original battery blanket fit the battery very nicely. The new H8 blanket fit my new H8 really, really, tight - in fact, For awhile I thought I had the wrong blanket. I had to pull and stretch the blanket to finally get it on the battery. The stretching process reduced the thickness of the blanket significantly, and therefore (presumably) the performance of its intended purpose was reduced. I did not physically measure, but my eyeball micrometer indicated that the thickness was reduced by some 50%.
- The battery cables (and the cabling to aftermarket accessories attached to the "+" side of the battery) took a little "finagling" to get them to make the stretch to accommodate the longer battery, but not a major obstacle.
- I tested the old, original battery after I pulled it - it was at 78% SOC, supporting the statements made that Ford uses an 80% figure. After I pulled the old battery, I put it on a charger to "top it off" before it finds a second life in another vehicle.
- I performed a BMS reset. I hooked up the smart charger one last time for the overnight hours. According to my plans, that will be the last time it goes on a charger.
- From here on out, I should (in theory, at least) be able to treat my truck like any other "normal" vehicle. We'll see how it goes.

Ever so slightly off topic (even though I do share your fatigue at keeping the battery hooked up to a battery tender), what is the be-all end-all most recommended 2022 Lariat SuperCrew PowerBoost battery I should consider? I know H7 is the max, but brand, model #? Thanks!

 

[FirstFord]

Ever so slightly off topic (even though I do share your fatigue at keeping the battery hooked up to a battery tender), what is the be-all end-all most recommended 2022 Lariat SuperCrew PowerBoost battery I should consider? I know H7 is the max, but brand, model #? Thanks!

I purposely avoided going into that discussion point because there are already countless threads out there on that very topic; and at the end of the day, wasn't really the point of my post. So, I didn't even go there....

EDIT: "fatigue" is a great description!

 

[Snakebitten]

My battery is approaching 700 days in service. I watch it like a HAWK with various tools, the most important being a Bluetooth voltmeter that can tell me the static voltage without waking up the truck.

I am stubbornly making the effort to both learn as much as I can about the Powerboost battery management, as well as extending the life of the embattled OEM battery by putting it on a charger when it starts to get down below 12.3V undisturbed.

Honestly I haven't found a predictable rhythm to putting it on a charger. Which is puzzling.
If I drive it everyday, it will hold it's head up enough to not require intervention. But letting it sit a few days isn't a repeat every time. I might go just a couple of days and it has bled out enough to warrant the charger. But the next time it sits for 2 or 3 days it degrades slow enough to not have to intervene.

One thing for sure is that there IS activity on "the network" on occasion and it can sometimes tax the AGM more one day/night than the next.

 

[FirstFord]

My battery is approaching 700 days in service. I watch it like a HAWK with various tools, the most important being a Bluetooth voltmeter that can tell me the static voltage without waking up the truck.

I am stubbornly making the effort to both learn as much as I can about the Powerboost battery management, as well as extending the life of the embattled OEM battery by putting it on a charger when it starts to get down below 12.3V undisturbed.

Honestly I haven't found a predictable rhythm to putting it on a charger. Which is puzzling.
If I drive it everyday, it will hold it's head up enough to not require intervention. But letting it sit a few days isn't a repeat every time. I might go just a couple of days and it has bled out enough to warrant the charger. But the next time it sits for 2 or 3 days it degrades slow enough to not have to intervene.

One thing for sure is that there IS activity on "the network" on occasion and it can sometimes tax the AGM more one day/night than the next.

I don't think I would be going out on a limb to say that your battery monitoring prowess is well documented and widely known across this forum (and perhaps other forums)! And the result is you have much to contribute. That being said, rightly or wrongly, I have come to believe that the PowerBoosts are a "horse of a different color" and have battery/power/charging scenarios and issues that are unique to themselves. Having a non-PowerBoost truck, I'm still of the hopes that an H8 will resolve this (or at least 90% of it...).

 

[redline]

mine gets lots of long trips daily, most days my truck is on the road for 2 hour a day and i still get low battery warnings...

even over christmas when my truck was sitting i put it on a tender to make sure it would start...

 

[FirstFord]

mine gets lots of long trips daily, most days my truck is on the road for 2 hour a day and i still get low battery warnings...

Yikes! That just doesn't sound right at all!

 

[Snakebitten]

I don't think I would be going out on a limb to say that your battery monitoring prowess is well documented and widely known across this forum (and perhaps other forums)! And the result is you have much to contribute. That being said, rightly or wrongly, I have come to believe that the PowerBoosts are a "horse of a different color" and have battery/power/charging scenarios and issues that are unique to themselves. Having a non-PowerBoost truck, I'm still of the hopes that an H8 will resolve this (or at least 90% of it...).

Yes sir. I wouldn't presume to apply everything equally across the F150 landscape regarding.
But I will say that a Coyote KingRanch loaded with the same options and features as a Powerboost KingRanch, has identical 12V modules and components presenting a challenge to that AGM under the hood.

Or put another way, it doesn't surprise me in the least that the Coyote KingRanch is suffering 12V shortcomings along with the Powerboost. And for very similar reasons.

Honestly, I'd feel a lot more vulnerable with a weak battery in the Coyote because that alternator isn't available to help unless that AGM is healthy enough to spin up the pully.
Where a Powerboost can come to the AGM rescue by simply turning on accessory mode. (how ironic, if you think about it)
Accessory mode on the Powerboost unleashes the alternator to provide a nice supplement of current to the AGM. Of course that does require the HV battery to be at a SOC, when you last parked, that Ford will allow the alternator to draw from.
Otherwise you will need the same jumper cables as the Coyote.

 

[FirstFord]

Otherwise you will need the same jumper cables as the Coyote.

That DOES sum it up, doesn't it?

 

[dadonthego]

These trucks are like teenagers, they spend the whole night texting and refuse to wake up in the morning

 

[FirstFord]

But I will say that a Coyote KingRanch loaded with the same options and features as a Powerboost KingRanch, has identical 12V modules and components presenting a challenge to that AGM under the hood.

Or put another way, it doesn't surprise me in the least that the Coyote KingRanch is suffering 12V shortcomings along with the Powerboost. And for very similar reasons.

Not having a PB, I'm not terribly knowledgeable about them - based on forum readings, they just seem to be considerably more complicated (at least to this simple mind), and have more complex issues. Like I said, "rightly or wrongly", and this could very well be one of those times where "wrongly " would be correct...

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