Best battery, optima or not?
12-27-2009, 02:11 AM
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 54
Best battery, optima or not?
I know that replacing my battery is not the proper fix for lights dimming and such, that is why i will soon be investing in a HO alternator.
Now that being said, who makes the best battery for car audio/daily driving?
Ive heard good and bad about optima, a friend of mine has a yellow top in his durango with his system (over 1000w rms of power) and has never had any problems with it...however those optimas are so damn expensive
What is the best battery???
Now that being said, who makes the best battery for car audio/daily driving?
Ive heard good and bad about optima, a friend of mine has a yellow top in his durango with his system (over 1000w rms of power) and has never had any problems with it...however those optimas are so damn expensive
What is the best battery???
12-28-2009, 01:43 AM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 54
12-28-2009, 11:06 PM
#5
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Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Posts: 70,650
My Red Top lasted about 6 months. Didn't like extended periods of non-use. Shop that built my stroker threw it in the battery graveyard in the back of the shop, which was 90% Red Top... said they hated them becasue they were so unreliable. They put in an AC/Delco Professional, and it lasted 8 years with no problems.
Currently have a Braille Lightweight, but its not something you would put in a car with a demanding audio system.
Currently have a Braille Lightweight, but its not something you would put in a car with a demanding audio system.
12-30-2009, 09:17 AM
#6
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Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: Haslett, Michigan
Posts: 2,161
All you really need is a reliable battery. Huge CCA, or a deep-cycle yellow top is not necessary. Get an AC Delco battery, an Interstate, or a Diehard. Save a few bucks. Spend it on some better struts or something.
I've got an Optima that I use for my camper. It used to be in the Trans Am but it weighs 41 pounds. I took it out and installed a 14-pound Oddyssey gell cell battery. It's only got a few minutes of capacity, but when I park my car in the garage, I hook up the trickle charger. Of course, mine's more of a track car nowdays. If I was daily driving it, I'd rip out the roll bar, put in a smaller cam, reinstall the air conditioning, the cruise control, and of course, put in a decent AC Delco battery.
I've got an Optima that I use for my camper. It used to be in the Trans Am but it weighs 41 pounds. I took it out and installed a 14-pound Oddyssey gell cell battery. It's only got a few minutes of capacity, but when I park my car in the garage, I hook up the trickle charger. Of course, mine's more of a track car nowdays. If I was daily driving it, I'd rip out the roll bar, put in a smaller cam, reinstall the air conditioning, the cruise control, and of course, put in a decent AC Delco battery.
12-30-2009, 06:16 PM
#7
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Oakland, California
Posts: 9,710
My Red Top lasted about 6 months. Didn't like extended periods of non-use. Shop that built my stroker threw it in the battery graveyard in the back of the shop, which was 90% Red Top... said they hated them becasue they were so unreliable. They put in an AC/Delco Professional, and it lasted 8 years with no problems.
12-30-2009, 06:20 PM
#8
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Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: Haslett, Michigan
Posts: 2,161
I just make sure it's doesnt stay discharged for long periods of time by keeping it on a battery tender when not in use. I probably charge it about three times per year when it's on the shelf.
12-30-2009, 06:30 PM
#9
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Oakland, California
Posts: 9,710
It's still under warranty (Autozone) so I may replace it if its 100% covered, but if I have to prorate it, I may switch it over to a Duralast Gold... as long as it has side terminals and will fit in my battery box.
01-04-2010, 10:25 AM
#10
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 13
Fred, I’m sorry to hear about the problem you had with your RedTop. No battery likes extended periods of non-use, especially if it is connected to a vehicle with a substantial key-off load. Many of the “bad” batteries returned to us today (and perhaps some sitting behind the shop that built your motor) are simply deeply discharged below 10.5 volts and work fine, when properly recharged.
Most chargers will have no trouble charging an Optima under normal conditions. However, many standard battery chargers will not recharge any battery discharged below 10.5 volts and most flooded batteries discharged below 10.5 volts are unrecoverable. The upside for owners of AGM-style batteries, like Optimas, is that although the low internal resistance in our batteries allows them to be deeply-discharged below 10.5 volts, they are able to recover from such deep discharging with a standard charger through parallel charging.
To charge a deeply-discharged Optima with a regular charger, you can wire a second fully-charged automotive battery (12V+) to the discharged Optima in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to either battery, setting the charger at 10 amps for 2 hours and monitoring it frequently. When the discharged Optima reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the second battery and continue charging the Optima until fully charged.
Typically we recommend charging at a relatively low current, such as 2 amps, but when a battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. However, if you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up sulfation that may have occurred.
If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, estimate charging time by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2 for a rough estimate of charging time in hours.
In most cases, these steps will recover an Optima battery. It’s ok for the Optima battery to get slightly warm during the charging process, but hot to the touch or hissing from the battery indicates a short and the process should be discontinued. If the battery reaches a full state of charge, but does not maintain voltage at or near its fully-charged state (disconnected from a vehicle) for 12-24 hours afterwards, the battery is probably not recoverable.
If you’d rather not deal with that, you can always take your battery to a professional battery specialist, like Interstate, who knows AGM technology. Most of them are willing to provide “charge and check” procedures for a small fee and many will provide the service for free.
Battery tenders/maintainers are great investments, which will help extend the life of any battery that sees extended periods of non-use. For those of you who store your vehicles without tenders or maintainers, we recommend making sure your battery is fully-charged and disconnected from your vehicle when it goes into storage. It’s also a good idea to check the voltage on the battery periodically, to make sure it stays above 12.4 volts. When bringing your vehicle out of storage, check the voltage again and if it needs a charge, do so with a battery charger before starting your vehicle. Asking your alternator to recharge a deeply-discharged battery may shorten the life of both your alternator and battery.
RedTops are suitable for most relatively-stock applications. However, if you run a vehicle with a lot of aftermarket electronics or no alternator, we recommend a deep-cycle YellowTop. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. I appreciate your interest in Optima Batteries!
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Most chargers will have no trouble charging an Optima under normal conditions. However, many standard battery chargers will not recharge any battery discharged below 10.5 volts and most flooded batteries discharged below 10.5 volts are unrecoverable. The upside for owners of AGM-style batteries, like Optimas, is that although the low internal resistance in our batteries allows them to be deeply-discharged below 10.5 volts, they are able to recover from such deep discharging with a standard charger through parallel charging.
To charge a deeply-discharged Optima with a regular charger, you can wire a second fully-charged automotive battery (12V+) to the discharged Optima in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to either battery, setting the charger at 10 amps for 2 hours and monitoring it frequently. When the discharged Optima reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the second battery and continue charging the Optima until fully charged.
Typically we recommend charging at a relatively low current, such as 2 amps, but when a battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. However, if you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up sulfation that may have occurred.
If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, estimate charging time by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2 for a rough estimate of charging time in hours.
In most cases, these steps will recover an Optima battery. It’s ok for the Optima battery to get slightly warm during the charging process, but hot to the touch or hissing from the battery indicates a short and the process should be discontinued. If the battery reaches a full state of charge, but does not maintain voltage at or near its fully-charged state (disconnected from a vehicle) for 12-24 hours afterwards, the battery is probably not recoverable.
If you’d rather not deal with that, you can always take your battery to a professional battery specialist, like Interstate, who knows AGM technology. Most of them are willing to provide “charge and check” procedures for a small fee and many will provide the service for free.
Battery tenders/maintainers are great investments, which will help extend the life of any battery that sees extended periods of non-use. For those of you who store your vehicles without tenders or maintainers, we recommend making sure your battery is fully-charged and disconnected from your vehicle when it goes into storage. It’s also a good idea to check the voltage on the battery periodically, to make sure it stays above 12.4 volts. When bringing your vehicle out of storage, check the voltage again and if it needs a charge, do so with a battery charger before starting your vehicle. Asking your alternator to recharge a deeply-discharged battery may shorten the life of both your alternator and battery.
RedTops are suitable for most relatively-stock applications. However, if you run a vehicle with a lot of aftermarket electronics or no alternator, we recommend a deep-cycle YellowTop. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. I appreciate your interest in Optima Batteries!
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Last edited by OptimaJim; 01-08-2010 at 04:56 PM. Reason: Clarifying that most battery chargers have no trouble charging an Optima battery.
01-07-2010, 06:16 PM
#11
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Anchorage.. but currently in Ft. Benning
Posts: 466
I had an Optima in my Camaro and i will NEVER buy another. Im so dissatisfied with optima i would not even use the $120 credit offered to me for a replacement optima. Injuneer is correct these batteries cannot sit at all or they will die on you. He is also right about a lot of the bad batteries in disposal locations being optimas. Ive seen this aswel. And optima jim im sorry but your claim that no battery can sit like that is inaccurate. Most quality batteries will tolerate this much longer than an optima. True sitting for long periods of time is bad. But come on... I had my optima discharge after 3 weeks of sitting. This happened numerious times and ive been told that the reason why is because once an optima drains itll never have its origional charge capacity. What makes an optima even worse is you have to have an AGM capible charger, or wire it in paralell with a standard battery and charge the standard battery WTF! Dude its not even worth the hassle i promise you. The only thing these batteries can do that my lead acid cant is be turned upside down. Thats IT. But my lead acid is more reliable, easy and quick to charge, and like most newer lead acid batteries are maintenence free just like the optima. I paid $80 less for my new battery than i did with my optima and i also have a system in my car. Save yourself the hassle, time, and money and go buy an Exide battery. Id reccomend staying away from optima.
01-07-2010, 07:36 PM
#12
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 626
I have an optima from 1998. Thing has seen all kinds of extremes. From 112 degrees in the daytime.. to sitting in a car over winter and being completely dead. Stuck it on my black & decker charger, switched it on, and it came right back. Still using the thing as it holds a good charge. So it has been going nearly 11 years now. I have also thought about an Exide Orbital. Same premise as the Optima.
01-08-2010, 05:15 PM
#13
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 13
Future Z Owner, I’m sorry you had a bad experience with your Optima. I didn’t claim that “no battery can sit.” I said, “no battery likes extended periods of non-use, especially if it is connected to a vehicle with a substantial key-off load.” That is a true statement, regardless of brand. All batteries gradually lose their charge over time if they are not properly maintained. This can include jump-starting dead batteries and not recharging them with a battery charger. If a battery drops below 12.4 volts, sulfation really begins to affect battery performance.
I know three weeks of sitting may not seem very long for you, but ZO6 owners will tell you their cars rarely go longer than that, before their batteries go dead. Aftermarket stereos, car alarms, GPS systems and other electronic devices all hold the potential for creating higher key-off loads and accelerating the discharge process.
A vehicle can be tested for a high key-off load with an ammeter or DMM on the DC amps setting. With the ignition off, disconnect one of the battery cables. Connect one ammeter lead to the battery and the other to the cable. It may be necessary to wait several minutes after first starting your measurement for some items in your vehicle to “go to sleep.” The normal current drain on most vehicles should be about 25 milliamps or less. If your key-off load exceeds 100 milliamps, you can isolate the problem by pulling one fuse at a time from the fuse panel until the ammeter reading drops.
Any battery that is deeply-discharged will lose some of its original capacity when recharged, but the fact is Optima batteries will hold up better in these situations than standard flooded batteries.
As Angelis83LT has indicated, you do not need a special charger to charge an Optima battery (I’m glad your 11-year old Optima is still getting the job done). Just about any battery charger on the market will charge an Optima battery in normal situations. The technique I described above is only for situations where batteries are deeply-discharged. I apologize for not making that clear in my original post and I will edit it accordingly. You are correct about our batteries being able to be turned upside down. They are also far less susceptible to leaking acid and damaging engine compartments.
I visit a wide variety of message boards and it’s interesting to read some of the stories people share about our batteries, especially those who serve in our military, since our batteries can be found in a variety of military applications. I’ve read stories from people who warn others to avoid our batteries, because they see large quantities of used Optimas stacked up on pallets at their base (our colored tops do tend to stand out) and they assume those batteries are all defective. I then go to other boards and read stories from other service personnel, who work directly with our batteries. They describe their standard procedure for regularly checking voltage, charging and replacing Optimas after a certain period of time, whether they need it or not. I got the impression that more than a few of those “dead” batteries are still in use today. One man’s trash truly is another man’s treasure.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
I know three weeks of sitting may not seem very long for you, but ZO6 owners will tell you their cars rarely go longer than that, before their batteries go dead. Aftermarket stereos, car alarms, GPS systems and other electronic devices all hold the potential for creating higher key-off loads and accelerating the discharge process.
A vehicle can be tested for a high key-off load with an ammeter or DMM on the DC amps setting. With the ignition off, disconnect one of the battery cables. Connect one ammeter lead to the battery and the other to the cable. It may be necessary to wait several minutes after first starting your measurement for some items in your vehicle to “go to sleep.” The normal current drain on most vehicles should be about 25 milliamps or less. If your key-off load exceeds 100 milliamps, you can isolate the problem by pulling one fuse at a time from the fuse panel until the ammeter reading drops.
Any battery that is deeply-discharged will lose some of its original capacity when recharged, but the fact is Optima batteries will hold up better in these situations than standard flooded batteries.
As Angelis83LT has indicated, you do not need a special charger to charge an Optima battery (I’m glad your 11-year old Optima is still getting the job done). Just about any battery charger on the market will charge an Optima battery in normal situations. The technique I described above is only for situations where batteries are deeply-discharged. I apologize for not making that clear in my original post and I will edit it accordingly. You are correct about our batteries being able to be turned upside down. They are also far less susceptible to leaking acid and damaging engine compartments.
I visit a wide variety of message boards and it’s interesting to read some of the stories people share about our batteries, especially those who serve in our military, since our batteries can be found in a variety of military applications. I’ve read stories from people who warn others to avoid our batteries, because they see large quantities of used Optimas stacked up on pallets at their base (our colored tops do tend to stand out) and they assume those batteries are all defective. I then go to other boards and read stories from other service personnel, who work directly with our batteries. They describe their standard procedure for regularly checking voltage, charging and replacing Optimas after a certain period of time, whether they need it or not. I got the impression that more than a few of those “dead” batteries are still in use today. One man’s trash truly is another man’s treasure.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
01-13-2010, 09:24 AM
#15
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 13
Yes. I've also been a member here since 1999 (using a different screen name) and I share a birthday with Chris Frezza.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries