Angelis83LT

Lets see... I have a red top. was completely dead sitting out in my z28 all summer/winter (I figure it went dead once winter hit) Brought it the house. let it set for about 4 hours, brought it out into the garage (non heated)and stuck it on a NORMAL battery charger ( the 2/10/50) stuck it on 2amp charge. left it for 8 hours.. took it out. put it in place of the duralast battery that refused to even take a charge (thing is only 2 years old too) and it starts the car right up no problem... and the Optima is 7 years old.. That tells me it was definitely worth the 140+ for the battery compared to the 50-60$ I spend every 2-3 years on another battery because it froze and would no longer hold a charge. Sorta hard to keep them all cahrged when I have 6 cars and only one charger, and I have a tendancy to forget about them.

One thing to note though you do not need a specail charger. you just need a standard decent charger. The one I have I bought at sears, and has both conventional and deep cycle on it as well as auto shutoff when the battery is fully charged. Another thing. Optima red tops are NOT deep cycle batteries. only the yellow tops are. The only thing you have to do is make sure that the lead acid in the red top is all liquid (non froze) and make sure when you are charging it it does not go over 150 degrees I think it is. if it heats up hotter than that you have to quit charging it for a while or it will damage. a 2 amp charge will do just great. just don't be in a hurry takes about 8 hours to charge it from dead. 10 amps works nice too. but my clips on the neg got pretty toasty (made the thin rubber pretty soft) So i decided the 2 amp was best for everything concerned.

Ohh yea. and it's been -20 F during the night here for the last week.. not counting the stiff breeze coming off the lake...

MARKTHOMASBRAND

Optima batterries are not like conventional lead-acid batteries which have flat plates in them.In the Optima battery the plates are wound in a spiral and require a special charging technique!

Angelis83LT

I am sorry. But it says nothing about a special charging techique anywhere... it just says it must be a regulated charge. Which just about everything is.

34 & 34R - 34/78 - 6V - 25 & 35 - 75/25
These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep cycle applications.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:
13.3 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery charger:
13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, 6-12 hours approximate.

Rapid Recharge:
Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated).
Maximum current: No limit as long as temperature < 125°F (51.7°C).
Maximum recharge time: Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float charge:
13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

To charge the OPTIMA® 6V-1050, six volt battery, divide the charge voltage setting in half.

All limits must be strictly adhered to.

That Means as long as you have a battery charger that charges between 13.8 to 15 volts You can charge it at ANY setting up to 10 amps. there are NO special charging needs other than a regulated voltage. And Most if not All battery chargers of any worth have a regulated voltage charge.

You will notice really the only thing that has any extra stipulations is on rabid recharge. It pretty much all has to do with voltage requirements. Would be pointless to make it hard to charge it useing a decent charger because even if you were to say jump a car with a dead battery or really low battery, the Alts built today are made to maintain a battery charge, not charge them up from low or dead.. And in the winter time EVERY battery iwill go low or almost dead if a car is not started every day to maintain that charge. (granted it does take a while on a normal car... But the battery is always being drained a little by the electronics in a car, and the extreme cold / cold weather does not help them.

On that note My charger has a float charge of 13.8 +/- .02V and a Regular charge of 14.5V +/- .02V.

MARKTHOMASBRAND

Just did a search on the Optima batteries and there are dozens of posts about people having problems with them and having to change them under warranty in under 12 months.
If Optima batteries are so wonderful then why don't car manufacturers fit them as standard,and don't try and tell me it is to do with price.
And "Angelis83LT" there is no need to be sorry,you are entitled to your own opinion

2000GTP

I have heard of Optimas requiring a special charger, but I couldn't find anything confirming that in the documentation that came with the battery or on their website. I have used a regular battery charger each time I have had to charge it up.

ChrisL

Here is the charging info from the US Optima site

http://www.optimabatteries.com/publi...cal_specs.html

and a PDF from the UK Optima site

http://www.optimabattery.co.uk/pdf/6...sh_1_RTYT_.pdf

oneslowz28

I keep every battery I have on a trickel charger when not in use for a while. This includes the camaro, the 99 gsx, lawnmower, boat batts, jetski batt, 4wheeler batts, and the 2 everlast deep cycles I have for my john boat. Trickel chargers prolong the life of the batts by keeping them at a optimum charge. I had a red top go bad in my gsx but it was 5 years old but I could get it to take a charge with the 2 amp method angel spoke of. I replaced it with a yellow top as it has a 4k watt sterio system in it and I figured why not.

MARKTHOMASBRAND

Just looked at the Optima website,very interesting.It states that Optima batteries will last up 2 times longer than conventional lead-acid batteries yet the red-top only has a 3 year warranty?My AC Delco has a 6 year guarantee!
It also states that the red-top can sit unused for up to 12 months and then still start a car,I'd like to see that happen on a 350 V8 engine.
Call me cynical,but adventurous pictures of 4x4's wading through deep water does not convince me that Optima batteries are any better than a good quality lead-acid battery.
And I'm pretty sure that some people buy them just because they look nice under the hood

eagleknight97

You seem to get pretty upset about the fact that Optimas may actually be good batterys. Are Optimas the devil in the UK?

Angelis83LT

yours only yas a 36 month warranty? Mine has the 36 month free replacement and then a 72 month pro rated replacement.. thats pretty much them saying it should work for about 6 years.. Again I am sure there are ALOT of different instances to take into account as well, since no ones car is the same and the chargeing systems in them have a lot to play in battery life. Lots of variables. I guess as far as those warranties go though, that is under thier tested conditions... so I would suppose that there is a variation of what may or may nmot be true. but that goes for every battery. I am also sure that every battery on the market has alot of good ones, and then ones that are just crap to being with. but again. thats like everything else in this world lol. I didn't notice you were in the UK though, so maybe there they need a special charger?? Just about all of the chargers here charge within it's required ranges. (well except for the 1 amp one.. but really who charges at one amp...)

oneslowz28

^^ mine has the 36/72 too

MARKTHOMASBRAND

Are Optimas the devil in the U.K?
Having done a search it seems that people have alot of problems with them and also alot of hassle with getting them replaced under warranty,just going on what I read.I can understand people buying the yellow top if they have a huge stereo install though.
The devil in the U.K is the guy who charges me $400 for a waterpump,$450 for 2 new tires,$200 for a battery,$100 for a low-beam headlamp,$1600 a year for insurance,$350 a year for road tax and don't even get me started on the price of fuel over here.
If you haven't already noticed running an American muscle car as a daily driver in the U.K isn't cheap,so I have to choose my purchases wisely.
The only battery available in the U.K with the proper side-post terminals is the AC Delco with the six year warranty,which I purchased 12 months ago.
In 14 years of motoring I have never had a problem with AC Delco parts which is why I continue to use them over anything else.
If you are happy with your Optima red-top battery then good for you,didn't mean to offend anybody,just letting everyone know the AC Delco is a damn good battery.

MustangEater82

I have had mine run in for 2-3 years. And I even used to run my car 5-8 passes a night at the dragstrip with no drivebelt.(no altenator chargine) and its still in my car and starts up fast.

average store bought battery woudl be dead by now. Florida heat just kills batteries.

Angelis83LT

Wow... I am glad that I do not live there.. I actually feel alot better now about the prices.. If I felt like i was getting it hard from the rear when buying some parts, You must feel like both you legs have been ripped off from it and shoved where the sun don't shine.......

Gord's Green Z28

Heat causes batteries to sulfate. Cars sitting on car lots in the hot south often suffer from this.

You people who live in the cold, why don't you just buy a battery blanket? They cost about $20 and have heater elements that you plug in to the wall.