Optima batteries junk now?

[rookieshooter]

I've had my Red top for over 5 years and I'm assuming it's the USA made one? Can't be happier.
Now the move to Mexico does have me concerned, but I like the fact that it is an AGM batt.
I have friend that works at Battery Mart and I'm going to pic his brain about this South of the Boarder move, including the warranty and has he seen a rise in batt. failure as far as Optima is concerned.
This Bronco does see some terrain that it could go topsy turvey and don't need acid all over the place.
Just yesterday a friend of mine had his liquid filled battery blow up in his face requiring a trip to the hospital.
I have several off-road lights that stay on after engine is cut off during the hunting season including a twin 55 halogen work light mounted in rear bed...getting guns out of cases, heavy coats,parkas, tree stands etc.
Never had a problem with that batt.
Also the engine is a built 302 with 10 to 1 compression that I assume would require additional cranking amps.
Not to mention an 8000 Warn winch that I used just a few days ago retrieving game out of a gully. And all this with just a single wire 100 amp alternator.
Might mention that this batt. has never seen a batt. tender or charger.
Now I do have the idle set at 1100 RPMs. One reason is the cam, the other is the single wire alternator likes at least 1000 RPMs to make those volts.

And mounted securely below bed.

 

[IZwack]

...the main benefit is not having acid and corrosion all over the place. 7-8 years of clean, corrosion-free battery terminals, cables, tray, etc. is worth the price premium, since it comes with a higher amperage rating as well.

I see your point but I've never really had any problems with having acid all over the place. If that were the case, then the battery casing would be empty over time.

As for the battery post corroding, contrary to popular belief, that's not due to the battery composition or acid. Even sealed dry cell batteries will have corrosion. This corrosion is due to the galvanic process between the metal post (which has an electrical potential) and the moisture in the air. The proof that this is a galvanic reaction is the fact that typically, only one terminal will have a white (or sometimes brown-ish) reaction product. Those battery terminal protector sprays "paints" the battery post and isolates the metal from moisture - minimizing the chemical reaction to places where the spray did not reach.

 

[gmanpaint]

I've had the Sears Die-Hard 1000 CCA in a sports car with over 600 hp and a 10.5-1 compression. Worked flawlessly, was dependable, but being a sealed AGM was not of concern. I run a 1000 CCA non-AGM in my work rig.

The trail rig is a diff story. I run the Optima Red Top in it. Low weight, high CCA, and being sealed is just what I want in this rig. A simple aftermarket battery box to snug it up or a good tie down is all it takes for a tight fit in the EX. I have run it down with lights before, and it charges right back up with no issues. It is a '08 model, so I'm not sure about its origin of manufacturing.

 

[2TimingTom]

I would just buy something local with at least a 3 year warranty so its easy to replace / trade-in.

Ding-ding-ding!

Unless you're looking for some under-hood-eye-candy.

And this is for your Toyota Paseo? So no need for a battery that can be mounted in any orientation or withstand extreme angles, isn't going to be subjected to high g-loads or excessive vibrations......

Seriously.... just get something local with a good warranty.

 

[BrianDye]

I honesty think the Die Hards sound pretty good, and at alot better price I believe I'll be upgrading to one of them soon.

Optima just seems like a thing of the past. They came out in the beginning kickin, looked cool, great reputation, but that's all gone now, they just look cool.

 

[Rick]

I have Optimas in the camper, Explorer, Mach 1, and Dodge Dart.

The Mach 1's red top and Explorer's yellow top batteries have been discharged to below 10v many times due to current draw while sitting, and my forgetfulness to disconnect them before storage. To bring them back they like a slow low amp charge. I have brought them back from stone dead numerous times. The Explorer batteries are only about 2 years old maybe less. I replaced 10 year old red tops with new yellow tops.

I recently read an article about bringing Optima's back from dead. The new smart chargers won't throw a charge at a battery that's too low. In order to get around that, you connect another battery to the dead battery with jumper cables, and then put the charger on. After a few hours you can disconnect the other battery and just run the charger alone.

The camper batteries, two yellow tops, are drawn way down while dry camping and always take a full charge. The yellow tops hold a higher static voltage than the red tops. When I throw a volt meter on them they are sitting at 13.4 v.

I've seen one Optima battery go bad from excessive charge rate. It boiled the gel and spewed out the vent cap. That was on someone else vehicle.

I have never had an Optima die. I had red tops in the Explorer for over 10 years and gave them away, still working, when I upgraded to yellow tops.

What I like best about Optimas is how clean they run. I have never had one eat up the cables due to corrosion like regular lead acid batteries do.

 

[Rick]

I honesty think the Die Hards sound pretty good, and at alot better price I believe I'll be upgrading to one of them soon.
.

I tried the new Diehard gel cell in our camper.. Died stone dead after a year. Put a yellow top in after that.

 

[Maniak]

I switched to AGM batteries years ago.

I was running the exide orbitals (AGM) since Checker auto parts carried them. Now they don't. I got 3 years out of the batteries just like I did a wet cell BUT I had no more corrosion on the battery posts and no acid spills when I went wheeling.

I am now running an optima Blue top since I got it at Costco. They may not be as plentiful as Checker auto parts (now orielys) but there are enough that I can get it swapped if I need to and Costco has a very forgiving exchange policy.

We will see how it holds up. If I get 3 years, I'll be happy. Desert Heat kills just about any battery, especially when its in a rig that isn't run daily.

~Mark

 

[Anime]

Sears just bumped the "regular" price of the DieHard Platinums to $209.99. No telling if this is a permanent increase due to costs or just a seasonal/holiday thing to offset any coupons and discounts.

 

[2TimingTom]

'Tis the season for batteries to start going bad due to the increased cold weather.

 

[mailboxman]

you guys can thank me for this tip later--after cleaning your battery terminals or replacing your battery--put one or two drops of automatic tranny fluid on the terminals--you will never see corrosion -- i apply at least once a year--terminals always look good. I am sure after winter driving or rainy season it gets diluted, but just add another drop or two

 

[IZwack]

Most stores also have a spray that coats the terminal and isolates it from the atmosphere. This is helpfull when the battery is located under the vehicle (RVs, buses, etc..).
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[RickOTR]

Have a Red Top that has been in my Explorer for 10 years now and still holds a good charge.

 

[toypaseo]

I opted for an Interstate Megatron.

I'll keep an eye on the Sears Diehard Platinum for the Explorer though...

 

[ahodges]

IMO... Optima's are not worth it.. If you want a strong battery it's all about the CCA anyhow. Now there are better brands than others but my Motorcraft battery lasted 9 years with absolutely no problems. It finally got weak after I let it go dead at a drive in blaring my music at full volume with a subwoofer for 2.5 hours straight. I had to replace it 6 months later.

Long and short is that Optima's aren't worth it and it is all about how you treat your "normal" battery. If you never let them discharge too much then they will last a long time.. (My dad has a 96 dodge ram with 43k on it and the original battery, but it's never been discharged all the way)

 

[IZwack]

If you want a strong battery it's all about the CCA anyhow.

I humbly disagree and say that I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. I dont think it's all about CCA rating. I had a small battery on my Explorer with a 9,000 lb winch and it did just fine. This battery was for a Civic so it hovered around maybe 400 or 500 CCA. I think that, for most of drivers at least, the battery is really only used for cranking the engine - and that doesnt really take much CCA since our compression ratio is nowhere near a diesel (for example). Everything else depends on the alternator. What is more important I think, is the quality and composition of the battery (virgin lead plates, etc..). I wouldn't run a 400 CCA battery on a daily driven Explorer, but anything over 600 CCA is probably more than enough.

 

[waskly]

I humbly disagree and say that I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. I dont think it's all about CCA rating. I had a small battery on my Explorer with a 9,000 lb winch and it did just fine. This battery was for a Civic so it hovered around maybe 400 or 500 CCA. I think that, for most of drivers at least, the battery is really only used for cranking the engine - and that doesnt really take much CCA since our compression ratio is nowhere near a diesel (for example). Everything else depends on the alternator. What is more important I think, is the quality and composition of the battery (virgin lead plates, etc..). I wouldn't run a 400 CCA battery on a daily driven Explorer, but anything over 600 CCA is probably more than enough.

as temperature goes down the power or cranking amps go down.

take a 500 ca batter to -32 degree's and try to start that low compression frozen car.

 

[IZwack]

I agree, but that small battery still started my Explorer in winter.

 

[waskly]

I agree, but that small battery still started my Explorer in winter.

then again you also dont live area where its sub zero, cca > ca i wish they would not sell ca or rate ca battery's since they are so misleading.

ca == cranking amps at 32 degree's

cca == cranking amps at zero.

so when you live in states that goes sub zero, you want a high cca batter not a high ca battery.

 

[IZwack]

But then again, this was a 400-500 CCA battery - which is why I think a 600 would be more than enough (and I had my Explorer in Rochester, NY for 2 yrs).