Optima vs conventional battery

[300kGN]

Time for me to break down and stop borrowing the battery from my Duramax. Just looking for input on batteries for a weekend warrior which sits all week hooked to a Battery Tender.
Optima
Marine
Conventional

 

[PaCemkr86]

convet.

 

[Grumpy]

Optima ... ya either love them or hate them .. I have it in all my cars

 

[Russ Merritt]

HATE EM!!


The only reason Grumpy's Optima still works is cause they drive that car 10,000 miles a week and never shut it off...........

Car runs all the time so once started, they never need the Optima again......

 

[whitehot1]

Just go to your local autozone or advance auto parts stores and get one of their top of the line batteries, that will be all you will ever need.Should cost around $70.00

You can spend more on the other types but they won't last any longer or make you go any faster (unless you count it as a weight savings from making your wallet lighter).


Ps, don't buy the sears diehard brand. They are junk.



John

 

[corymc]

duralast gold in my vehicles work fine for me

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

i have had an Optima in two of my cars for the past 4-5 years - Not one problem

 

[ChavoLC2]

Conventional

Interstate

 

[Evans Ward]

Both of my Buicks have them and they have served me well for the past 3 yrs. I like the Red Top model Optima over conventional batts.

 

[d90dan]

To put it bluntly,

optima sucks


What's up Russ! :biggrin:

 

[Russ Merritt]

To put it bluntly,

optima sucks


What's up Russ! :biggrin:

YEAH DUUDE!!

Danny!! How's my favorite west coast car?

 

[d90dan]

YEAH DUUDE!!

Danny!! How's my favorite west coast car?

Broke :frown: (I'm still tring to find a way to blame my POS optima Yellow top for the loss in oil pressure)

New motor should be ready soon! You coming out for the WCN?

 

[Scott Atk]

Russ hit on the head. Optima's are fine if you keep them up. If they drop below 7 volts you probably won't be able to get it back.
I would guess that I have the most Optima experience. We use them exclusively on Air Force support equipment. I have literally thrown away thousands of Optima batteries over the last 10 years of so.

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

so i guess if you actually drive your car its safe to say Optimas are fine:wink:
if you have a trailered car with limited miles and starts then i guess get a conventional[?] i dont think mine has ever been down to 7volts. If i know my car will be down for an extended period of time i put it on the battery charger on the lowest setting.

 

[V6UnderPressure]

To put it bluntly,

optima sucks


What's up Russ! :biggrin:

ditto, had 3 go bad in two years, 2 red tops and 1 yellow top

 

[artrenee10]

ditto, had 3 go bad in two years, 2 red tops and 1 yellow top

Ditto that, I have had 2 red tops both went bad in approximately one year. I believe the Optimas are good if you run them constantly and can put it on a charger for at least three days. If not you simply will not get a good charge:biggrin:

 

[CTX-SLPR]

My Red Top went bone dry on me and I brought it back but it sounded like rice crispeys in the case till I actually was pulling and pushing on it with a running car. I like mine, it takes a beating getting my hard to start nailhead cranked and messing around with all the electrical and engine diagnostics and trouble shooting.

 

[JoelGN]

I have three red tops. One's in the GN that I drive 5-10 miles every week or two. Sometimes a month between drives. Had it four years with no trickle or any other charge and so far no problems. Put one in my son's truck right after putting one in the GN. It also drives an amp-subwoofer system. Once, he left the lights on all day and drained it. Jumped it off and alternator-charged it with no problems. The other's in my daily driven truck and had zero problems. I know others who've had nothing but bad luck with their's. All batteries have a failure rate so I likey just got lucky with my three. I bought them because they look cool, theres no maintenance or acid corrosion issues, and - if lucky, they'll outlast conventionals.

 

[Silver 'T' Top]

Red tops in every thing I own .

 

[Evans Ward]

I've gone 3 months intervals without starting my GS (no trickle charger either) and the Red Top Optima starts it right up. Got any other myths or urban legends we can put to rest??