Cascade Crew

Twilightoptics

10 Years and the Optima Red Top is dead. It'll hold a charge for a day, if I let it sit longer it wont crank.

I need two bats - One for the Mazda (sealed) for inside use and one for the Jeep.

What's your favorite brand and why?!

DBL_TKE · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:46 am Post subject:

AC Delco. They last a long time. Have either a 6 or 7 year warranty. Not pro rated. They seem to hold a pretty good charge and can be drained pretty thoroughly and still perform great.

Dewey316 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:03 am Post subject:

I'm having a lot better luck with a yellow top in the Audi then I ever had with red tops, I was going through red tops under warranty returns like they were going out of style.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:23 am Post subject:

Any CON to having a deep cycle in a rig you drive semi daily?

Dewey316 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:46 am Post subject:

I don't see why it would be. The reason I got it, was that you can discharge them and actually recharge them. It worked better for me, if I forgot to disconnect the battery on the redtop, and it sat a bit too long, it would not recharge. Going to a yellow top fixed that issue for me.

chevymad · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:23 pm Post subject:

I see the jeep guys really like diehard platinum. They're agm like optima but built with plates so they have more lead/power. Awesome warranty too. Built by odyssey. Spendy but so is an optima.

This is the one i'm looking at for my jeep.Watch the sales closely, last week it was $178, yesterday $188, today its "on sale" for $208 LOL

http://www.sears.com/diehard-platinum-automotive-battery-group-size-34-78dt-price/p-02850090000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

4 year free replacement with 100month prorated warranty. . But not sure if Odyssey will cover them when sears goes under or not. Specs for CCA and amp hours are more then the optima yellow due to not having air space between the spiral type cells. They arent new either, I see people recommending them at least 4 years back on the jeep forums.

91RSVert · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:13 pm Post subject:

I still like optimas. I had one 7 years and sent it with the car.

I have one red that is 5yos, its starting to form corrision around the terminals Sad

Al Hasse · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:26 pm Post subject:

I just replaced the front yellow top in my 92, I had it in there for 13 years. The rear one for the stereo still going strong, it's been there longer IIRC.

I still had 12 volts and it would start the car after one or two clicks on the starter, but remote start had a hard time and would only run about a minute before tripping the alarm. I might have to check the alternator, but that's one I had rewound for higher output.

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:35 pm Post subject:

There are spec sheets on the optima website.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/products/

Looks like the yellow top has quite a bit more reserve capacity and CCA rating. Requires little tighter spec on voltage regulation. I can't really see why the red top even exists?

chevymad · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:37 pm Post subject:

I've seen more people having trouble with optimas for the last few years. I think Johnson controls bought them awhile ago and moved the factory to mexico. Or at least that's what I've read.

I too have had older optimas last a long time for me.

Ah.. bought the company in 2000 from a swedish firm. In 2007 production was moved to a plant in mexico. Before that they were made in Colorado.

Also in 2009 optima's warranty changed. Now Red and Yellow only get 36 months free, no warranty after that. Blue top has 24months free.

iansane · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:40 pm Post subject:

I've got an optima I bought in the trans am, an optima someone turned in as a core in the bmw and an orbital I bought back in the schucks days in the s10.

91RSVert · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:09 pm Post subject:

That would explain why my first optima was almost 300 bux(2002). This one I got a few weeks ago was 140.

aaron_sK · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:20 pm Post subject:

chevymad · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:34 pm Post subject:

The red top used to have twice the warranty of the other too. But I see they've evened it out now. According to optima's graph the red top puts out slightly more amps at various temps.

chevymad · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:08 pm Post subject:

So I'm going to try out my recommendation myself. Getting the diehard platinum 34/78DT for the jeep. That will give me an extra set of hookups for the winch. BTW Optima doesnt recommend hooking a winch to the side terminals. They aren't built heavy enough for the load. Which explains why I burnt them out on our shop battery years ago trying to jump start a motorhome.

91RSVert · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:39 pm Post subject:

Just the side terms, or the top post also?

chevymad · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:36 pm Post subject:

Just the side posts. They have a smaller connection up to the top posts which are then connected into the battery.

91RSVert · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:19 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info