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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      Central CA USA
      Posts
      6,108
      Country Flag: United States

      Optima Batteries wants your input on their products

      I've been chosen by optima batteries to attend SEMA this year as their guest! While there I will attend an educational seminar on their products, plus participate in an advisory conference of internet forum members from a wide range of automotive interests. They want to know what problems you are having with their products or service, and how they can do better.

      After a brief review of our Electrical section archives, I've seen many posts about how to recharge a dead optima battery, and some reports of battery life too short, also charging system or battery drain issues.

      My task will be to report these issues to Optima so they can improve their products, and also to bring back to you more tech on how to properly maintain and charge them.



      The Optima guys are our kind of people and are investing a lot this year to hear feedback from us, plus if there is anything special you want me to report on or photograph from SEMA (not just batteries) please include it in this thread. I have to say, their heart is in the right place on this, and they just want to get input and do better.
      Thanks, David
      67 Camaro RS that will be faster than anything Mary owns.


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Oct 2006
      Location
      Phoenix, AZ
      Posts
      827
      I rather enjoy the fact that the red tops never make it past the 2 year free replacement warranty period in my daily driver diesel truck. I haven't paid for a battery for my truck in quite a while. They're great batteries through the first 20 months or so though...

      They just don't seem to like the occasional use that the Camaro gets though. My red tops wouldn't make it past a year.
      Jeff K.
      69 Camaro SS, 406 SBC, TKO600, 9" w/3.73 tru-trac, Speedtech Arms, AFX Spindles, Lee 670 Box, Baer GT front, C5Z rear. Hyperco Leafs w/ Fays2 Watts Link + Varishocks.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Sep 2006
      Location
      Southern Indiana
      Posts
      4,699
      Country Flag: United States
      David why other people have had issues, and the blue top blem I bought from interstate battery store, has been nothing but awesome.
      Bought it asw a Blem, it sat out on ground in snow all winter a summer and part of another winter, thought I had bad battery (was starter going south) and then ran it in my truck from 04 through 08, truck sat till november last year, then recharged it as it went dead from sitting, it charged up fine and ran great till I was given a 91 Cavalier to drive, for mileage reasons and it was too nasty to ride my Buell.
      I really need to recharge it again and get truck ready in case I need to exit present employment.
      So far so good.
      I am wondering if some batteries are several years older than thought from sitting on shelf , mostly due to price vs other types. Oh and I think if they gave warranties much same as conventional batteries they would only get back the odd failures as I know several guys who have something like 10 ys or better on theirs.
      But David thank them for the great one I have, even it turns up bad right now its been well worth the Blem price I paid. I only bought it in blem as it wasnt going to be in my daily driver.

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Jun 2001
      Location
      Newbury Park, CA
      Posts
      5,821
      Country Flag: United States
      Maybe I'm lucky. The red top in the Camaro is six years old and still works fine.

      I would like to know about the proper care and feeding of their products. Do battery tenders work? Fast charging? What kind of user-caused problems are there?

      Be sure to ask for a Barcalounger for you to sit in at their booth!
      VaporWorx. We Give You Gas http://www.vaporworx.com

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Mar 2006
      Location
      Central Valley Ca.
      Posts
      414
      Country Flag: United States
      I have a red top in my 02 Z06. I'm on battery # 2. I let the Vette sit one week and the battery was dead. I was told to charge it on a 2 amp/deep cycle setting on my charger. Maybe I have a drain issue on my vette, but the old conventional battery lasted 3 weeks before it would die...
      1969 Camaro..getting closer to being done..I think
      1994 Camaro... Future N.A.S.A racer... maybe
      Victory Circle South West Tour race car (SCCA)
      2006 SS Trailbrazer (Wifes)
      2007 LTZ Chev Silverado 4x4 with the sports suspension package

      Greg is my other name...

      Web page..
      http://www.youtube.com/user/itlbtu?feature=mhee

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Nov 2003
      Location
      michigan
      Posts
      1,232
      Im also on red top #3. they last about a year...then I get a new one for free... LOL
      colt zantop

      1968 camaro LS1.......aka......."NJECTED"

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Jan 2000
      Location
      Thousand Oaks California
      Posts
      10,028
      Country Flag: United States
      I myself have had good luck. The pair of yellow tops in the trunk of MotiV8r are only a year old so it's too early to tell. All the other red tops I have used in various vehicles have outlasted any thing else I have used.
      Larry Callahan
      Founder/Administrator of Pro-Touring.com, G-Machines.com and HostMyJunk.com
      To advertise on Pro-Touring.com click here

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Feb 2005
      Location
      Morrisdale, PA
      Posts
      181
      Very good luck with my yellow top. Bought new in 03. Car sits and battery never gets charged from now until mid April every year. So far so good.
      Last edited by NovaPwr; 10-28-2009 at 03:44 PM. Reason: spelling
      Dave Smeal
      1972 NovaPwr

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Dec 2004
      Location
      Morehead City, NC
      Posts
      929
      Country Flag: United States
      I have been using Optimas in all my hot rods for many years. Can't say I've ever had a negative issue. They will discharge like any other battery, but seem to recharge well. I had the alternator in my Tempest die coming home from Goodguys a few years back. When it stopped charging I was still 100 miles from home. I shut down all my electronics I didn't need and drove home on just battery. All my gauges had stopped working the last 20 miles and the voltage meter was only reading 9.0 volts but it provided enough juice to keep the MSD ignition working. That was three years ago and the same battery is still going strong. Only battery I buy. It is a yellow top (deep cycle).
      Mike Holleman

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Jan 2008
      Posts
      494
      I've had really good luck with them!

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Jul 2007
      Location
      Tracy, CA.
      Posts
      1,347
      I (as well) have read alot of the bad luck stories about optima batteries but I myself have never had an issue at all. I ran a red top battery for two years with no issues and I am on my third year with a yellow top with absolutely no issues as well.
      Steve Martin
      67 Camaro RS
      66 Chevelle

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Jacksonville, FL
      Posts
      1,651
      Country Flag: United States
      Yeah, they seem to last a long time if you use them everyday. My wife's DD (2000 maxima) has had one for about 5 years without any issues (knock on wood). I tend to go through one about every 2 years on my camaro. Only have about 1 1/2 years on this one and will be trading it in on another one. They hate long periods of not being used.
      Chris
      1968 Chevy Camaro SS
      LS3/T56 DSE suspension


    13. #13
      Join Date
      Feb 2009
      Location
      So-Cal
      Posts
      149
      Country Flag: United States
      I personally think they are too heavy and for the price you can get a better performing battery that is less than half the weight.
      James Faria
      07 GT500 740rwhp

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Sep 2002
      Location
      San Jose, CA
      Posts
      1,793
      I've found the red tops to be kind of fragile. They don't like being discharged completely.

      I would really like to see somthing like the BatCap as a super-micro battery for racing
      1971 Camaro, 383 stroker ~500HP,M21 Trans with lightened flywheel. All Sorts of Auto-x Goodness in the Suspension. 12" Brakes ->SOLD

      But ask me about my 2004 STi Auto-x car...

      Just call me Brett

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Location
      San Antonio, TX
      Posts
      1,632
      I have purchased 3 optima red tops, my truck is still running years (3.5) later not a single issue, my SS's died in less than a year of being mostly parked.
      A third one we bought for another Daily driver was good for about 1.5 yrs until the car was parked for 4 months. RIP for 2 out of 3.
      I replaced the one in my SS with DieHard Platinum, similar technology, it sits forever, and starts with better power than the red top, only time will tell if it makes it to year 2, so far so good.

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Dec 2004
      Location
      North Jersey
      Posts
      983
      I was also one of the guys that reported a dead redtop, but it was replaced under warranty (died just short of 3 years). It was in my DD Jeep Cherokee, and gave me absolutely no warning that anything was wrong either. The day it puked, I drove to work with the volt gauge reading normal the whole way down, and when I put the key in after work, it wouldn't even crank. I pulled it out, and my father-in-law gave me a lift to the parts store. When we put it on the tester, it was @12 volts , but as soon as we put a load on it, it dropped to ~7 volts. They gave me my replacement, and it's been in the truck for a year so far with no issues.
      Steve Ragusa - North Jersey
      2006 Infiniti G35x
      Former Build - 1988 Monte Carlo SS - ZZ4-cammed TPI 355, F-body serpentine conversion, World-Class 5-speed, Eibachs/Bilsteins, Howe tall LBJs, 34mm hollow front swaybar, 3/4" straight rear bar, 17" Coys C55s, 12" front discs, and more. Sold on 2/28/11.

    17. #17
      Join Date
      May 2007
      Location
      Las Vegas
      Posts
      668
      Country Flag: United States
      I was warned about the Red Tops having issues so I purchased a yellow top.... I ran the yellow for a few months, and just pulled it out for the LS swap... we'll see how it works when I get ready to use it again in a few months...
      Rich
      1969 Camaro (in hibernation)
      1972 K5 Blazer - LQ9, 4L80e, NP205, D60, AAM 14BFF => http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=423432


    18. #18
      Join Date
      Feb 2002
      Location
      Springfield, MO
      Posts
      4,470
      Country Flag: United States
      The first red top lasted about 9 months in the camaro and now the second one is a couple years old.
      That's all I know!

      I do like not having to have a box in the trunk tho!
      Jimmy

      69 Camaro Twin Turbo'd
      58 Nomad 348 Baby Rat

      http://www.fquick.com/shmoov69


    19. #19
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      Central CA USA
      Posts
      6,108
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks for the input so far.
      On the optima web page, they say if the battery get's below 10 volts, it needs to be charged "in parallel" with a "regular" battey. I've had discharged batteries before that required an extra load of some kind to get the battery charger to start charging.
      David
      67 Camaro RS that will be faster than anything Mary owns.

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Jan 2000
      Location
      Thousand Oaks California
      Posts
      10,028
      Country Flag: United States
      Mine has dropped below 10 a couple of times by my fault. I have 2 yellows in the trunk and I charge them with a cheap sears charger.
      Larry Callahan
      Founder/Administrator of Pro-Touring.com, G-Machines.com and HostMyJunk.com
      To advertise on Pro-Touring.com click here

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