Battery Recommendation - Optima Battery's Completely 100% Suck!

[bigboi]

I have been through 4 Optima red top batterys in my 67 Camaro over the course of 4 years. They have a warranty but when I am romping down the road and all my electronics go "ka-put" it does me no good. Who has the hardcore battery, who makes it, where do I get it, and I don't care how much it costs. I want something that lasts. I have a 496 big block and battery is mounted in the trunk with 1g wire to the starter.

Thanks guys!

Brian

[Rod]

?? there might be another problem other than the battery, I have had the same Trunk mounted optima in my camaro (driven daily and tracked) for 2+ years and never had a problem? you could look at Kinetik power cell about a hundred bucks more than the optima, I have them in the shop truck that runs about 1500 watts of stereo and they also work well

[Nessumsar]

?? there might be another problem other than the battery, I have had the same Trunk mounted optima in my camaro (driven daily and tracked) for 2+ years and never had a problem?

Sounds like you have an electical gremlin to me... Maybe something akin to a bad voltage regulator?

[12sec ss]

I think "daily driven" is a key here.. Ive never had a problem if the car was driven at least once a week, but they dont like sitting. Every time i leave my car in the garage for more then 2 months i put a battery tender on it.

[Blown73]

Had the same optima battery in my car for 5 years. Still works like a champ.... do you run it on a disconnect or is it always hot?

[ehummelman]

I have been through 4 Optima red top batterys in my 67 Camaro over the course of 4 years. They have a warranty but when I am romping down the road and all my electronics go "ka-put" it does me no good. Who has the hardcore battery, who makes it, where do I get it, and I don't care how much it costs. I want something that lasts. I have a 496 big block and battery is mounted in the trunk with 1g wire to the starter.

Thanks guys!

Brian

Your post should say Optima RED TOP batteries suck. There is tons of discussion on other forums about red tops and the declining quality over the past couple years. I have a yellow top which has been great. I've discharged it down to 6 volts 3 times now because of my own stupidity miswiring the alternator and it as come back every time on a trickle charger or jump start and drive. Not to say there aren't other good batteries out there, but if you already have an Optima mount you wouldn't need to buy a new mount specific to another battery. I have heard great things about Odyssey, Braille, Kinetik, and a few others.

[TheJDMan]

Assuming the Optima's have tested bad and there is no problem with your wiring, take a look at Odyssey AGM batteries. They are about $300 retail but they are considered top of the line. Here is their web site.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/batteries.html

Here are a couple of videos on Odyessy batteries. Modern Marvels was focused on lead. The second video shows the complete manufacturing process.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Eg6LRNEVY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P-wqckJ2nM

Just a note, Enersys also manufactures an AGM battery for Sears sold as the Die-Hard Platinum

[bigboi]

I run it hot all the time and I am almost positive some accessories yank some of the juice down on it. I am going to wire it up with a battery disconnect switch/key so I can turn turn the hot lead off when the car is in the garage. This last Optima went from 84% charge when I left my house, 10 mins down the road car died. Got my buddy to pick me up, yanked the battery from the trunk, took it to the local parts store and he charged it fully for 30 mins and it was at 100% charge. While he was doing that we went and grabbed some lunch, we came back, he threw the tester on it and the battery was at 64% charge so something was obviously wrong with the battery.

I've tired the battery tender but I have read they are not good to use on the Optima Batterys. I have heard good things about Oddessey batteries but they are $370. I don't care much about price because lets face it anyone on here that runs a bad ass car has spent upwards of 70k+ on it so a 370 dollar battery is a drop in the bucket. I just want to make sure THAT IS the problem.

The thing that gets me is it loses the charge even when the battery is just sitting there and nothing connected to it. Can I be ruining the battery somehow or someway that I am unaware of? How would I go about checking this or what is the troubleshooting trial/error process?

Brian

[Rod]

Optima batteries can not be fast charged like the older style batteries, see the optima site for correct charging procedures ctek is the best charger for AGM cells if you use a standard charger you can cause a failure in the cell

this is from there website


OPTIMA RedTop Charging Information

The following charging methods are recommended to insure a long battery life - always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

RedTop Type: 34 & 34R - 34/78 - 78 - 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), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

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


All limits must be strictly adhered to.
Safety Information:

Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
Always use a voltage regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

[Sneke_Eyez]

I am a member of many different car forums and as of late (I'd say, oh, the last year and a half or so?), there have been some problems reported with the Optima Red Top Batteries. I would usually chalk these type of complaints up as anecdotal evidence, but I have seen problems occurring with a number of different batteries in a number of different types of cars (everything from DD Dodge Intrepids and Ram pickups to Weekend Warrior Mopar B & A bodies). These problems have amounted to "dead cells" in most, but not all, cases. (I have yet to see a problem, however, that was resolved as a problem with the car itself, and not the battery.)
Take that for what you will, I am not knocking Optima by any means as they have always been a great name in batteries, but I am hoping they have investigated the problem and are trying to do something about it, though I haven't seen this evidence anywhere. (And I keep seeing issues reported with the batteries...)

[rossmacd]

I didn't read all the posts, but I've got to say, I'm actually quite impressed with my options. It's 6 years old, and I just went out to my car after leaving the battery hooked up while the car sat in an open carport for a year, and everything still turned on. I didn't start the car before I pulled out all the wiring harness, but the battery definitely still had enough charge to roll the windows up and down a few times, run the wiper motor, headlights, t/s, etc.

[TheJDMan]

I don't know where the $370 figure came from.

You can buy a group size 34/78 Odyssey PC1500 battery here for under $300 with free shipping and no tax outside CA.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc1500.htm

As I mentioned previously, Enersys also makes the Die-Hard Platinum AGM battery for Sears which is the exact same battery as the PC1500 34/78. They are on sale now for $189.99
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850090000P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7

Also, here is a very good video of the proper procedure for recharging a deeply discharged battery. I actually did not know some of the info given in this vid.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Slqd73ZOQvI&NR=1

[SLO_Z28]

What is your voltage drop over your battery cable to the starter? What is the voltage drop and resistance from the negative cable to the starter case? What kind of starter do you have? And last, but most important what is your key off amperage drain? Dont tell me there is no parasitic craw either, because every car has some measurable amount if the circuit is closed.

Once you get all that information, then look at what the battery's actual condition is. What is the maximum amperage at which it can sustain 9.6 volts under load for 8 seconds at room temperature, and what is that room temperature. What is the battery's resistance across the terminals. What is the voltage drop when the headlamps alone are turned on(assuming its over 11 volts resting)? How are you charging your batteries?

Once you get ALL this information, then and only then will I believe the Optimas are to blame. Im willing to bet its a user end issue rather than a hardware issue.

[Vegas69]

For a car to die while going down the road, you would need a charging system problem in almost all cases. Also, what typ of tester are you using? If it's a auto parts store deal, I wouldn't count on it being accurate. A battery needs a good long slow charge. It can show a high voltage off the charger and creep down. Four batteries leads me to something else unless you have the worst luck in the world. ha ha

Also, the Optima rep said a battery tender is fine and they don't need special chargers. Only a special sequence to bring them back when they go dead. I've had mine on a regular tender for well over 3 years with no problems.

[amargari]

I am very happy with my Deka Intimidator AGM battery. I don't drive the car often, but I have never had problems with the Deka and my Battery Tender.

[TN10.5Guy]

I'm not one for throwing stones, but here goes. I've had red tops on 4 of my personal vehicles (96 f350 7.3, 96 chevy pickup 5.7, 70 chevelle and 80 mustang). All are used differently. the trucks were daily drivers (ford work truck), the chevelle is a pro touring in progress and the mustang is a high 5 sec streetable car. I have had failures in all of these vehicles. I replaced one of the batteries in the 7.3 for a dead cell issue (warranted by optima). I have seen more problems w/ daily driving (like they get a memory, even though they arent suppose to). I can put them on a slow charger and bring them back but wont stay for over a few months. The one on my mustang would drop over a month period w/ a complete disconnect. I have been an optima fan for quite some time but now starting to look elsewhere because of the issues I have had myself. And its not just recent. Ive ran and had issues with them for more than 6-7 years. Ive never tried yellow tops but my experience is there are some reds better than others

[rocketrod]

My red top Optima has been great. It sat on a workbench for over 4 years, then I put it in the car last year and started the car right up. From the problem your describing it sounds like you have something else wrong with your electrical system that is taking out the battery. As previously mentioned you need to check for voltage drops and parasitic loss.

[jlcustomz]

Have a red top over 7 years old. BUT, never been happy with the capacity of it . Use battery tenders mostly, not DD. Funny thing, was about to give up on it a few years ago,Left a 6 amp charger on till I heard my stereo capacitor beeping high voltage. It,s held more of a charge since.?????

[lfdsteve]

Optima reccomends the yellow top for daily driven vehicles with lots of electronics or race cars without charging systems. They are designed to take the deep discharge caused by these items, not the red top.

FWIW
Steve