Technical Battery life...

I just had to replace my Optima battery in my Hotrod...I purchased it in Sept 2011....I would say I got pretty good service from it....I hope the new one gives the same...LOL..They sure are getting expensive anymore but just glad I had the funds to get one....

 

For a lot of years,I kind of took batterys for granted.
But as the newer ones like Optima started showing up,I did take some notice.
I got in to racing battery powered car,you site in an drive in one hour events,using only 65lbs of batterys=two car battery.
After some careful experaments,found out that no two batterys,even by same factory an same model number,are not the same,as to power. There is a big gap between them,when you are racing them. The big trick was finding a closely matched higher output set. Out of buying 8 new batterys,;;;There were 2 very good,two far ,an 4 so bad,we just sold those off as fast as we could,battery place would not take them back.
If that is interesting,this is what we had fun with a few years back;http://electrathonfl.homestead.com/
It's kind of hotrodding.

 

......You did good. I had an Optima for 16 years in my '40. Kept it on a maintainer when not driving. I replaced it with an Interstate even though the Optima was still working. I was just getting paranoid thinking this thing is going to leave me stranded somewhere. Maybe I should have shot for 20 like you.

 

Had the original oem battery in my 2004 dodge p.u. until 2 yrs ago. Needless to say I was impressed!

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I'd have to believe that keeping them charged and maintained is the main key to longer battery life.
Buying the best battery you can get for the application helps too. I had a buddy who was always having battery issues and he would always hunt around for the cheapest battery that fit his rig and often ran an undersize battery that worked ok for a short term but didn't hold up for the long term.

 

I replaced my Optima last year after 8 years even though it still had some life in it.
I also keep my car on the maintainer when not in use, an extension of the “PM” mindset I have.

 

I am still running an Optima redtop for 17 years and another one lasted almost twenty it was some of the first ones. So I was sold on these batteries especially for vehicles that set more than used. But lately I have bought Optimas and they do good to last 3 years. The ones that lasted the longest where in pre- electronic vehicles and the ones that are not lasting are in later model vehicles. Even with maintenance chargers on them they are not lasting in the later model full electronics vehicles. I suspect that Optima has cost reduced their product to the point they are not as good as they once were.

 

2011 to 2022 is 11 years

 

I routinely have a typical lead acid battery last 8 years.

When I was a mechanic a battery rep (Exide) told me that a lower cranking amp battery of the same group size will last longer. The plates are farther apart and will take more abuse than a higher cranking amp battery of the same size. That's why yhe OEM batteries tend to last longer than the ones we replace them with.

 

Over 110,000 kms I started carrying a booster last year just in case Purchased 1998. I keep it indoors in winter and put a charger on it in Jan or Feb for a half hour or so (usually takes about 2 amps for 15 minutes) and then again just before re-installing in spring.

 

I just hung up a career at a national parts chain. The old Optimas were awesome but it has been hard to get the new Optimas out of the 36 month warranty I sold them under. That includes the Red and Blue tops. The Yellow tops fared a little better. Not as many warranty returns on the Yellows. Me I wouldn't buy another Optima until I hear the quality has improved. But the quality of all new batteries is down from what I saw in many interactions with customers.

 

.....I never was too good at math.

 

That’s true, it is because a higher CCA battery has more plates, thinner plates, and thus more surface area, that’s how they achieve that instant high current output capability.

The high CCA output battery comes at a cost, both in terms of dollars, and the plates are more prone to physical damage. They break easy. If you live in Saskatoon and park outside that’s one thing, most people have been conditioned to look at nothing else other than max CCA. If you don’t need the extra CCA it’s not really a very good choice.

 

Maybe, it could also be due to the fact the 12 volt battery was introduced in what, 1956? Yet modern cars and trucks have more &@$t on them than you can shake a stick at. There was talk for a little while of going to a 36 or even 48 volt system, but nothing ever came of it.

It’s what I call the “Christmas Tree” effect (one more ornament won’t hurt). Constant low level current drain, it won’t kill it right away, but it will surely kill them. a float charger is not enough to counter this on the OT cars, btw.

 

The red top optima in my coupe is 7 years old, so far so good. I just replaced the battery in my daily pick up, it was the factory installed unit. Lasted 7 years. It started to get weak about 2 months ago.

 

I have heard from a reputable parts store that people either love or hate Optima batteries. I didn't buy one. Believe it or not I had a 12 volt battery from Auto Zone that lasted 15 years in 2 different vehicles before it finally pooped out. Due to the cost of batteries these days I have been buying batteries from Bomgaars with good luck. I bought an 6 year Interstate battery a couple of years ago that didn't last 2 years. I guess it matters not where you buy one. It's a gamble.

 

I agree the optima's are not traditional looking but I have had real good luck with them. I bought a 65 belvedere plymouth . It had a red top optima in it when I bought it. It went through 4 years of Ks winters sitting all winter inside of course but no heat. And I don't know how old it was before. I have had a red top in my O/T 07 chevy pickup for 7 years outside all the time, snow rain cold and it starts right up. always. If we could get optima to package a battery to look like an old one that would be the ****! .

 

I got 4 years out of my $59 Walmart
So a conversion to optima life/price, that’s 16 -20 years worth of cranking. Depending on price
About 12 -16 years for the deep cycle ones

 

We had to hide em in the trunk. The shop I worked at was a dealer and they sponsored some our builds.
We still hid em

 

I usually get 10 years service from Odyssey batteries
I get a small one and it is placed under the dash of coupe

 

I got 15 years out of my oem Motorcrafts in my 99 F-350. Replaced them with Interstate's with the same cranking amps and it was never the same since the day I put them in. They lasted 8 years with slow cranking and doctoring them along. Replaced them a couple years ago with new Motorcrafts. It's like a brand new truck. Cranks over very fast and holds a charge for a few months.
Not sure who builds the batteries for Ford but they are a premium battery for a fair price.

 

There are very few battery companies out there that are large enough to produce for an OEM car manufacture. If you sell 2 million cars and trucks per year that equals 166,666 batteries per month just for the factories not counting the +25% for the part and warranty stock. If the company building the battery can't produce the factory possibly would shut down so very hard to get into bed with just one company. That battery producer needs to go out and procure all materials needed to build the battery (lead, Plastic for cases, etc) and up the supply chain it goes. So a company supplies a inferior product the OEM can't just jump ship and go to another battery company due to supply of raw materials, factory production space, and manpower to produce the product. A company like Optima that is mainly an aftermarket supplier should be able to react to quality issues much faster than for example, Motorcraft. If they can't fix a problem shame on them.

 

Issue I have with Optima batteries is they look awful. I guess if you can hide the thing under a cover you might be able to live with it.

 

I would say the battery is easily one of the, if not the most abused components in any car. The last a long time, considering. They last a lot longer if they are fully charged up and kept charged up. About 20 years is typical for stationary lead acid batteries. Heat, and vibration prevents that kind of life span in the automotive world.

 

It’s been my experience that Motorcraft batteries seem to outlast any other battery I’ve seen. I’m sure the Ford Motor Company is not manufacturing them, but whoever is, builds a fine battery.

 

A brand new battery, when first put into service will not achieve its rated current capacity or output until it “cycles” several times, starting the engine. It takes a long time to completely, fully charge a battery. The alternator or charging system won’t necessarily do this. This is especially true in the case of jump starting. A completely dead battery should always be put on a low level charge for a day or two. A jump start is basically just to get you home. This plays hell on the alternator components, ever notice the moaning and groaning after a jump start in subzero weather?

 

I got 2 months short of 10 years out of a regular car battery in my Sunliner and kind of doubt the replacement will not last as long,I noticed that with the newer vehicles its about 4 years.

 

my newest Optima is 15 years old. still doing good. thank goodness. if it goes out I probably will buy a cheap Walmart battery.

 

Long life out of a battery in our older cars is probably the norm; I’m speaking 5+ years and more common than you think. Many use minders and others drive once a week or at least twice a month. Fair weather cars fair much better. My 56 received its 2nd battery last year as the first that came with the car lasted 9 years. I bought a NAPA 29NF because it fits the stock holder.
Our older cars don’t have the load or continuous drain of the modern cars. The newer the vehicle the worse it is. I just bought a new battery for my 18 F150 at 4 years that was checked at 70% and we going on a 5000 mile trip; an AGM was standard so I went with an Oddesy.
Our cars are really ez on batteries when compared to new cars. Even with an electronic ignition, a fancy radio (not over the top) and AC … it’s not much of a load..