OPTIMA Batteries... What do we know about them?

<font color="green"> Well, the battery in the 41 took a dump again.

I found myself with a dead battery years ago in front of a KMART so I bought one from them.

This will be the third time to swap that Kmart battery, still under warranty but I just hate KMART and sick of jumping through hoops to get them to replace them.

So, since the battery is mounted in the trunk, I've been thinking about an Optima.

Cl***, Can we share some Optima experiences with RASHY? </font>

 

I have one, and whenever I can afford it, I will buy one for every vehicle I own! I don't think I will by a NON-Optima battery EVER AGAIN!!!

 

Do you have a light draw on your car Ryan??? My car sits A LOT (like all winter long!), and it has never let me down in 3 years!

 

i like mine.


jerry

 

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I've had three in five years in my '38... Optima keeps covering them, but they tell me to use a master disconnect switch as they don't do well sitting unused for weeks at a time...

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Ryan - Get a battery maintainer/charger and hook it up. I've been using one on my motorhome since new, and it has the original battery from '95. Walmart has them for about 40 bucks. You can either hook it permanently to the clamp bolts, or put clips on it for total removal.

 

Optima is the ****doodle!
I am running a 6 volt Optima in the chewbox and it is the best!
I will never buy another brand battery for the rest of my life!

HC

 

They are about the best, if not the best. I found some on line through a whole sale place for alot cheaper than locally.
Shipping might be a differnt story,

 

their awesome, I run the yellow top deep cycle starting one in my truck with a winch and daylighters and it never dies. I even left the lights on at a friends house one time and we left for the night. It was absolutely drained and it still recharged and is working great. Shawn

 

I have one that I have ran in my dirt track open wheel modified it has been abused for 2 seasons and is now in my shop truck. it has never failed me.

 

I have one..wanna touch it?

 

I am putting one in the Touring. Several local guys have had over 10 years on the same on! Opposite of Ryan, these just keep taking a charge.

 

I had this discusion just recently with the guy that runs the battery shop at my work , and he told me that the Optima's are the *****in batterys, till you run them down a couple times because of voltage draw or whatever, but then they never seem to fully recover after that, because the jelly in the battery kills the plates quicker for some reason. Iv experienced this first had seeing as my trucks been sitting around for a while now , and every now and then i use the power to hook things up , and start it just long enough to pull it in and out of the garage ,so it's never getting fully charged. So now even when i jump it ,it dosnt have the nuts it used to.

 

I would not have any other type. have had the one in my truck for over 6 yrs. killed it a few times and it comes right back.

 

I've got a red top in the 53 and it's never let me down. I wouldn't buy a different brand again. I had a draw and drained the battery a few times and it came right back with no problems.

 

We have them in my son's hot rod and my sedan. Been over three years now and never a problem. They are more expensive but worth the money imho.

 

I have a red top 6v in my '46 and it has been drained to the bone about 3 times b/c of a ****py generator, but it still holds a charge really well. Great batteries, I have my 6v laying on its side with no probs too .
Mike

 

We had one in 428 powered boat,Flatbottom, it would sit all winter(from Nov- April) never disconnected. And it lasted untill we sold the boat That would Be from 1993 until 2002.
**** 9 years

Side note My father-in-law has seen guys using them with holes in them (hunters will shoot anything) and never been let down in the back country. That is all he will use

 

Not much to add other than they are all I buy (red top) and the one in the merc was dead last night from sitting, I hit it with the charger, drove it to the Horton Heat show, and it acts like nothing happend. I love it on the 32 because I do not have to worry about venting it in that 30s tool box that is mounted in the trunk with it in it.

 

an old story ,

a buddy had a dead engine in a bronco. the bronco sat for 2 years or longer before he had cash to replace the enigne.

he charged the Optima battery at 2 AMPs for a day &amp; 1/2. the battery worked great. He sold the bronco a year or two later with the same battery in it.

I have optima batterys in both my daily driver trucks and my 1961 Dodge Lancer

 

I've had a yellow top for 6 years. The dynamo is 34 years old has over 200K on it and I've never had a problem. I used to charge it for a day once every winter, but I stopped doing that 3 yrs ago. Great batteries.

 

I have had both good and bad luck with the optima. I guess it just depends on the battery itself. Put oddesy batteries (another gel-cell brand) in my 42 and my 60 and haven't had a bit of trouble with them. Oddesy is a type that the military uses (and had a hand in developing I have been told).

I have killed the one in my 42 over and over by letting it sit and not disconnecting my air compressor (damn air bags) and all I have to do is hit it with a quick charge and it's good as new.

 

Ran a Red Top Optima in the 32 for about four years.
No problems, then it acted like it was going dead.
Bought another Optima, same thing.
It was the starter that was the problem . . . muy stupido on my part.

Anyway, the 32 started every time with no probs, even after sitting for 2-3 weeks in the rainy season.

The old Optima sat on the floor for close to a year, ended up putting it in my new trailer so I could have some interior lights when it's not connected to the truck.
Charged it once and it's still hanging in there with over 12.2 volts.

I'll buy another one for sure.

They have them for bikes now.
At least they do if that's what the small ones I saw at the store a while back are for.
Might try one of those in my lawn tractor - every two years, like clockwork the DieHard in it dies....

 

Costco sells 'em now. Think it was $99 for the red tops. A very good price.

 

Odd,Ichoptop used to work for Optima. Suprised he hasn't chimed in. I will say don't shoot them with frozen paintballs. It's not a good thing.....

 

Here's what I do. First ya go to the local second hand store
or what we call the DI in Utah. Buy a 12 volt battery charger that they use for games or what ever, then put in on a timer to come on 1 hour a night and hook it to the battery. Three years and anytime I want to start the coupe
or my 49 Ford the battery is always topped off and spins
the Hemi or Flathead without a problem. Here's how I got it hooked up. I have had no problem at all with the gel filled
battery.

 

The battery side.

 

private message stylindylan

 

cadlights, that looks like the one I have been using on the battery under my work bench (circuit testing) for the last 5 years.

Did a volt check yesterday and it's still at 12.2 volts; junk battery!

Like someone said earlier, my new RED TOP Optima is mounted on it's side in my "A." (doesn't hang down as far)

We use an Optima in our "North of '49" Bonneville B/STR race car.

 

There great, never have a problem. I even got "Hip" his. But he has never hooked up his altenator since he put it in his truck a year ago. I dont think any battery can take that abuse. Don't blame battery for stupidity!