Optima batteries

i think there is a lot of undo negative press about optimas... they are a gell cell, not a dry cell. they also dont like to be left in a state of discharge. running them dry and then promplty recharging them like say leaving your lights on over night or having the alt die and driving around till your car dies then replacing the alt isnt gonna hurt a optima. what will hurt them is if you leave them dead for a prolonged period of time. if you have a vehicle that sits they probably are not gonna be the best either, unless you invest in a battery sustainer i use the noco genius chargers sustainers. G3500 | Genius Battery Chargers . another thing id recommend is getting a good adjustable voltage regulator. gel cell batteries dont like to be over charged at all, it will drastically shorten their life span, and most cars that i know of charge at 13.5-14.3v... typically you have a 12v battery, unless you did something special and converted to 24v... if you get a good adjustable voltage regulator you can set it to 12v and it will only allow 12v to the battery. -i think this is why most optimas meet their early grave not that they are bad batteries.

also dont use a blue top in a car or truck, if you want a deep cycle get a yellow top. i have a red top in my old 85 truck and thats where a keep my g3500 hooked up when the truck sits for months at a time, never had an issue with going out and firing it right up.
 
I guess this is old news. I always heard wonderful things about optimas. I put a red top in my truck when I got it last year and havent had any troubles but a year isnt much in the life of a batt. We will see. Live and learn I guess
 
the kid said:
i think there is a lot of undo negative press about optimas... they are a gell cell, not a dry cell. they also dont like to be left in a state of discharge. running them dry and then promplty recharging them like say leaving your lights on over night or having the alt die and driving around till your car dies then replacing the alt isnt gonna hurt a optima. what will hurt them is if you leave them dead for a prolonged period of time. if you have a vehicle that sits they probably are not gonna be the best either, unless you invest in a battery sustainer i use the noco genius chargers sustainers. G3500 | Genius Battery Chargers . another thing id recommend is getting a good adjustable voltage regulator. gel cell batteries dont like to be over charged at all, it will drastically shorten their life span, and most cars that i know of charge at 13.5-14.3v... typically you have a 12v battery, unless you did something special and converted to 24v... if you get a good adjustable voltage regulator you can set it to 12v and it will only allow 12v to the battery. -i think this is why most optimas meet their early grave not that they are bad batteries.

also dont use a blue top in a car or truck, if you want a deep cycle get a yellow top. i have a red top in my old 85 truck and thats where a keep my g3500 hooked up when the truck sits for months at a time, never had an issue with going out and firing it right up.
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You need to get your information here straight.

Optima's are an AGM style battery, they are not(nor have they ever been) a gel battery. Gel batteries are extremely rare in the consumer market, being used in mainly health care situations due to the cleanliness of the battery(and being cost prohibitive for most people anyways).

Blue top with light grey sides is the exact same plates/compound as a Yellow top with light grey sides. The only difference is the posts on top, blue tops have both auto posts and marine/DC style screw down posts.
A blue top with the dark grey sides is the same as a red top.

Odyssey's are superior to Optima cells in every single way since the new plant's in Mexico started manufacturing(late 2009 iirc). Higher cranking, higher reserve minutes, better warranty. Both are AGM style cells, just with flat plate vs rounded continguous plates.

Your recommendations in regards to charging are very good, people forget about their batteries a lot and regular charging/topping up is a good practice. You're off in regards to the end voltage of AGM automotive batteries. They are designed(and warranted) to handle the even charge voltage of 14.5 coming out of a healthy alternator. A lot of early death is attributed to bad voltage regulators in the alternator(over charging past 14.7v for a prolonged period of time is a good way to cook an AGM battery) and people that leave them sit in a discharged state. Lots of people get deep cycles and run accessories of the battery for long periods of time thinking that 15-20 minute drives will recharge that lost power from the battery. Wrong, the batteries get a good surface voltage, but their capacity is never restored and only floats in limbo(bad for battery health) and continues to get worse as time goes on.

Source: 10 years+ involved in the DC power industry in BC including trips to both stated plants in order to secure buying power and deals with both hawker and JCI(optima's new manufacturers since the decline in quality).

Optima's are not bad batteries, they are just used incorrectly with lofty expectations. That said when JCI took them over they had a baaad rash of not properly filling the batteries with fluid and not allowing the AGM material to properly saturate before pushing the unit to charge which caused the batteries to lose/vent a lot of gas and only be running at 80-90% max capacity. This has been rectified in anything manufactured after 2010.
 
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well apparently i am wrong, sorry i was only relaying what i had heard from others -mainly guys who where/are dealers for commercial accounts for fleets an such, like interstate battery sales ect. im no engineer or anything like that so yeah. all i know is my optimas are great and haven't had a single issue with them
 
Inate said:
You need to get your information here straight.

Optima's are an AGM style battery, they are not(nor have they ever been) a gel battery. Gel batteries are extremely rare in the consumer market, being used in mainly health care situations due to the cleanliness of the battery(and being cost prohibitive for most people anyways).

Blue top with light grey sides is the exact same plates/compound as a Yellow top with light grey sides. The only difference is the posts on top, blue tops have both auto posts and marine/DC style screw down posts.
A blue top with the dark grey sides is the same as a red top.

Odyssey's are superior to Optima cells in every single way since the new plant's in Mexico started manufacturing(late 2009 iirc). Higher cranking, higher reserve minutes, better warranty. Both are AGM style cells, just with flat plate vs rounded continguous plates.

Your recommendations in regards to charging are very good, people forget about their batteries a lot and regular charging/topping up is a good practice. You're off in regards to the end voltage of AGM automotive batteries. They are designed(and warranted) to handle the even charge voltage of 14.5 coming out of a healthy alternator. A lot of early death is attributed to bad voltage regulators in the alternator(over charging past 14.7v for a prolonged period of time is a good way to cook an AGM battery) and people that leave them sit in a discharged state. Lots of people get deep cycles and run accessories of the battery for long periods of time thinking that 15-20 minute drives will recharge that lost power from the battery. Wrong, the batteries get a good surface voltage, but their capacity is never restored and only floats in limbo(bad for battery health) and continues to get worse as time goes on.

Source: 10 years+ involved in the DC power industry in BC including trips to both stated plants in order to secure buying power and deals with both hawker and JCI(optima's new manufacturers since the decline in quality).

Optima's are not bad batteries, they are just used incorrectly with lofty expectations. That said when JCI took them over they had a baaad rash of not properly filling the batteries with fluid and not allowing the AGM material to properly saturate before pushing the unit to charge which caused the batteries to lose/vent a lot of gas and only be running at 80-90% max capacity. This has been rectified in anything manufactured after 2010.
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Ok so my question for you is what is your overall opinion of the optima batteries being produce currently??? I am gonna be in the market to get either an odyssey/die hard or an optima. Main uses will be winching, lighting, compressors, stereo. I keep hearing mixed reviews about Optimus and as considering you have "insider" info. What is you opinion of optima batteries currently???
 
For that style of usage, you'll be using those heavy draws when the vehicle is on/running 90% of the time anyways, or at least you should be.

If you plan on doing that style of draw when the vehicle is off, you want to look into a dual battery system otherwise you run the risk of leaving yourself high and dry with no power to start!

That said, what you are looking for is the battery that best fits your budget with the best warranty and reserve capacity. Ignore cranking amps, and even(to a point) ignore cold cranking amps. Our trucks do not take much to turn over, and a fully charged battery with 400CCA(cold cranking amps) is able to turn them over with ease. Reserve capacity is the amount of energy available to run accessories with the engine off.

There is nothing wrong with the newer Optima's. I do recommend buying them from a local battery/DC power shop rather than from a big box store if you can help it. My reasoning behind this is the dedicated shops take more care of their batteries and you're more likely to get a fully to 90% charged battery from them, AND you can even ask them to put the battery on charge over-night prior to pick-up/installation. Nothing less than a full 12 hour trickle charge counts.

If you plan on using the stereo/lights/winch with the vehicle off on a regular basis, I recommend you budget in a quality low amperage style charger like the one the_kid recommended earlier and make sure to give your battery a 12-24 hour charge after a good trail run. Your electrical system will thank you!

The best part about sticking with AGM style batteries is that they are safe to install "in cab" due to the fact that these batteries are designed to never vent gas unless they are in a state of over-charge(rare in automotive situations with healthy electrical systems), or in the event of failure. There is, of course, no fluid to spill in the event of a truck flipping over and such as well.

So, Optima or odyssey, the Odyssey's have higher reserve but the optima's are much more affordable. Both batteries in a lab test will give you a solid 5-6 years of good performance. It really comes down to budget now.

[MENTION=60147]the kid[/MENTION]: I meant no disrespect at all, and the only goal was education. Most people here have all the mechanical knowledge I need to succeed, I only offer what little subsection I have knowledge of!
 
Inate said:
For that style of usage, you'll be using those heavy draws when the vehicle is on/running 90% of the time anyways, or at least you should be.

If you plan on doing that style of draw when the vehicle is off, you want to look into a dual battery system otherwise you run the risk of leaving yourself high and dry with no power to start!

That said, what you are looking for is the battery that best fits your budget with the best warranty and reserve capacity. Ignore cranking amps, and even(to a point) ignore cold cranking amps. Our trucks do not take much to turn over, and a fully charged battery with 400CCA(cold cranking amps) is able to turn them over with ease. Reserve capacity is the amount of energy available to run accessories with the engine off.

There is nothing wrong with the newer Optima's. I do recommend buying them from a local battery/DC power shop rather than from a big box store if you can help it. My reasoning behind this is the dedicated shops take more care of their batteries and you're more likely to get a fully to 90% charged battery from them, AND you can even ask them to put the battery on charge over-night prior to pick-up/installation. Nothing less than a full 12 hour trickle charge counts.

If you plan on using the stereo/lights/winch with the vehicle off on a regular basis, I recommend you budget in a quality low amperage style charger like the one the_kid recommended earlier and make sure to give your battery a 12-24 hour charge after a good trail run. Your electrical system will thank you!

The best part about sticking with AGM style batteries is that they are safe to install "in cab" due to the fact that these batteries are designed to never vent gas unless they are in a state of over-charge(rare in automotive situations with healthy electrical systems), or in the event of failure. There is, of course, no fluid to spill in the event of a truck flipping over and such as well.

So, Optima or odyssey, the Odyssey's have higher reserve but the optima's are much more affordable. Both batteries in a lab test will give you a solid 5-6 years of good performance. It really comes down to budget now.


[MENTION=60147]the kid[/MENTION]: I meant no disrespect at all, and the only goal was education. Most people here have all the mechanical knowledge I need to succeed, I only offer what little subsection I have knowledge of!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the response. I am currently running a dual set-up and am needing to relocate one of my batteries into the engine compartment. I won't be running things when the truck is off beside maybe a ARB fridge in the future and som light when setting up camp.

Good to hear that the Optimas are back up to where they should be.
 
Inate said:
There is nothing wrong with the newer Optima's.
Click to expand...

I don't know, there has been an awful lot of complaints about the Optima's longevity, after Johnson Controls bought them, and then moved production to Mexico. Lots of those complaints I've heard were from previously loyal Optima owners, and comments from mechanics I know, that work on consumer vehicles for a living.

I had a Yellow Top myself from the late 90's, that lasted 13+ years. But when it finally needed replacement, due to the almost overwhelming number of complaints I've heard regarding newer Optima's, I went with a Diehard Platinum, which is just a rebranded Odyssey, made by Enersys.
 
02SE said:
I don't know, there has been an awful lot of complaints about the Optima's longevity, after Johnson Controls bought them, and then moved production to Mexico. Lots of those complaints I've heard were from previously loyal Optima owners, and comments from mechanics I know, that work on consumer vehicles for a living.

I had a Yellow Top myself from the late 90's, that lasted 13+ years. But when it finally needed replacement, due to the almost overwhelming number of complaints I've heard regarding newer Optima's, I went with a Diehard Platinum, which is just a rebranded Odyssey, made by Enersys.
Click to expand...

Yup, and JCI saw that.

There was a period of nearly two years where the batteries were not being properly filled and they changed this process. They also adjusted the warranty during this period and any reputable optima dealer will/would have swapped out any with the manufacturing ID between these years(I'd have to look at my records at work to find these dates out, I can tell you none of them are being sold anymore).

Since they made the new adjustments to the process things have become much better. Not 90's better, sadly, but better.

Cost wise I see them as an affordable step into the world of AGM for automotive consumers. Odyssey's can, at first glance, appear to be quite cost prohibitive to most people. They are the superior battery though.
 
[MENTION=83808]Inate[/MENTION] , no worries man, im glad the right information got put out, i only was repeating what i have heard or understood... nobody likes to give bad or wrong info, and even more, nobody likes receiving bad or wrong info...


and to the rest of the jerks out there that always think im a prick and a know it all or just have to have the last word on something piss off:flipoff:, i can admit when im wrong and will gladly take advice, granted that its given in a respectful manor such as above. i try to help everyone out here, some of you guys (if the shoe fits then wear it, as its probably ment for you) seam to have nothing better to do than just stur up trouble and start fights. its nice when someone actually contributes help as well other than just bing critical or slamming. soap box complete...

:focus:
 
im running dual blue tops. and before that, i had dual reds for years. no issues.
a friend ran several Odyssey batteries and had nothing but problems.

i'll stick with the optimas until they let me down. well, in my wheeling rig atleast.
in a street rig? a basic plain Interstate battery is fine for me.
 
Thanks for clearing all that up, and providing good info. I just picked up a diehard platinum last night, hope it will last many years. I may try a yellow top next time around.
 
scotts97T4Rltd said:
optimas are overrated, i have several of them, and if they set for awhile, they lose their charge, if an optima ever loses its charge, they are just a boat anchor. If you are looking for a dry cell battery, look at the Hawker Odyssey battery, they are much better. If you dont really care about a dry cell battery, just go with a nice battery from Sears, or any of the auto parts stores.
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not true. once took twelve optima yellowtops group 31s and using a constant current charger at 5A, nine of them came back from the dead being able to meet their cranking amp spec.
 
Supra725 said:
Got a few questions..

is been almost 7 years since I had my battery changed out..

I can probably squeeze a little bit more out of the die hard but I rather be safe and just replace it.

I have been looking at the optima ones... but I don't know if I should go for the red top or the yellow ones..

I did looked at the blue optima while I was at Costco today and they wanted like $154 for it..

I was wondering where I can pick one up...

thanks.
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i like the yellow. has nearly the same CCA as the red but more reserve capacity. more reserve capacity is nice for running lights when camping, the stereo, and lowers the chance of killing the battery if a small draw is left on the battery for some time.
 
This is a old post but ill add. I have 2 optima yellowtops from like 2008 and 2010? they both work great still so thats 7-9 years of service still holding. can't ask much more from that .
 
I love my redtop. After camping or blasting my stereo while working for several hours (yes, read that as hours) it cranks up great. When I get home, I put it on the charger but it's usually still at 75% capacity. It's great knowing I can do whatever I want will plenty of battery power in reserve.
 
The MTP-24f in my 4Runner is a 120RC your red top is only 90RC and 44ah. Instead of the 36 free replacement the MTP is a 30 month plus prorated out to 6 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had an Optima red top in my grand prix and it was one of the worst batteries I've ever owned. It didn't even last two years.

Supposedly Optima's quality has gone down hill big time in the last few years.

My two pennies...
 
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