Whats the best battery these days

[03_4x4Runner]

I dont know about that !! The Optima has a terrible reputation. The Red Top has never lasted more than 4 years for me. I switched to a Die Hard Platinum for my Corvette. I'll stick to the lead acid wet battery for the 4 runner when I need a change

I am so sick and tired about the rumors that Optimas are junk. I have ran them for years with no problems and always get a least 8 years out of the red tops. I think some of the problems people have is that they have them in a dune buggy or something and only use it several times a year. They just put the vehicle away without keeping the battery charged and then expect it to start perfectly 6 month later. Optima red top 34r fits perfectly in my 03 V8. The r stands for reversed terminals. Toyota has the + and - on opposite side of most manufacturers. If you do not get an r model of most any battery your wires may be to short to reach the post.

 

[Dpassmore]

I didn't mention it, but I work at the USPS VMF. We have 1000 trucks in our district. They used optima yellow tops with good success, they switched to regular batteries and they suck. To say the USPS carriers are hell on trucks is a huge under statement.
Average life of car batteries is 4.2 years. The original post was for batteries from an abusive standpoint.
My convertible truck sat over the whole winter this year and started up no problem. And with a carb and supercharger on top, it doesn't just fire up after a couple of revolutions of cranking when it sat that long. The last red top in the truck lasted 7 years.

 

[ebg18t]

My last set of Optima's blues didn't last much more than a year. I ran 4 of them in my boat. The dealer I bought them from wasn't surprised when I brought them back as 3of4 wouldn't hold charges. It was a quick way to waste $800. I run a Diehard Platinum AGM's now for the past 2 years, still working good. Ran me about a $1k for the 4, but better than being stranded somewhere.

I run the Duracell AGM's in the truck. These have been holding up well to winch liars, the fridge and regular automobile liars for about 2 years now. Spend just over $200 for 2 of these.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I am so sick and tired about the rumors that Optimas are junk. I have ran them for years with no problems and always get a least 8 years out of the red tops. I think some of the problems people have is that they have them in a dune buggy or something and only use it several times a year. They just put the vehicle away without keeping the battery charged and then expect it to start perfectly 6 month later. Optima red top 34r fits perfectly in my 03 V8. The r stands for reversed terminals. Toyota has the + and - on opposite side of most manufacturers. If you do not get an r model of most any battery your wires may be to short to reach the post.

Agreed, my last yellow top in my acura lasted 9 years, and that was with being stored, and drained and recharged over and over. I put that thing through tons of abuse and neglect. It took me almost a decade before the thing finally crapped out, and that was on me, or it would have gone longer. I have yellow tops in both my vehicles now, and I keep a deep cycle tender on my new battery when the car is being stored. I didn't fire the thing up for abot 6 months and it fired up no problem on the first key turn. They're great batteries.

 

[Hapeacres]

I replaced my Panasonic with the Duralast from Autozone two years ago and have not had a problem since. The Duralast is a good battery with great reviews from Consumer Reports. Too bad the original Panasonic cant be found as that lasted over 8 years!

 

[gm350reratliff]

I've had good luck with Optima red and yellow tops in the past. So far the OEM Panasonic has been good in my '08 as well. The worst batteries I've seen are the Motorcraft batteries that Ford uses, those always fail.

 

[noshortcuts]

I went with Toyota Truestart 00544-27F60-710
710 CCA / 165 RC
84 month warranty
Same specs as Interstate MTP-27F, I believe.
Cheaper than Optima from the Dealer. It was about $110 w/coupon.
But will I get 8 years out of it?

 

[preacher35]

This is the best battery you can get for the money - Duralast Platinum/Battery (34R-AGM) | 2006 Toyota 4 Runner 4WD 8 Cylinders T 4.7L EFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

It is pretty solid with 750 CCA (though more like 775 as that is what the Deka is rated at) and is only about 40 pounds.

It is actually the same as the Deka Intimidator and that battery gets great reviews - Intimidator 9A34R Group Size 34R AGM Battery - Remy Battery

Yup, I agree. This is exactly what I am running and it is a helluva of a battery for the money.

 

[SkylineGTRracer]

I'm using the deka etx30l. Had it for a while and so far so good, plus the weight reduction is a plus.

 

[Staceman]

For what it is worth, I got an Optima Red Top, SPRING OF 2003!! In PHOENIX!! For my 85 4Runner, Stereo, Lights, Winch, daily driver, etc. Still going strong. I paid $99 for it new at Costco. They no longer carry the Optima ;-) I guess I got one of the last "good" ones? I've read that they were sold to some other manufacturer.

 

[zzchipster]

My redtop lasted 2 years...went to 31 agm sears and still going strong....4 1/2 years so far...always easy to remember going to sears at 6pm christmas eve...

 

[Krayziekid]

You can install the Sears diehard platinum group 31, should be the biggest u can put, otherwise any group 27 or 24 works. I use dual group 31 and it seems fine for my needs.

Hey man, quick question for you. I am looking to put a better battery in my car, especially with some mods coming up that will draw some extra power at some points. I want to put the new one in the stock location, and i definitely want to get the biggest i can instead of a dual battery.

I know next to nothing about batteries, but do the group numbers relate to physical size? If so, is a group 31 the biggest the stock location of an 03 V8 will fit? Thanks!

 

[fjlarry]

The last optima red I bought lasted14 months. They went to crap when they started making them in Mexico. I do have one that came in our 08 Sport V8. We will see how long it lasts.

 

[duffdog]

The best battery at any price are these, they have 6x the power and 1/4 the weight of a lead battery. But, they are expensive.

12V RV Batteries | Deep Cycle Lithium Ion Batteries | Smart Battery

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

wow a $1,000+ car battery!! I get it but I can buy 4 good batteries.

 

[smokey73]

The best battery at any price are these, they have 6x the power and 1/4 the weight of a lead battery. But, they are expensive.

12V RV Batteries | Deep Cycle Lithium Ion Batteries | Smart Battery

I've always wondered how long those things last and how well they hold up to a hard amp draw

 

[duffdog]

I've always wondered how long those things last and how well they hold up to a hard amp draw

they last as long as a dewalt 20v liion drill battery, however many cycles that is. Its just a big stack of 23650 batteries. I think that they have quite a bit more ampacity than a lead acid or AGM battery, but can be extremely dangerous if abused.

 

[the dutch man]

Sears Diehard AGM Platinum. Put one in my tundra. Well worth the money.

 

[willbgood]

walmart

They are everywhere, and they have a very liberal warranty. I just brought one in on the day the 5 year warranty ended and they exchanged it. I have never had them not exchange one and I run them in all my vehicles including my Dodge diesel.

I have had two fail at 4 years, (in the Dodge), but it was due to a intermittent short in the trailer wiring that was draining the battery overnight while towing my 5th wheel.

Someone mentioned their optima dying in their boat. Running and starting batteries are not deep discharge, and they will not last if being used for the batteries in a boat or trailer. They need to be deep cell.

I am thinking about rigging one or two deep cells in the rear and supplying secondary power them with a solar system. If I do, I will likely have a switch so I can start the vehicle.

 

[paraordnance]

I bought Motomaster Eliminator Ultra AGM battery. It has 5 year replacement warranty, this warranty is hard to beat. Gives you a piece of mind