Any REAL advantage of Optima Red Top Batteries vs. Interstate?

I have a Yellow Top and never looked into the warranty issue....one year is crap....and one year prorated after that is crap too...im kinda pissed! The reasoning might be harder use, but thats why you pay more for it. They can afford more warranty replacements at the premium they are getting for the battery. If I had known this before I bought the battery, I would have passed...Oh well, we'll see how long it goes.
And seriously, is "Deep Cycling" the battery considered when you leave your dome light on overnight? Surely even a Red Top could handle this??

 

Mike -- GREAT analysis. A few comments: The deep cycle warranty might be shorter because they are considering it in true "deep cycle" applications such as environments that don't recharge during use -- a golf cart for example where it is routinely discharged to a very low level. In conventional use, Optima claims that the deep cycle batteries last up to twice as long as conventional batteries, with batteries often lasting 8 years. Why they don't have a separate warranty when it is used in a car application, however, is beyond me -- but I guess part of this is that they believe people using it in a car also have some deep cycle reason for needing it (such as a high-current stereo that is often used when the car isn't running).

Regarding the dome light question, the deep cycle is actually much better (from what I've read -- I'm not a expert) in that a) deep cycle retains voltage level and current capacity much better as the battery becomes discharged,so it is more likely to start; b) the battery will not be harmed if the light is on long enough to drain it. This latter point seems to be the complaint of red top battery owners. All conventional batteries are harmed in full discharge events, so it really isn't clear whether red tops are worse than Interstate or there are just more complaints because of a failure after paying a premium for the red top. The deep cycle is designed for full drain down as it's typical use -- the D34 yellow top I have is rated for 350 discharge events -- so I'm assuming that this discharge concern is eliminated. I don't use a trickle charger on my car -- haven't needed it and try to drive it as often as possible -- so the yellow gives me comfort that, in the rare event that it does discharge, I won't be needing to replace the battery (or unknowingly live with a permanently weaked one). I wasn't aware of the shorter yellow top warranty when I bought it, but it probably wouldn't have changed my decision. If it it does fail within 24 months though, I will be calling Optima and my complete guess is that they would rubber stamp a warranty claim since it is being used in a conventional application.

This link has some deep cycle info: http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/deep_cycle_battery.asp

 

Some comments on some of the ones ive read here. Freezing batteries? Ive lived in Minnesota my whole life, seen temps down as low as -45F, and the only batteries that freeze and crack are ones that are discharded, or in otherwords, dead. I cant imagine an Optima would like being dead and froze either.

I would be interested to see the Amp hour ratings on these batteries in comparison to a lead acid deep cycle. I cant believe the Optima could match a lead acid in amp hours.

I also agree with the fluctuation in quality of Diehards, some die fairly easy, some you cant kill if you try.

But the two big enemies of battery life, are heat, and overcharging, with laying around being discharged a close third. I would wonder what kind of temps are in the area of the 308 battery, sitting right behind the radiator. Perhaps a air duct hose to feed it ambiant air wouldnt be an awful idea? And would a short battery box fit under the battery cover? My car is 28 years old, and does not show any major signs of battery rust, so I would not be overly concerned with a lead acid battery myself. But I do see the advantage of a sealed battery if it can be proven to be superior. 150 year old technology? Cool.

 

I have run yellow tops in my vehicles for years.

They work fine. I always use a battery maintainer (a BatteryMinder by VDC Electronics).

The yellow tops may weigh a bit more, but, they are infinitely more reliable than anything else I have ran.

 

My exact thought process when I bought my Valentine 1 and my Yellow Top.

 

Automotive version of a Blue top.

 

Okay, 100. Still, it's about time the technology moved forward.

 

I thought I would give an update on the "yellow top" battery after a few months of use. The quote above is what I had read about deep cycle batteries prior to purchase, my experience has been somewhat different. I find the performance of the yellow top to be worse in comparison to the conventional battery it replaced in that it seems to drain more quickly than before. I never needed a trickle charger before and now I find that if the car sits for about 3 weeks (it seldom does), it's difficult to start. The "worse" performance in this regard isn't totally unexpected in this regard because the cold cranking amps of the yellow top is lower than the red, but the claims that a deep cycle battery will have more cranking power even when the voltage is low doesn't seem to be true in my experience. The advantage of the yellow top is that the battery isn't damaged when it does drain (which I assume is still true) as opposed to conventional batteries like the red top. If you use a trickle charger such that a full discharge is unlikely, probably red top is a good way to go as it costs less, has a longer warranty, and I assume it would more closely match the performance of the old conventional battery I had previously (not sure what brand). Although not overly impressed with the yellow top, I would make the choice to use Optima again because of the construction quality vs. a regular battery. This doesn't mean I dislike the yellow top, but it has been less impressive than I expected, so I thought I would share that experience.

 

Dude, it's just a battery. Get one at Sears or Costco ($40) and fuggedaboutit. No need for the optima unless you want to show it off to someone. Ferrari owners are careful enough to avoid acid spills which is about the only real advantage.
BT

 

MY experience may be unusual, but my red top Optima has been starting my 328 without incident for 10 years. I'm going to replace it just now because it's finally beginning to lose charge. Maybe I got a good one or hold my motuh right while I turn the key, but I'm buying another one anyway. BTW the battery in a 328 is under the spare and not visible. So, I won't be showing it off.

 

One day I noticed water running down my rocker panel ( Jag E-type ). It turned out to be battery acid from my Diehard. That was when I bought my first Optima Red top. I have never looked back !

 

I bought a Costco Battery (size group 9, I believe it was called) 5 years ago and it has been great. Vintage cars tend to require a bit more cranking, but then again, I maintain my battery with a trickle charger.

When I was asking about the Costco batteries, one gentleman in their auto dept told me it is critical that the battery be maintained. He regularly sees boat owners complain about buying a new battery in summer, store the boat unused over winter and find it is dead in the springtime.

 

Mike328 (and sorry if this was already mentioned). I'm using the yellow-top in my car..........also happens to match the car.....but its been excellent so far, and I believe because that one is also deep cycle.

I will add this.........If the car is not run for 3-4weeks for some strange reason, I do put a charge on it to play-it-safe.





Bob

 

The acid spills can occur no matter how careful a person is.

The gassing, boiling and spillage is usually caused by overcharging, either by a battery charger being used incorrectly, a faulty voltage regulator or a warped and shorted plate in the battery, (caused by freezing or over heating).

With the battery mounted under the spare tire in a 308/328 no owner will know there is spillage until he pulls the spare and finds a mess (like I did) or looks under the car at the white residue on the concrete left by the acid.

For those reasons alone I'll stick with the Optima.

 

Optima is owned by interstate batteries

Any way have sold about or recommended the use of optima yellow top deep cycle in about 50 applications. Also have recommended the Blue top Deep (Marine) cycle, which is the prefered .

I had one in my 308 for 6 years, still great when I sold it
Have a yellow top in my wifes mustang going on 8 years.

Charging and maintenance, clean terminals is the most important issue with any battery period. The Optima are more sensitive that expected.

Anyway, I don't handle the optima any longer, ther are opthers with the same design , under agreements, as a matter of fact AC Delco also has one ( Spiral Cell)

My business is battery system and power supplies, I now import my batteries direct from the manufacturers.

My 2 cents. I recommend them.

 

This is was the factor that convinced me to use the yellow top as well because I didn't want to have to think about it if the battery drains. I knew the specs on the yellow (deep cycle) were slightly worse, but I didn't think I would really notice a difference. I have noticed a negative difference in general performance, but I still like the fact that the yellow is rated for something like 350 full power drain cycles. It sounds like you have seen similar performance with the yellow as with a standard battery -- maybe the yellow top I bought is slightly defective.

 

Let me update some info here:

The warrantee on the RED TOP batteries are 72 months... first 3 years free replacement, second 3 years prorated.

The YELLOW TOP battery warranty is for 24 months... first year free replacement, second year prorated.

 

Have a red top Optima in the Boxer, bought at Sear's. Left the interior lights on, after one week battery had totally discharged. It took nearly 8 hours on a medium strength, but the battery took the charge and has not been a problem since.

 

I have Red tops in 6 vehicles (2 of which have dual battery set-ups) at this time and have been using Optimas for the past 8 years. My experience with all their models: red/yellow/blue are as follows...........

Reds have always been good to me, for years. Primarily I use them in vehicles equipped with winches. Winches are notorious for huge amperage draws and will seperate a good battery from a poor one.......quickly. The Reds do have a tendency, that when left to go flat, are a bear to get recharged back to their "original" condition. It seems that they are never as strong as they were before being flattened. And this doesn't seem to make a difference whether they are recharged fast, slow, or medium.

Yellows, being a deep cycle type battery, you would think would be the proper type for winching?!?! I have had 3 of them in various vehicles w/winches and they seemed to discharge rapidly and take an inordinate amount of time to come back to full/proper levels. I do not have even one of them still in service...........got sick of the "down time".......

Blues are just a Yellow top with threaded terminals (marine type connection) versus the typical clamping poles that we are all accustom to on automotive style batteries.

My real world experience with the Optima batteries...............Red top is a great battery, Tough, Powerful, Versatile and should give years of service, if the charge is maintained within a reasonable range.

I currently have a Red in my TR.

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My 2 cents
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