Optima battery, Is it worth it?

[Romer]

I noticed in some other posts that the Optima Battery is used by a lot of members. I have always bought the biggest Die Hard Battery I could when I needed a new. Fortunatley, Imy battery is still in good shape, but it is a cheap Excide battery and I don't expect it to last more than 2 years, that gives me about 6 months.

I see that the Optima has greater cranking amps that most other batteries, BUT the cruiser is not an AMP demon, even with a winch.

Curious if these are worth more than the top of the line Die Hard and why?

Thanks,

Ken

 

[Pinion]

I have the Exide Extreme Orbital or something. Cheaper than Orbit, but made by the same plant I believe. If I ever have to buy another vehicle, I will get another one of these. I can listen to the radio with two smallish amps hooked to it for 6 hours while wrenching, start up, and go home no sweat.

 

[rusmannx]

has your standard 12v died?
if i were in the market for a new battery i would probably get one (an optima).
but i'll wait until my cheapo kicks the bucket.

 

[Romer]

has your standard 12v died?
if i were in the market for a new battery i would probably get one (an optima).
but i'll wait until my cheapo kicks the bucket.

As I said in the first post, my battery is still fine. What I want to know is if the Optima is really better than the top of the line Die Hard and why.

 

[65swb45]

I was a Die Hard guy for many years. I switched my DD over to an Optima because I got tired of the sulphur leaks from the DieHard. I try to keep my engine compartment clean, battery acid sucks big time, and the Optima was a gel battery. Now there are lots of companies with gel batteries. To me, it's just a gel thing! I think Optima is just a bling thing. My .02

 

[nspctr1]

I also am a diehard fan, If your rig is not a DD then you don't want to go optima unless you wanna hold a charger on it the day before you take it out. My 40 is not a DD either and my next battery will be either a diehard or interstate.

 

[AZFJ]

.I run a single Optima.about 3 years now in the Az heat..Gets to about 105 here..to the winter cold..We see days down to 15 degrees..I have had the Cruiser parked for loooong periods of time..Always has more than enough juce..I have winched for long times too..Stock Alt. and everything..Optima has always held up great!

 

[Scott68FJ40]

I will never own another Diehard battery. I was a big fan for a lot of years, but the last 4 I have had have completely soured me on them. They either die far to soon, of they leak in the desert heat.

Ironically enough, the cheap Duralast that came with my cruiser a few years ago finally died. I am currently swapping an Interstate between my pickup and the cruiser. If I were to go with a traditional battery, it was definately be an Interstate. I plan on picking up a Optima red top this week for the cruiser.

 

[TJDIV]

I've run optima's in all 3 Cruiser's I've had and like them. If you've got a good 12V battery, no need to switch, but if you end up needing a battery, I'd say go for it. I've left lights on, cranked on it while tuning (several crank attempts) and they stay strong.

The other side of Optima from what I understand is marine use, mounting anywhere, anyhow (i.e. upside down or sideways) and you're set.

They're good.

 

[Romer]

Gel vs Acid. I did not know that. The Gel allows you to operate in any orientation and is waterproof and does not leak. Are these the only advantages?

I was concened about the comment that if its not a DD, don't get an Optima. I can see it wasn't shared by a lot of people. Mine is not a DD, but I do drive it 2-3 days a week (weekends and 1 day to work), its just to fun to drive not to!

 

[AZFJ]

Ya..I dont get that " not a DD " thing..Mine is far from a daily driver..Maybe 10-20 miles per month..Last winter ( like 2or 3 months ) I drive it exactly one time!..UHH..Optima is still going strong!

 

[Texican]

The one in Yeller has been in since '96, while it is not a DD she does get driven quite a bit.
We have 2 pair in 2 Dodge cummins that have been in service for at least 3 yrs. no problems, all Red Top.
One more advantage, nothing in to be hazardous, no fumes, you can sit on one while in use, safely.
Butch

 

[Roadnoiz40]

Have an Optima in the 40, and an Exide gell cell in the truck for a couple of years now. The Exide has died 2x and been replaced under warranty. When these things go, they are like a light switch, poof! When I took the Exide into the dealer that sold the unit to me, he tested it and said that "it just needs charging" When he tried to charge it, it would NOT take a charge at all. Shorted plates?? I do like that fact that there is no sulfur eating the paint. Not sure how well the gells do in super heat under the hood. I live in Phoenix, (vehicles boil over before you even start them LOL) For me, the gells are better but I have some reservations.

 

[Stone]

What kills most car batteries are vibration and sulphation. Vibration kills normal lead-acid batteries by damaging the plates inside. Generally, if two batteries are of the same size and one has significantly higher CCA than the other, that means that the one with the higher CCA will have more plates that are thinner packed inside of it. This means that the battery with lower CCA will be more "heavy duty" and resistant to vibration than the higher CCA battery. My Interstate Workaholics are rated at 650 CCA but are almost twice the size of most >900CCA batteries.

Sulphation mostly occurs when you heavily discharge a battery repeatedly. This is where a Deep Cycle battery excels when compared to a regular battery. If you aren't running heavy loads often (ie. winching), or leaving your vehicle sitting for months at a time (especially when you have somthing like a car alarm or other low-drain device on), then this shouldn't be a problem.

I think the biggest advantages of the Optimas are that they are resistant to vibration because of the spiral cell design, are fully sealed (leak-proof and maintenance-free), and their smaller size allows them to be mounted in a variety of locations and positions. They are by far the better batteries on the market. My 20 cents.

 

[Lashcat]

The Optima batteries are worth the money. They hold up very good under extream conditions. I work on a electronic warfare/ bombing range here in Alaska and we use the Optima batteries on our generators for a few reasons that most people would not consider as well as a few that they would. 1. no maint. 2. Lighter and smaller. 3. They wotk well in the cold and heat. 4. We can fly with them onboard the helocopter. They are easy to bring back to life.

We have them on generators sitting out on the tunda in remote locations. If we fly out to a remote sight and the generator has gone down for what ever reason. If it has been down at temps below 0 and will not start we just disconnect the battery and sit it on to of the generator cover and then we pop open one of the side pannels and place a propane heater beside the the block and wait about 30 minutes. The heat gets the block warm and as the heat rises it warms the battery also. Connect the battery and if there is nothing to prevent it from starting it will start up like it was summer time. Doing this many time has made me a believer in Optima batteries.

Another thing about Optimas is all you need is a small battery charger to recharge them. Just put them on a nice slow charge when they gey too low and they come back. Normal batteries will not stand up to being frozen solid like a gel filled will. I realize that most of you don't have to deal; with frozen batteries about 6 months out of a year. I just wanted to shed some light on their performance.

 

[Landpimp]

I really like the Exide Oritals Extremes, that what all my rigs are getting from now on and when the old Optimas die.....thats whats replacing them. Think I am running 4 or 5 of them now.

For tight aplicatons or if you want a trick battery the Odyessy are da chit(can fit 2 1200's in a almost stock fj40 tray)


Pissed me off my 45LV came with a normal acid battery, damn thing pissed acid out....made a mess out of the tray(which was painted real purty) NEVER will I used a normal battery again.

Not wild about the Optima except the red tops, yellows just havn't lasted for me.

If you want a nomal battery then the Interstates are prolly the best of the bunch.

 

[65swb45]

One more advantage, ... you can sit on one while in use, safely.
Butch

Given your rich and illustrious history, I'm sure there's a good story behind this statement!

 

[nspctr1]

My opinion is somewhat marred by the fact that 2 of my buddies have run them in their rigs, both not daily drivers, and after 3 weeks or so of sitting had to charge them to get them to start. But, after the initial charge they worked great. I just figured it was from sitting w/0 use but the different opinions on this board may make me change my mind, again, I am going to need 2 batteries in the next month or so but neither rig is a DD so if I do go optima, would it be red or yellow? whats the best?

 

[Tooth Fairy]

I've been pleased with my 9 year old red top and my 5 year old yellow. Neither have ever let me down.

 

[WALoeIII]

I just put a red top in my 60 (well my dad actually paid for it) and I asked him why spend so much. He basically flat out told me that there is no competition. I don't know how knowledgeable he is but he does own 9 different Optimas in various boats/cars/trucks and has been using them for well over 5 probably close to 10 years now. The other advantage is you get more flexibility on angles if you are wheeling!