optima batterys?

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toy4xfun

toy4xfun

Joined
Mar 18, 2009
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the Lower Shenandoah Valley
i have to say the first one i bought was a red top and it lasted 8 years. i have two yellow top optimas now they are both bad. when i had my red top i had no winch, now i do, i do not use it often.
also i thought when the optima's first came out they were jell cell now they are agm, any how i need a new battery and want to get an agm it cuts down on acid corrosion on terminals would i be alright with a red top since i only use my winch occasionally?
 
probably, I am starting to switch over to sears diehard platium. 4 year replacement warranty then 100 month prorate. I run the biggest one i can fit in the 60 to run the fridge and so far its been great.
 
I've had three blue top optimas in my boat in a two year span and all of them went bad. I know I wont buy another one.

I bought whatever brand they sell at auto zone and I've had it in there for three years and no problems yet. (Duralast I think?)
 
I have two red tops, one in my 88 and one in the LC to power my invertor. I used the same batteries in test equipment for more then two years and still have them today with no issues.
 
i think i will go with a red top, i just went to sears web site and they are not AGM, if you would have seen the corrosion on the battery cables that i replaced when i first bought this truck you would not use a wet cell battery any more. they were corroded from battery to starter, and from battery to fuse, and i had to replace the fuse because the bolt going through it and wire were all just one.
 
toy4xfun said:
i think i will go with a red top, i just went to sears web site and they are not AGM, if you would have seen the corrosion on the battery cables that i replaced when i first bought this truck you would not use a wet cell battery any more. they were corroded from battery to starter, and from battery to fuse, and i had to replace the fuse because the bolt going through it and wire were all just one.
Click to expand...

Not sure what battery you were looking at but the Platinum series are AGM. They are Orbital's made for sears from what I have read somewhere. Here is a link to the one i got for the 60. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850065000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=

I used to run optmia batterys in everything. I actually have 6 of them at the house. 2 of them are bad and 2 of them need to be charged if they sit for a month. the other 2 are working ok. My main battery in the 60 is a yellow top. I have had to replace 4 red tops in my silverado over the years. They were covered under warranty but that just way too many times for me. When they started making optmias in mexico is when they started to see a higher rate of failures.
 
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Its hard to beat a battery that has a 4 year free replacement and after that its prorated for 8 and a half years.
 
I heard the reliability of the Optimas went downhill shortly after a production move to out of country several years ago - don't know how much validity there is to that, but it's what I heard on the internet so it must be true, right?

I'll second the Sears Platinum, when my battery dies this is what I'm gonna get - it's not cheap (just under $200), but it's the same battery Odyssey sells for over $300 and is a favorite of people who do serious extended backcountry camping/exploring.

Just as an FYI, here's the diff between Gel and AGM from this site:
AGM: The Absorbed Glass Matt construction allows the electrolyte to be suspended in close proximity with the plates active material. In theory, this enhances both the discharge and recharge efficiency. Common manufacturer applications include high performance engine starting, power sports, deep cycle, solar and storage battery. The larger AGM batteries we sell are typically good deep cycle batteries and they deliver their best life performance if recharged before allowed to drop below the 50% discharge rate. The Scorpion motorcycle batteries we carry are a nice upgrade from your stock flooded battery, and the Odyssey branded batteries are fantastic for holding their static charge over long periods of non use. When Deep Cycle AGM batteries are discharged to a rate of no less than 60% the cycle life will be 300 plus cycles.

GEL: The Gel Cell is similar to the AGM style because the electrolyte is suspended, but different because technically the AGM battery is still considered to be a wet cell. The electrolyte in a Gel Cell has a silica additive that causes it to set up or stiffen. The recharge voltage on this type of cell is lower than the other styles of lead acid battery. This is probably the most sensitive cell in terms of adverse reactions to over-voltage charging. Gel Batteries are best used in VERY DEEP cycle application and may last a bit longer in hot weather applications. If the incorrect battery charger is used on a Gel Cell battery poor performance and premature failure is certain.
 
my new power-plant!
toy4xfun-albums-my-truck-picture14533-mytruck-299.jpg
 
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