optima red tops?

[jkh]

what is the difference between optima and regular wet cell batteries? are they really worth twice as much as a good acid battery? I am going to need them real soon and I went to autozone on Sat. for prices,... $109 for red tops vs. $59 for a 850 cca acid battery. I like the idea of not having the mess of the acid, but are there any other advantages to justify the price?

 

[DRAG DIESEL]

One red top has been starting my truck since last October

 

[bmoeller]

Acid leaking from the regular batteries was the main reason for choosing the red tops in my case, when el cheapos were shot. The reg. batts. didn't leak on-road, but did off-road. Very happy with them so far.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

They are 15 times more vibration resistant. They handle heat and cold better than any other battery I've seen. They take a charge faster, have multiple hookups, can be mounted in any position. Since they are wound rather than flat lead plates you don't have to worry about warping them and loosing capacity. No acid dust to worry about.



Overall they are worth the price. They will outlast and out perform a regular battery. I put them in all the trucks I have. I've even cranked my F-150 over that sat for 8 months and it was about -20f when I did it. It did just fine.

 

[JLEONARD]

I've been using a single Red Top for 2 winters. I'm happy with it.

Jay

 

[Dartman]

Just bought two red tops for my '99. I've had the truck since new and the batteries lasted four years, 10 months. Not too bad for the heat of Las Vegas. I read a good bit of info before buying the red tops. Consumer Reports rated them excellant and wanted to give them a try. Normally, I don't like maintenance free batteries because of not being able to check the cells. But like BMoeller said, they won't leak.

 

[Soot4Life]

You won't be disappointed...........

I put off the purchase until I had acid ruin my fender paint job. After a repaint I bought 2 for $100/ea. @ COSTCO. They work famously and no worries about damaging my paint job. Oo.

 

[Casey Ray]

What size are y'all buying?



Casey

 

[Dartman]

What size are y'all buying?



Casey

Mine are 34/78-OR

980 CA 800 CCA

 

[bombero]

Ya, I am tired of changing batteries every three years and getting white crap all over. Only thing is that the optimas arnt so great under a hood subject to prolong heat. That what I heard. ??

 

[Dartman]

I haven't heard that. But will find out. I live in Las Vegas, NV. We get 110 degree weather in the summer.

 

[Kyle]

Good in the heat (at least for me)

I live in Phoenix, Arizona -- 110+ in the shade on a regular basis.



I learned a lesson from my wife's car in this heat. Got a cheap Checker battery. They died every summer but I always got a replacement for $10 or less. Problem was my wife always got stranded somewhere every summer plus the hassle factor. After a few years of that, I popped for an Optima and it's been there for the last 7 years. Still going strong.



When the first factory battery went bad in my Ram, I popped $200 for a pair of Optimas without even flinching. That pair is still going strong after 4 years.



Can't say enough good things about them. The never corrode, they never leak, that last and last (even in this heat).



If you're going to keep the truck a while, buy a pair of Optimas -- you'll only cry once.



PS.

You can get blems for around $80. The only difference is the warranty starts on the manufacture date instead of the purchase date. The Optima website shows how to read the manufacture date code off the battery. When I got my wife's I went down to a battery dealer that carried blems. He let me in the back and I dug around until I found one that was only a month old. I think I paid $75 for it.

 

[SSage]

Have a store do a load test, the Optimas produce more than the labels say. My yellow top was at 995 ca's at 12. 83 volts. Not bad.