As some of you may know, batteries don't tend to last long in Texas. Does anybody have any experience with the Optima battery? I wonder would it have a longer life-cycle. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

 

I know my dad has had a red top battery in his v-10 for 4 yrs now with no problem. I know they are not recommended for diesel application.

 

The optimas have lost their quality in the last few years. The were bought out by Johnson controlls. I have read about quiet a few failing early on other forums. I had a yellowtop in my jeep that didnt last long.

In my Ex I run Autozone yellow tops 1000 cranking amps. I also ran them in my 04 F350 when I had it.

I am running a Diehard Platinium in my jeep. It is a jell cell. It is made by Odyssey.

 

Diehard platinum 1000cca here too on my 02 7.3. They arent cheap but they are good.

 

I noticed that many reviews of the Optimas say that they aren't as good as they were. I use Diehard Platinums too and think they are the best. I love my Diehard platinum marine battery.

 

Read this prior to battery purchase. With a diesel it doesn't much matter:

Got the following from a former manager of the Johnson Controls plant here in Yuma, AZ. FYI Johnson has the batteries made in Mexico then brought over to have filled and labels attached. Each "Manufacturer" uses a proprietary acid recipe but the basic lead plate is the same.
He informs me that diesel engine and battery problems go hand in hand due to frequency of engine vibrations. So this would seem to make sense to isolate your batteries. Maybe a rubber shock mount under the battery. Or move batteries away from engine, which is not likely.


"Deep Cycle Batteries have thicker lead plates that make them tolerate deep discharges better. They cannot dispense charge as quickly as a starter battery but can also be used to start combustion engines. You would simply need a bigger deep-cycle battery than if you had used a dedicated starter type battery instead. The thicker the lead plates, the longer the life span, all things being equal. Battery weight is a simple indicator for the thickness of the lead plates used in a battery. The heavier a battery for a given group size, the thicker the plates, and the better the battery will tolerate deep discharges.

Note: Cost is incurred with more lead

AGM batteries are just like flooded lead acid batteries, except the electrolyte is held in the glass mats, as opposed to freely flooding the plates. Very thin glass fiber are woven into a mat to increase surface area enough to hold sufficient electrolyte on the cells for their lifetime. The fibers that compose the fine glass mat do not absorb nor are affected by the acidic electrolyte they reside in. These mats are wrung out 2–5% after being soaked in acids, prior to manufacture completion and sealing. The AGM battery can now accumulate more acid than is available, and never spill a drop."

The plates in an AGM battery may be any shape. Some are flat, others are bent or wound. AGM batteries, both deep cycle and starting, are built in a rectangular case to BCI battery code specifications. Optima Battery builds a patented cylindrical AGM series of batteries that are fashioned to fit the same BCI battery size specifications as any other battery.
Batteries that are exposed to long range temp have a shorter life-span

Johnson Controls now supplies original equipment batteries for leading automakers, including DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. A stable of leading battery brands, including DieHard, Duralast, Interstate, ProStart, and Everstart, along with others, all bear Johnson Controls signature. Aftermarket service is also important, and customers represented in this segment of the market include AutoZone, Interstate Battery, Sears, Wal-Mart, and Costco.

 

True the Diehards are manufactured by Johnson Controls and yes each manufacturer has a propreitary acid recipe but he also failed to tell you the complete truth because some maunufacturers have special building specifications for their batteries. IE: different plate construction and material used in the plates.
The Diehards have tin-coated brass terminals, plates made of 99.99% pure virgin lead, Absorbed Glass Mat construction for longer service life, high purity grade acid held in place by glass mats for vibration resistance (diesel), Sealed, non-spillable design, 4-year free replacement warranty and a 100-month prorated limited warranty. I am not a Diehard salesman or associated with Diehard in any way but the above reasons are the reasons I chose the Diehard, plus secondly NO OTHER battery manufacturer offered a warranty matching the Diehards. I spoke directly to Interstate while researching batteries and they ("off the record")agreed that they could not match the Diehards quality.
All batteries will eventually fail but I personally have had a better experience with the Diehards.

Flame suit on!

 

1 yellow top in a plow truck for the last 7 years still passes all test and works every day.... daily driver too..optima batteries rule

 

I purchasing my 1997 F250 4X4 five years ago. At that time, I installed an Optima Red Top battery. It's never let me down and the truck sets idle for weeks and even months. I would purchase Optima batteries again.

Recently, my 2005 F350 4X4 sat idle for a few months. When I tried to start it, the OEM battery was dead. I recharged it and it was good to go. In the future, I will install Optima Yellow Top batteries in all of my vehicles.

 

Before buying a new Optima do a search on the internet for optima failures. It changed my mind.

I have had several Optimas in the past. I had good luck out of them. The one in my Jeep lasted a little over 12 months. It was a week or 2 out of warranty. They wouldn't replace it.

The new Optimas just dont last.

 

Never had a problem with them and buy 1-2 red tops a year replacing wet cells in all forms of vehicles and equipment. Couldn't tell you how many wet cells we have had explode or fail in only a few years. Only time we had trouble with Optimas was over 10 years ago using it in a truck that only ran a few miles a day. Best we had was a pair in a tractor that were 15 years old and just replaced because they were so old, still worked. Any of the newer vehicles will kill any battery if they sit for months on end, all the electronics like the radio and alarms suck them down.

Sam's has had the best price on red tops after core, right around $145.

 

I have a red top in my truck. I bought it about two years ago, and so far it's been fine. Good luck.

 

I had the grey body Blue tops which are the High CCA deep cycle marine starting in my old 1996 powerstroke. It was going through a set of batteries in less than 2 years and always had problems with running low on power. With the optimas I could crank that thing all day.

Note the Blue top black body batteries are different than the grey body ones. Black bodys are just marine starting I believe and the grey body ones are the marine starting/deep cycle.

 

I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE TELLS YOU, DO NOT GET ANY COLOR BUT RED TOPS FOR VEHICLES!!!!

Our oldest (and still working mind you) red top is about 13 years old now.

 

IMHO,
I guess I am on the other side of the fence for name brand batteries...

This could easily be another gas vs deezle or oil thread
but
as long as it gives me 12 volts and starts each time , I'll run it

When the stock Ex's batteries wore out within 2 years of purchase, I replaced with Walmart $79 batteries and never replaced again.