Optimas need to be charged a certain way and like normal "wet" batteries they have issues is you let them run down past 10 volts. They have a hard time coming back to life after that and the life cycle will be much shorter if they do come back.

For an every day driver truck that you won't let the battery die on - they're good. For one that sits for a while with battery drain - not so good.

 

I've had good luck with Optima's. I've got two of them that I've had for a few years and they sit all winter and get swapped around into my summer vehicles and dump truck from about May to October. I didn't even buy them new so I don't know how old they are.

 

Just my .02, the original Motorcraft battery in my 99 Mustang lasted 9 years, The original Motorcraft battery in my 97 F250 is still going (it's now in my 76 F150), that's 13 years in a truck in a cold weather climate that plows snow. Does anyone know if Motorcraft batterys are still made the same, or have they been outsourced recently to Mexico, etc?

 

1 friend of mine's dad worked at a junkyard and gave him an optima he found in a junked car. he took it home and built a sweet custom box for it and such, only to find it didn't hold a charge. He bought a new one and when it arrived at autozone, it too, would not hold a charge. They gave him yet another one, which he used, and it worked for a couple years and then quit and he replaced it with a yellowtop deep cycle and installed a second, smaller battery to crank his car, and ended up selling it shortly thereafter.

My other friend had a red top and it lasted somewhere like 18 months, and this was in a car that saw weekend autocross type events (drifting, if you know about that) so it WAS subjected to severe vibrations and stuff, but it was only cranking a 2.4 4 cyl...

I'm not that impressed with them. I like the odyssey batteries a lot better.

 

The thing with Optima batteries is that you CAN'T fast charge them. You have to slow charge them. A fast charge will fry the cells. i have a 3 yr old optima in my truck. when i got it it was completely dead. Put a real slow charge on it at a cycle for a couple days and havent had any problems out of it since. Been about a yr now.

 

as I said previously, it was free, and with not having personal experience with these, and needing a dual terminal (top and side post) setup, I wouldn't say no, I myself, will see how it works out, I have no cash, so anything was helpful with this being a gift.....if it don't last, then oh well, I'll get a cheap battery, or maybe try what hasteranger said he prefers and see how that works.

life is a gamble, and so are auto parts, they either work or they don't there's no in between.

just like My MSD thread, it's all about preference, like myself, I will NEVER own GM, I do now, I regret it, but it's for sale, and I'll never look back, if I am to own a dodge, like I do, it's got to be a cummins, no gassers from them for me, I'll never function correctly without my Ford, or it's 390, and yes, it HAS to be a 390 with me, it's all a matter of opinion.

I appreciate you all putting your input forward with no BS, I've never bought an optima, this one was given, I don't see any reason for a daily driver application to pay what they want for these, a $100 battery from autozone, or a $25 junker battery will suit me fine, but I'll never turn down a free chance to see what this optima can handle.

AS we know, Optima says their batteries can handle the worst you put in front of them, but when I brought the experiences I have caught wind of to them with the warranty in mind, this was their response.

SO much for being able to handle the "WORST"

 

My experience with Optima is as follows. Put the smaller version yellow top in my daily driver. 4 cylinder shopping cart as I like to call it. That one lasted 11 months. Went back and had it replaced free of charge. The second one lasted 12 months. This time a DieHard Gold went in and has been in there about 3 years. To be fair the Optimas could have been sitting on the shelf for who only knows how long. But as for abuse there really wasnt any. Vehicle is completely stock. No aftermarket lights, stereo, etc. Chicago summers and winters...thats about it.

Alec

 

I think you raise a good point. EVERY auto parts store has optimas and if you ask the guys they barely sell any of them due to their high price. So if you get one "new" it could be actually years old and have been sitting there.

 

I am very glad you made this thread. I was seriously considering buying a yellow top for my truck/winch. I am really going to look into this a little deaper. It's good to hear real world opinions on these, not just the guy at the auto parts store that has never owned one.

 

it's what we are all here for, this is my first optima, but I myself, wanted to know what I was getting into.

thanks to you all for the posts.

 

i also have a red top in my reg cab and would not pay double the price compared to a reg battery mine loses charge with sitting they are allmost 200 in alberta and reg batterys around 100 or so not worth the money as far as i am concerned

 

I have a yellow top in my car and have had really good luck with it. I do keep it on a battery tender though to keep it up to capacity.

 

I got a yellow top from a customer that was having alternator issues around 2002/2003...I used it for a jump battery, a battery for moving any number of vehicles around..etc...then when the battery in my mom's car went out..I put it in that so it wouldn't just be sitting around...I just barely took it out of her car in 2008...it's a little weak now..but still works!! I had a red top in another car and never had a problem with it either..and no idea how old either were...but they kept on working!!

 

I to have the red top. Just replaced it for the 5th time. The good part is that 4 had $o.oo cost. The 5th had a $40.00 credit left. It made it the longest do to the fact it only moved 50 miles maybe in the last 3 years I had it. When I went to start it it was dead and would not charge. That is what I get for neglecting it. This time a keep a trickle charger on it every few days to keep it "topped off" if you will.

 

I must say im suprised to hear the negative comeback on the optimas..... We run them in the racecars and i have two redtops in my truck. Personally i think theyre the best battery ever. Our race car sits most of the time obviously and when out at the track it never gives one problem. I think the shortest time one of ours lasted was 5 years and it was ABUSED lol. Red tops are a typical daily use battery on steriods, high power, enormous reserve and are very vibration resistant, yellow have an even larger reserve. Typical use would be for powering a audio system in a competative car. The blues are marine batteries, made to be fully charged and ran until fully discharged. Alot like a cell phone battery. So long as theyre halfway taken care of (no more than any other battery) theyre the best, the one in my dads truck is at least 7 years old.

One thing to keep in mind, is get the actual Optima from an actual optima dealer. The imatations look all but identacal, kinda like a Husquevarna chainsaw... theres the one we all swear by, and then theres the Jap knock off version.