optima batteries???
06-10-2011, 07:31 AM
#22
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Mine has always started the car.
But after about a 2 years it started the get weak after 2 weeks of sitting in the garage but always started.
So i got the battery minder and now it's always fully charged all the time
But after about a 2 years it started the get weak after 2 weeks of sitting in the garage but always started.
So i got the battery minder and now it's always fully charged all the time
06-10-2011, 09:13 AM
#23
I have a Wal-Mart Everstart Maxx $70 battery on my car. It was installed in 1999. It's been killed several times but keeps coming back. I'm fairly amazed with it.
I would really like to try an Optima due to weight and it being one of the few that has both top and side post on the same battery (convenient for my swap wiring). But it sounds like that might be a bad idea.
I would really like to try an Optima due to weight and it being one of the few that has both top and side post on the same battery (convenient for my swap wiring). But it sounds like that might be a bad idea.
06-10-2011, 02:54 PM
#24
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I had a yellow top in my SUV for 4yrs(before I traded it in) and used to bang on it hard with the system I had and never had any issues with it. I've got a yellow top now in my car that I bought 2ish years ago and still don't have any issues.
06-10-2011, 08:14 PM
#25
I had a Red Top go **** up on me after 2.5 years. Luckily it was less than the 3-year warranty so I got a free replacement. Hasn't gone in a car yet, but I keep it trickle charged with a Schumacher that has a special setting for gel cell batteries until I decide what to do with it.
Almost hate to say it, but the GM AC Delco batteries... I've had real good luck with them. My 2001 Camaro SS is on its second one and it sits for long periods with the battery disconnected. I charge it up on the trickle charger and it fires up like a champ and holds a charge great. Just one of several good Delco batteries I've had over the years.
That's what I replaced the crapped out Red Top with in my track car last September. So far, so good.
Almost hate to say it, but the GM AC Delco batteries... I've had real good luck with them. My 2001 Camaro SS is on its second one and it sits for long periods with the battery disconnected. I charge it up on the trickle charger and it fires up like a champ and holds a charge great. Just one of several good Delco batteries I've had over the years.
That's what I replaced the crapped out Red Top with in my track car last September. So far, so good.
06-10-2011, 08:27 PM
#26
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What about Braille Light Weight Batteries? I was thinking of doing a relocation of the battery and using a small battery like the Braille to do the job.
06-10-2011, 10:05 PM
#27
I have 2 red tops I've had through 4 different trucks. The same two batteries have gone truck to truck and are now 12 years old and still ticking in my 2011 short crew.
My dad has one that is 10 years old he put in his 2001 gmc when it was two days old and it's still ticking also. I guess at this point there are pros and cons our batteries are the old ones and we have had excellent service and when they do fail I'd be hard pressed to try anything but an optima again.
My dad has one that is 10 years old he put in his 2001 gmc when it was two days old and it's still ticking also. I guess at this point there are pros and cons our batteries are the old ones and we have had excellent service and when they do fail I'd be hard pressed to try anything but an optima again.
06-13-2011, 09:56 AM
#28
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I had to jump it to get it going, but in all fairness I hadn't started the car in almost 2 weeks.
06-13-2011, 12:32 PM
#29
Red tops are not junk, don't listen to ding dongs that say that garbage. They used to be the best widely available starting battery, now, they are only the 3rd or 4th best starting battery that is widely available. I think the manf date cutoff is about May 2007. After that, Interstate owned them and controlled the manufacturing in Mexico. Before that, they were borderline miraculous. Now, they are only good, but the price hasn't changed so the bang for buck quotient sucks. DieHard Platinum (manf. by Odyssey) is the shiznit, followed by Everstart Maxx, then Optima are usually test rankings. Of course, you can get better (Kinetik, etc) but we're talking widely available. For Optima-money, the DieHard Platinum is a better choice. For $100, the Everstart Maxx is probably your best bet. Now, I DID see a returned yellow top at Advance for $35 some time back, wish I'd gotten that!
To summarize, Optima Red Top is still a good battery and it will never leak (like Delco and Interstate will) so it's good for that. Smart money, though, doesn't like a 3rd-4th place showing for a "top shelf" price tag. DieHard Platinum or Everstart Maxx, depending on budget, is your best path.
To summarize, Optima Red Top is still a good battery and it will never leak (like Delco and Interstate will) so it's good for that. Smart money, though, doesn't like a 3rd-4th place showing for a "top shelf" price tag. DieHard Platinum or Everstart Maxx, depending on budget, is your best path.
