Optima red tops?

[iwlbcnu]

Alright, this isn't in my EB but know many use them. My 85 GT goes through an Optima every year, I finally upgraded to 130 amp alt, 14.5v at idle and a .001 amp drain. Put a standard batt in for a month and only drained .04v, put the Optima back in and in a week has lost 1v. I am on my 5th at least, anyone else having problems? The one in my EB seems to be doing great. I used to blame it on night driving, big stereo and low speed cruising w/ underdrive pulleys. Now all that has been eliminated.

 

[ugly74]

I've never used one in a vehicle, but I work on a few pieces of equipment that had the red tops. after a year, they were crap. I wasn't even a little impressed. but I've heard a lot of good about them too...so I dunno. I've had better luck with normal wet cell batteries.

 

[iwlbcnu]

My thing with wets is that my tops always seep a tad and after awhile they eat my plug wires. I only notice it in the cars with high dollar wire sets.

 

[kntr]

The same thing happened in my 87 5.0L mustang for about 8-9 years. I ran two Optimas and I had to replace them every year. The owner of Standard Battery told me he wont sell them anymore. He told me the newer Optimas only last a year... if you are lucky. Just get a good battery and be done.

We do have an old Optima in our racer and it has lasted 8 years. It gets drained to dead and recharged all the time and it is still running strong. The thing sits in the back and we dont run a top so it sees all the elements. Its pink from sun and sits in water and mud all the time. The thing just wont die.


The older Optimas were good but the newer ones suck.

 

[Skiddy]

Yeah I think all the new ones are made overseas or made a lot cheaper than the older ones. Deka is supposed to be real good now according to Raaaayyy2

 

[BigFord74]

Has anyone ran one of these? http://northstarbattery.com/data_sheets/TeleCom/NSB90.pdf

Guy has one for sale locally and a bunch are chiming in saying how good a battery they are.

 

[astark]

Skiddy is right and here is a thread to back that up

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90917

I run a five or so year old Optima that works great, but if I had to buy another battery today I think it would be the Odyssey PC1500 which can be found on line for about 200.00 including UPS shipping.

http://www.remybattery.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PC1500T

 

[ken75ranger]

Yeah I think all the new ones are made overseas or made a lot cheaper than the older ones. Deka is supposed to be real good now according to Raaaayyy2

Here's the ones Raayyy spoke highly of for the $.

http://www.remybattery.com/Deka-Intimidator_263196.html

 

[irwin]

had the red top in the bronco 5 years now but bought one for my other truck and it took a dump in 6 months

 

[MarsChariot]

Skiddy is right and here is a thread to back that up

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90917

I run a five or so year old Optima that works great, but if I had to buy another battery today I think it would be the Odyssey PC1500 which can be found on line for about 200.00 including UPS shipping.

http://www.remybattery.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PC1500T

I can't believe folks are still buying Optimas. RRRAAAYYY convinced me a while back that the quality had undergone a nose dive a few years ago. I have two of the original ones and they are going strong six years later. But my next battery, probably within the coming year, will be an Odyssey. As I interpret the problem, the original company was sold, and the new company is using the customer as quality control checks the same way that the rebuilt original starters are being "quality checked" by customers (which is another reason for upgrading to a late model starter set up, too).

 

[Simpson]

A rep for one of the battery companies told me once that all auto batteries sold in the US come from only four different manufacturers. Our red top has gone 8 years of torture. Everything that is hardest on a battery has been done to it. I have thought for years that one spring it finally won't take a charge but it does! I see NAPA sells an Orbit gel cell. Any one run it?

 

[cliffnbc]

Wow , I must be doing something right. I've had three Red Tops in three different vehicles. Three years , two years , and almost one year and still going. I even bought two of them at a battery shop that gets them after they have used up their shelf life. Three year warranty instead of five for fifty bucks.

 

[scsm76]

I used to run optima in everything I had, the last three I purchased are garbage. I have two waiting to go to Costco for a full refund, and already replaced them with the Exide orbital batteries and have been happy so far, one is 2 years old and the other is just a few months. I went this route at the recommendation of my local napa parts guy who claims the local hydrographers trust these in all there snow measuring stations that are nearly imposible to reach in the winters and the batteries get barried under up to 20' of snow.
It sounds like the Odyssey's are better but these seem to work, which is much more than I can say for the new Optima's.

 

[808Bronco]

I have had mine for three years, with no problems so far(knock on wood). But now I will have to rethink it when it does die. I bought the billit battery holder for it. Will the Odyssey fit in the same holder as an Optima.

 

[DownhillManiac99]

Dont get one, they are TOTAL crap. Im on my second one, doesnt hold a charge if I let the Bronco sit for more than 3 days.

 

[michael084]

My Deka Intimidator from Remy lasted less than a month. I just cut my losses since shipping it bak and forth is so expensive and bought an AC Delco that was available locally that is still working fine. According to the remy site there is only a six month warranty on what they sell anyway.

 

[iwlbcnu]

Had it on 2amp charge all day sunday and last night it was down to 12.1 so I took it to the store, load tested it and it dropped to 11 and held saying itjust needed charging and retest. Luckily they swapped it out again.

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

My Deka Intimidator from Remy lasted less than a month. I just cut my losses since shipping it bak and forth is so expensive and bought an AC Delco that was available locally that is still working fine. According to the remy site there is only a six month warranty on what they sell anyway.

Did you call the number on the side of the battery. Deka has a international warranty that you can have serviced locally. Their wet cells even come with road side assistance.

 

[daddyg]

I have 2 Deka Intimidators in my Bronco and I have had them for a couple of years now. The Bronco has sat for a month or 2 sometimes and I even had a short that drained them completely a few times. They still take a charge and hold their charge.

 

[Mikey]

Anyone run the NAPA gel cell battery????