Red Top Optimas

[Devel]

i love my orbital, ive had it 4 over a year now with no problems. being that i work at an auto parts store i c more optimas come in bad than i have seen orbitals. i think exide makes a pretty good battery so im going to stick with orbitals till they give me a reason not to. and they r cheaper than optimas

 

[Fuller]

i have a battery charger called the outdoors man that has the gel setting on it from napa, that brought my friends yellow top back to life after his old charger wouldn't charge it.

this is a good thread because i need to get a new batt for my jeep and i cant get an optima from napa only orbitals. and it seems like its a hit and miss with either battery.

 

[mbryson]

i love my orbital, ive had it 4 over a year now with no problems. being that i work at an auto parts store i c more optimas come in bad than i have seen orbitals. i think exide makes a pretty good battery so im going to stick with orbitals till they give me a reason not to. and they r cheaper than optimas

i have a battery charger called the outdoors man that has the gel setting on it from napa, that brought my friends yellow top back to life after his old charger wouldn't charge it.

this is a good thread because i need to get a new batt for my jeep and i cant get an optima from napa only orbitals. and it seems like its a hit and miss with either battery.

I've had good luck so far with a red top Optima. Not real pleased with my Orbital that bit the dust after about 2 years

 

[Jay5.9L]

Had a Red Top in mt daily driver ZJ and it worked great for years.

Has anyone tired the Procomp batteries? They seem to have about the same specs as the Optimas but much cheaper

 

[Devel]

Has anyone tired the Procomp batteries? They seem to have about the same specs as the Optimas but much cheaper

they r orbitals with pro comp written on them

 

[Jay5.9L]

I had a suspicion

 

[Fuller]

i had an optima that i had in my old jeep before i sold it for about 5 years and it bit the dust after he had it for a while so im leaning towards a red top.

 

[erocrocks]

at our shop we pulled one out, red top, it was "dead" i took it, and charged it for a couple days, 2amps two hours at a time, a couple times throug out day, the optimas charge differntly from rest, but i wouold test it with our tester/charger/ thingy, some times it would say replace battery and other times would read 920 CCA,s

so i would say that you should just try and charge them slowly and over some time, and then try them, i have had mine for almost a year now, winched, short trips, cold starts, runt he radio, all good with it,


granite i do charge it ..... every once and a while , like once through out the summer, and thats about it.

i VOTE YES on red tops!!!! just take care of them, you do need to charge them occacionaly, liek any other battery

 

[RockMonkey]

I don't know how many get Consumer Reports. In their latest issue they tested car batteries. The red top Optima was second in it's group. The only battery that tested better was the DieHard Platinum 50090. Both were rated excellent for life, the DieHard was rated better for reserve capacity. The Excide Orbital was rated 8th (out of 13).

Just another data point. I have had better luck with Optimas than Excide Orbitals. I bought a red top Optima for my latest Jeep.

 

[BroncoMama]

I don't know how many get Consumer Reports. In their latest issue they tested car batteries. The red top Optima was second in it's group. The only battery that tested better was the DieHard Platinum 50090. Both were rated excellent for life, the DieHard was rated better for reserve capacity. The Excide Orbital was rated 8th (out of 13).

Just another data point. I have had better luck with Optimas than Excide Orbitals. I bought a red top Optima for my latest Jeep.

That's interesting. I think we've just had some bum luck, because our yellow top is the bomb and the replacement red top in our trencher is still going gang busters after almost 2 years. I'll be curious to see how the new ones in the Ford hold up.

 

[yellowbronco]

I'll be curious to see how the new ones in the Ford hold up.

Me too!

 

[Rick B]

I just had a Red Top replaced for free after 18 months or so, about two weeks ago. To my knowledge it was never discharged, but it lost a cell and would not charge up or hold a charge. The current one is the last Optima battery I'll ever own, I'll be buying Die Hard Platinums from now on that's what I had before & it was fine in Denver and Moab for 6 years.

Luckily I was home when it happened, the week before I spent 5 days on White Rim totally alone.

 

[Big Tom]

Optima red and blue top

I started usining red tops seven years ago. Have had one go bad out of nine bought at different tims. Rotate new ones into most used equipment and use older ones for least used. However have kept Battery sential PLUS trickle chargers on them since new. These little chargers are about 60 bucks but are worth every penny. My wife ran off the road, folded acoustom bumper up over the hood, and thenhit a tree eight foot off the ground in the roof section over middle seat. air bag didn't go off. Mashed roof down to floorboards on middle seat.** She has seatbelt scar on shoulder} When I looked at vehicle six hours later Parking lights and interior lights were still on. Could not get hood up to save that battery. They have been a lifesaver for me here at the ranch Use bluetop with solar chargers on fuel tank and main gate.

 

[muddyjeep]

Will not buy another red top 3 of them in 3 years.
I like the Procomp gel cel deep cycle had it since 2005 and no problems yet
even ran it dead a few times.

 

[waynehartwig]

Will not buy another red top 3 of them in 3 years.
I like the Procomp gel cel deep cycle had it since 2005 and no problems yet
even ran it dead a few times.

Not 100% sure, but I think Orbital makes the Procomp version?

 

[Medsker]

Edit: Chris just told me that the Carquest guy tested the ones from the Ford and they both had a bad cell.

I'm extremely curious how the carquest guy tested the cells of an optima battery to determine one was bad

 

[waynehartwig]

I'm extremely curious how the carquest guy tested the cells of an optima battery to determine one was bad

Each cell has a voltage rating. When a cell 'dies' it loses that voltage. Say each cell is good for 2v. If you have a fully charged 12v battery that is only 10v, then you know 1 cell is dead or shorted. They are all lined up in series, so if one dies, you lose voltage.

 

[BroncoMama]

A new development

Turns out Henry's alternator was on the fritz. It gave up the ghost last week so I don't know how much that had to do with the batteries going bad. The truck had sat over the weekend when we made this realization and the new red tops were nearly dead. But with the new alternator and a bit of a charging, they roared back to life and are once again fabulous! And that's the rest of the story and now I really hope we all live happily ever after with our red tops.

 

[Bart]

I'll throw a trickle charge on my red top once or twice a year, just to get it to full charge, even if I'm driving it regularly.

Sitting all winter even without a load will drain most batteries.

 

[Meat_]

...I don't know how much that had to do with the batteries going bad...

a LOT