Any REAL advantage of Optima Red Top Batteries vs. Interstate?

I've said it before; we use a lot of the yellow Optimas at work and I haven't been impressed with their durability. They may be "the thing to have" but I don't follow that crowd.

FYI, Consumer Reports did a battery test a couple of years ago (in their typical thorough manner, they tested both Northern U.S. and Southern U.S. regionally-tweaked batteries) and the short summary was that Die Hard was 1st or 2nd in all sizes and regions. DONE !

 

Consumers Reports also tested a Optima Red Top a few years ago, and it tested pretty well too. IIRC, they agreed on the potential longer life claims.

My experience with a Red Top was good while I had my 308....about three years of use, before I got rid of the car.

Don't forget these other advantages:

maintanence free

spill proof (no acid can leak out)

can mount in any orientation (dubious for the Ferrari)

If you get one, sounds like the Yellow Top is the way to go.

If topping the water once or twice a year, and you use a battery tender, then a standard Interstate Group 34R is probably just fine. That is what came with my 355 spider, and I see no reason to replace it any time soon. They are inexpensive too. I think around $70.

 

I've never been convinced that the Optimas are worth the $$.

IMHO, even the Die-Hard gold is not a good investment for cars that spend long periods in storage. I've been running deep cycle RV/Marine starting batteries in my winter driver (sits most of summer), & my station wagon (camper & big load hauler). These batteries can get pretty far discharged in between uses. The wagon battery is at least 5 years old, & going strong. My Rx7's battery went at about 5 years, which seems reasonable to me considering that it was fully discharged numerous times.

Just replaced an Interstate Gold in my 308 with a Sears deep cycle RV/Marine starting for a lot less $$ than a DieHard gold, much less an Optima.

For a full daily driver car like my wife's commuting car, I'd go with the DieHard or Interstate gold.

 

Verell,
Tip...the same company that makes the Sears Diehard, makes the Costco Kirkland Signature batteries...same warranty too. Free two year replacement....then a multi-year prorated warranty. The Costco ones are about 15% cheaper and you don't have to wait for a sale.

 

After seeing the damage that battery acid does to numerous vehicles (I am on #30) I have sworn off "liquid cell" batteries.

I bought my first Optima 15 years ago and had it mounted on it's side in the spare tire compartment of my autocross car. It worked great for many years and NEVER made a mess.

Liquid cell batteries can crack and leak, not pretty. If you have a malfunctioning charging system/voltage regulator a boiling liquid cell battery makes a huge and potentially dangerous mess when they "gas".

The Optima is a shock resistant battery and works well in 4 X 4's as well. I have heard many claims that they don't last long. All of mine lasted 5+ years under normal use.

The yellow top is recommended for automotive deep cycle applications like cars with high amp sound systems.

Two don'ts: Never run them down flat and never overcharge them. They are never the same after that.

This is just my personal preference. My 308 had a tired, leaking Interstate when I bought it, of course I didn't know how bad it was until I opened up the lower access panel and saw all of the "run off." It took a lot of baking soda, water and sanding to clean up the rust and corrosion caused by this piece of 150 year old technology

I used to sell automotive batteries in the early 80's and even then Interstate and Sears Diehard were the tops. I would still recommend Interstate if you went with a liquid cell.

The choice is yours of course.

DJ

 

OK - I am confused. My 308 needs a new battery so should I get a yellow label or red label Interstate. I rarely use my car, but I do use a battery tender all year.

Ken

 

I have an Optima red top in two of my cars (one is the 308). I chose the red over the yellow because it had a longer warrenty - I think. Should I have bought the yellow? The red was a bit more expensive

 

Sam's sell the NASCAR for $99.00 It the same as the optima. no water or acid for me.
kelly

 

I only know of the red and yellow top Optimas. The red is a standard duty "starting" battery and the yellow is a deep cycle battery. I have always used the red tops.

I think the Interstates are all green.

 

Doc,
The Optima dealer told me the yellow was better for deep cycle activity like being discharged from running a high powered sound system with the engine shut off or from letting the car sit for long periods of time with parasitic computer drain on it.

ONE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!; If a lead/acid "liquid cell" battery is discharged quickly from heavy use like extended periods of cranking or amperage draw then it can be recharged at the same rate. If the battery is discharged slowly over a long period of time it is recommended that the battery be recharged SLOWLY, like on a trickle charger outside of the car. This allows the chemical reaction to build gradually without overheating the battery and warping the plates. Warped plates=dead short=dead cell.

I imagine on an Optima a slow recharge is recommended due to the nature of the construction, spiral cell technology.

 

That I cannot answer. I don't have any first hand experience with them.

 

I have an OPTIMA red top in my TR, and it's been in there for about 2 years. I'm not worried about it at all. I had a YELLOW top in my '95 cherokee for over 7 years until it finally died. I also had a $6k stereo system (2 McIntosh amps @ $1800 each) in it, and the Optima yellow top always fired everything up, 100% reliable.
Also, the battery terminals don't seem to corrode or develop that white powder/foam with Optimas, like they do with traditional batteries. Just what I've noticed...

 

Well, the optima yellow weighs in around 43lbs...
the red top is around 38 lbs...

I would look here..

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680mjt.htm

15.4 pounds

fwiw-
Craig

-speed through lightness-
C.A.B.C.

 

I had a red top installed in my 328 last fall. Over the winter it discharged, and a four hour recharge failed to bring it back. But another recharge two weeks later did recharge it. (Go figure.) I now have a Schumacher "automatic" trickle charger for it.

I'd hesitate to disagree with Verrell, but I have a Die Hard Gold in my rarely used Alfa -- since 1993. It still works fine, even after five months without starting. (But the Alfa doesn't have a recovery system, or stereo memory -- or even a clock.)

On contrast, a Die Hard melted internally in the front of my Celica ... about 10 inches from that glow-in-the-dark turbo. The Alfa's battery is in the trunk. (The quality of Die Hards do tend to vary. I've used several over the last 40 years, and some have been better than others -- but the Celica's is the only one that Died Hard. )

Optimas were all the rage among Celica AllTrac owners --- because many relocated the batteries to the back (to straighten the air intake path) ... and in a hatch-back, a sealed gel cell is the only option if you put the battery inside the cabin.

So the big advantage to an Optima is no hydrogen venting when charging. With "regular" batteries, I'd never charge in a closed garage.

So I'd say stay away from Die Hards if the location gets heat soaked, and stay away from Optimas if you're going to let it drain out. But if you want to keep it on a battery tender for long periods, the Optima avoids the worries about hydrogen venting.

 

My Interstate (dated 2001) died last year. I have an Optima red top now.
Although Optima has advantages (that Dave mentioned), whether they have longer life or not compared to other batteries I don't know. The key to longer life is to drive the car or use of battery tender.

 

Ken,

I'm not an expert, but from what I read, the yellow top (deep cycle) has advantages over the red -- they work better for cars that sit for a long period of time and are less prone to being harmed when the battery drains all the way down (which seemed to be the common complaint of Optima red owners). As far as I know, there are no disadvantages to the yellow, other than cost (I think it is about $30 more) and weight (which EspiritSE indicated is 5lbs more). I installed a yellow top a few month's ago -- I can't really comment on durability yet, but I'm very happy with the decision because the battery area seems cleaner and I don't have to worry about leaks. I was initially leaning towards the Interstate because opinions seemed to be split on the red (mostly positive, but a few negative) where Interstate seemed to have fewer complaints. The Optima yellow appeared to address some of the negative concerns about the red, so I went that route. In general, I find the comfort from the Optima (red or yellow) being leakproof to be more than worth the premium price. Somewhat surprisingly, Sears sells both red and yello Optimas along side their Die-Hards (that's where I purchased mine).

Peter

 

I have a Optima Blue top in my boat. It's a deep cycle RV-marine battery. So what's the yellow top for?

 

Have debated going with a light battery and am upgrading to the lighter Nick's front radiator. Weight savings is good...

Do you use this is your daily driver? Any tricks/tips on installations as i guess you need their mounting bracket. All help is always appreciated.

 

It's got to do with the rate at which the battery can provide starting current. One's better suited to starting applications, where the other (I think the blue you have) isn't as capable of providing high current.

 

Both the blue and yellow tops are deep cycle and have the same performance, the difference is the cable connector -- blue is typically a better match for marine and yellow for car applications.

 

Now I have lost a bunch of batteries in the winter time because I have failed to remove them and they froze. I thought this was one huge advantage with the Optima - It doesn't freeze. Am I not correct?

 

This is exactly correct. The marine battery has smaller posts on top. Big difference between red and yellow top, no difference except for the post design on blue and yellow top. Blue is not used for automotive, only for marine.

 

I use red tops (2) in my offroad Jeep, so they get pretty heavy use. I have found that they have good life, BUT discharge quickly when using the emergency flashers (okay, so sometimes the Jeep breaks on the way to the trail). It is nice that they do not discharge any corrosive liquids when upside down. Keep your car rightside up!