Optima Battery - Why?

[ghengishahn]

I read several posts on people choosing or not the Optima battery. Okay I am new. Why so much battery discussion. Is there something special about the Viper requirement on a batteries?

As a new owner my '03 soneone stuck a red top optima in it, unless that is the stock battery.

 

[Viktimize]

A lot of viper owners dont put many miles on their car. and when you do drive it, you want it to start. so something like an optima yellow top, which takes a very long time to discharge when it sits idle. is great for a viper.

as well, batteries that come stock from a manufacturer, are generally crap. and with all the electronics in cars nowadays, a battery not functioning at top performance, can lead to lots of weird gremlins. so a quality battery sure cant hurt.

 

[Flexx91]

The issue with Vipers and batteries is simple. Unlike the normal daily driver car, most don't drive these cars enough to keep a contant charge on the battery. The battery eventually drains and after a charge, some of them (particularly the early OE Mopar batteries in the Gen. III) didn't hold the charge - rendering the battery useless. From my personal experience, I've had this happen three times before I decided to purchase an Optima Yellow Top (the Yellow Top is the deep cycle version designed to handle accessory loads) because I didn't want to take the chance of being stranded somewhere with a dead Mopar battery. While some have had not so great experiences with Optimas, I've had mine for four years and it has been going strong ever since.

 

[Martin]

The main reason I tried an Optima in the first place was that the stock battery leaked all over the place during hard driving. On my GTS, the battery tray was corroded after six months of ownership... I switched to the Optima mostly for that reason, and it's been great for the most part.

I have to admit that there are a few 'bad Optimas" out there... I went through two or three over the years that only lasted a year or so before crapping out. That said, they have a great warranty, and they must be accustomed to the batteries crapping out - because they just shipped me a new one whenever I called to tell them that I was having problems. The Optima that's in my GTS now has been in the car for about eight years now, and it still works great. I'm going to stick a Yellow Top in my ACR.

 

[ghengishahn]

Thanks to all

 

[swexlin]

Thought about battery issues myself, and I know that Optimas have both their supporters and detractors, especially in the truck world.

All my vehicles are due for batteries at some point sooner rather than later. I'm still on the original 2 in my 04 Ram CTD, with 60K, my 07 SRT8, with 11K, and I'm assuming the original in the 03 Viper, with 24K. Knock wood, don't want to jinx myself.

I've just always wondered if the Optimas were worth it over a standard Die Hard, or some such. Good information in this thread.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

A lot of viper owners dont put many miles on their car. and when you do drive it, you want it to start. so something like an optima yellow top, which takes a very long time to discharge when it sits idle. is great for a viper.

as well, batteries that come stock from a manufacturer, are generally crap. and with all the electronics in cars nowadays, a battery not functioning at top performance, can lead to lots of weird gremlins. so a quality battery sure cant hurt.

All well said especially about manu. crap batteries. GMs Delco has to be the worst too. Keeping a battery tender (not a full charger) connected is the key to longevity and only takes a minute to connect and assures a solid start each time. After each drive I just plug the unit into the power adapter in the center console (Gen 3 and 4) and within a short time the green fullly charged and maintained light is back on.

 

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. Batteries (regardless of manufacturer) spend their entire existence either charging or discharging, even if it is only at a very slow rate, while in storage. When any battery sits for an extended period of time, it will lose voltage and if the voltage level drops below 12.4 volts, sulfation will begin to diminish performance and lifespan.

That makes a battery tender or maintainer a great investment for anyone who owns a vehicle that only sees occasional use. I know many of you have probably watched this video before, but I like to point out the battery tenders in use on these vehicles- [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMQMgwouKlU[/media]

Even someone who can afford to buy new batteries every weekend would rather keep them properly-maintained. If you have any questions about our batteries, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries | Facebook

 

[eucharistos]

cool 1st post jim

 

[TowDawg]

There are still a few VCA member Optima batteries available at crazy prices. I ordered mine today. My battery is OK, but while these prices are available, I figured I'd go ahead get one.

Check the Members Only section for details.