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Optima Batteries

Tryfan

NAXJA Forum User
Location
New York
My battery just died so I thought I might upgrade to an Optima, but when I did a search it seemed that there were about 7 models that would fit my 2001XJ, I6, 4WD, AW4, AC. Does anyone have a good recommendation on these batteries or alternative battery manufacturers
 
I've herd optima switched manufacturing to mexico and the quality has suffered. That may just be rumor but I've seen a lot of people complaining about them recently.
 
My yellow top lasted one week past the warranty. If these batteries are supposed to be so damned good, why do they have the shortest warranty period in the industry?

I went with a Orbital Exide red top. It is the marine/deep cycle. It actually had more CCA's and so far is working great.
 
I prefer Exide batteries for my cars. Long lasting and always up to the challenge.

I have had a few red tops and a yellow top.. They are good batteries, But i decided to try the Exide Orbital XCD Green label, and so far it has been Everything the Yellow top was.. without the problems of the Red top.. all for $150 Where, the yellowtop is normally well over $200


I have driven it to 0Volts many times and it takes to a trickle charger Very nicely.. Unlike ANY red top.. Once one of those is dead.. it's a 50/50 chance of bringing it back to 100% duty

all of this is MY OPINION..
exide_orbital_34xcd_adoption.jpg
 
Is there any reason you need an upgraded battery? (Extra electronics, lights, radios). Honestly, before sinking a couple hundred into a really good battery, I would upgrade your power cables and grounds.

As far as optima, I run a red top that was returned under warranty. Guy at advance auto charged it, and put a sticker on it for $45. I then snatched it right out of his hand. Great battery, just wouldn't buy one new, unless I needed the extra amps for add on electronics.
 
Optimas are waaay over rated and mega over priced. I have 2 Wal-Mart batteries in 2 Jeeps. No problems, good warranty!
 
Take a look around for a Deka Intimidator. I bought one a little while back when my alternator went belly up and took my optima yellow top along for the ride.
At about 150 it was considerably cheaper than another yellow top and they're still completely made here in the USA.
 
Take a look around for a Deka Intimidator. I bought one a little while back when my alternator went belly up and took my optima yellow top along for the ride.
At about 150 it was considerably cheaper than another yellow top and they're still completely made here in the USA.

What he said.
 
The advantage of the Optima, or any fixed electrolyte or dry cell battery, isn't extra amp rating, it's the lack of acid spillage if you roll over.
While the standard lead/acid batteries are usually "sealed" and have roll-over caps, those caps won't prevent acid from shaking out when bouncing around off-road, and if/when the caps fail, you roll up on your side and spill acid all over the engine compartment, damaging under-hood gear, and if you spill enough acid, leaving the battery in no state to re-start the engine.
The dry cell and fixed electrolyte batteries(different technologies, not the same thing)prevent the spillage problem.
The down side of the fixed electrolyte batteries, as mentioned above, is if you run one flat, it may not take a re-charge.(I think the odds to charge are less then 50%, but that's just me.)
Personal experience:
Ran a Optima Yellow-top flat - Dead
Ran a standard Excide flat - Dead
Also had a buddy ruin 4 Optima red-tops in a row before he finally fixed his charging system.
I currently have a Red-top in the Cherokee, which is over-kill for what I do with it(mainly trail-running and light wheeling) but it get's traded into my Comanche on race day, so it does have a use.
My opinion? If you wheel hard, get a fixed electrolyte or dry cell of your choice, and make sure your charging and electrical system are in good shape. For light wheeling, stick with the standard lead-acid bat. unless you run trails with a LOT of off-camber stuff and run a high risk of falling over.
 
Hotrod or Carcraft ran an article about a year ago on recharging discharged Optimas. Either a special charger is required or you jumper another good battery in parrallel with the Optima and battery charger if the Optima is dead. The article implied Optima was getting bad press from enthusiasts storing vehicles who let the battery wear down and trash it when it is salvagable.
 
Hotrod or Carcraft ran an article about a year ago on recharging discharged Optimas. Either a special charger is required or you jumper another good battery in parrallel with the Optima and battery charger if the Optima is dead. The article implied Optima was getting bad press from enthusiasts storing vehicles who let the battery wear down and trash it when it is salvagable.


Which is exactly how I got mine so damn cheap. The guy at autozone explained to me it was returned for the exact reason you just stated. there is a special procedure to recharge if its drained completely. IIRC, its a fast charge, than a slow 2 amp trickle for 12 hours, but don't quote me on it. He said he gets returns all the time because construction companies just want power, that day, that instant.
 
The correct procedure depending on the type of optima is outlined on their website in the FAQ section. if you have any doubts as to how to charge it shoot a PM to "OptimaJim" on this forum, he's chimed in a few times with the proper procedure - he works for optima so I think he knows what's what ;)
 
never used any special charging devices/procedures on my optima, beyond leaving it on for 2-3 days for the trickle charge.


beyond that, haters be hatin, all i see is a bunch of optima haters, so what, it's made in mexico, get over it.
 
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. Tryfan, if your vehicle is relatively-stock an appropriately-sized RedTop will work just fine. If you are going to add a winch or any other significant electrical accessory, I would strongly recommend a YellowTop. Is your current battery original to the vehicle? iwannadie, all of our batteries are manufactured in our own facility in Monterrey and they are the only batteries made there. We never re-brand or re-spec our batteries for any of our retail partners and the quality of our batteries has never been better.

Tom, I'm sorry to hear about the problem you had with your battery. Even though you've replaced it already, I would be interested in hearing the circumstances surrounding your issue. Our three-year, free replacement warranty on consumer batteries is far from being the shortest in the industry. You can read our entire warranty here. 962drrhino offers excellent advice about upgrading wiring, especially grounds, as one-wire alternators are very sensitive to good, quality grounds. His story about buying a “dead” RedTop is unfortunately, not unique. My wife's truck starts every morning with a “dead” YellowTop, which was returned under warranty and only deeply-discharged. That battery has also worked flawlessly, since being properly-recharged.

tbburg is correct that AGM batteries do offer protection from spilled acid in rollover events, but our batteries are also up to 15 times more resistant to vibration, than their flooded counterparts and can last up to twice as long. When any battery is deeply-discharged below a specific voltage threshold (usually around 10.5 volts), many standard battery chargers will not recognize or charge the battery. This is a charger-specific issue and not unique to Optima. In fact, it has become problematic enough for other manufacturers, that they will void the warranty on their batteries, if they are found to be discharged below a specific voltage level. We didn't do that, but we did create this YouTube video, which explains how to recharge deeply-discharged batteries. This technique was also mentioned in the Hot Rod article offroadordnance referenced.

If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
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