Optima Red Top battery question

[Mark94]

I've bought 2 red tops and both were dead so I returned them. The guy at Advance Auto said that Optima's loose their charge after a few days and since my car is not a daily driver I would constantly have a dead battery and it would need to be charged.

Anyone have a red top in a car they do not drive often and do you find this to be true? I really want the optima red top for the cranking amps but don't want to deal with a constant dead battery.

Also, I know the red top is a spiral cell battery but is it a deep cycle battery or is it a low maintenance, conventional battery? I think it is a low maintenance, conventional battery and the only deep cycle battery is the yellow top but I just want to make sure that I have my battery charger on the right setting if I decide to get a red top.

Thanks for any help!

Mark

 

[flipmode815]

i had a hard time getting my car to start when i first put the optima in and almost every time i go to start the car it takes a sec. my head lights dim when i rull the windows up or down and some other things go on now with this battery.

 

[Mark94]

Thanks for your input. It sounds like I'm probably better off with a conventional battery.

Thanks!

Mark

 

[urbanbiker]

hey,

sounds like bunk batteries to me. My dad runs a red top in his Mustang daily driver and has had no problems. In fact the car just sat for a month while I installed his new motor and it started up no problem without a charge.

I run a yellow top in my other car and I have no problems day to day as well.

Matt

 

[Moonman8]

I just recently changed my battery and I was torn between an Optima red top or a conventional. I ended up getting a Mazda battery (actually it says Mazda Performance on the label so that's 5 whp right there, lol!) because I work at the dealer so I got a discount and it ended up being less than half the cost of an Optima. The car actually starts faster now (seems like less cranking before turning over) and no headlight dimming or anything. I've never had an Optima so I can't comment on their quality but I just couldn't justify the cost at the time.

 

[SuperProtege5]

I personally think Optima is the best. As for cars not being daily drivers, when my dad's 1988 Porsche isn;t on jackstands being upgraded, it is driven occasionally. Every time it starts no problem. The battery only goes dead if you don't use it in like a year or two. Whoever told you at Advanced was full of crap.

 

[JDM_familia]

I've bought 2 red tops and both were dead so I returned them. The guy at Advance Auto said that Optima's loose their charge after a few days and since my car is not a daily driver I would constantly have a dead battery and it would need to be charged.

Anyone have a red top in a car they do not drive often and do you find this to be true? I really want the optima red top for the cranking amps but don't want to deal with a constant dead battery.

Also, I know the red top is a spiral cell battery but is it a deep cycle battery or is it a low maintenance, conventional battery? I think it is a low maintenance, conventional battery and the only deep cycle battery is the yellow top but I just want to make sure that I have my battery charger on the right setting if I decide to get a red top.

Thanks for any help!

Mark

im having the same problems as well. in fact its happening right now. this is going to be the 3rd optima battery for me in the last few months. thank god for the replacement warranty.

 

[Pmpkinhead]

I have a Yellow Top. I only killed it one time due to two weeks of storage. I have the "always on" window mod and I have the Mazda Temp/Compass Mirror that is also "always on". I should have pulled one wire off of the battery but I didn't even think of it. I recommend the Yellow Top if the parts store will let you pay the difference! I run the MSP stereo for hours and the battery keeps puttin' out the power and then she starts right up.

367 (mp3yellow

 

[Mark94]

Thanks for all the help guys.

If I did get a red top, what are they considered, a conventional/Low maintenance battery or a deep cycle/maintenance free battery?

I would keep my charger hooked up to it to make sure it didn't die on my but I need to know what to set it as.

Thanks!

Mark

 

[Black_Protege_5]

I have a redtop and never had one problem for over 2 years now. It only died once because of an issue with the waterpump/alternator belt. But other than that its been perfect.

 

[Pmpkinhead]

Thanks for all the help guys.

If I did get a red top, what are they considered, a conventional/Low maintenance battery or a deep cycle/maintenance free battery?

I would keep my charger hooked up to it to make sure it didn't die on my but I need to know what to set it as.

Thanks!

Mark

I charged mine as a maintenence free. Slow, overnite trickle charging is always best. Just watch the sparks! Turn it off before moving the cables on the charger.

367 (mp3yellow

 

[RaiderMS3]

I have an Optima, had it for a few months. About 2 months after I got it, my car was slow to start. Took it back, tested failed and got a new one. This time, it is awesome. No problems at all.

 

[Gen1GT]

I've had a Red Top in my trunk for 3 years now. Because it's in the trunk, my grounding isn't the best. I let my car sit for 6 months over the winter, and I can start up the car every month, no problems. I also tend to listen to stereo while I wash my car for 3 hours at a time, with the lights on(I didn't feel like running a remote wire to my trunk, so I hooked my amp's remote wire up to the tail lights ), and I never have a problem starting it.

I believe the problem isn't with the battery, but with your alternator. Your battery isn't charging properly, and it's taxing your battery.

 

[patmaz]

i have a redtop to,never had any troubles with it,starts immediately,much more power than conventionnal battery s ,and dont forget the fact that the optima recharge much faster than any battery,if you listen to your sound system without the car runing,your mazda battery has a power reserve of about 10-15 min,and after that,takes more time to be recharged to its maximum voltage...

the redtop have a 90-120 minutes reserve,depending about the model you choose,and they get fully recharged after only 5-10 min of alternator runing...

so i think the choice is simple to make...

 

[P-Funk!]

Please put a multimeter across the battery and determine if there is a 'draw' (something on the car draining the battery).

You should not see more than a few miliamps for the radio and ECU.

 

[RacerXGirl]

I know a few people that have Optima Redtops and haven't had any troubles with them. Wonder if there was a bad batch of them out there for sale...

 

[Gen1GT]

It's the Alternator!!!! Geez

 

[RacerXGirl]

It's the Alternator!!!! Geez

Maybe. I was assuming he had his alternator checked out...

 

[Mark94]

Not the alternator, I wanted to replace my battery because the stock battery has no cranking amps and sometimes my car struggles to start because it is not a daily driver and is rarely started. The battery has cycled so many times but I just trickle charge it and it starts up fine.

I bought another red top from COSTCO on Friday and it has been great. No problems so far and the car fires right up without hesitation.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Mark

 

[p5tom]

what part number was it? what was the cold crankingpower?

Not the alternator, I wanted to replace my battery because the stock battery has no cranking amps and sometimes my car struggles to start because it is not a daily driver and is rarely started. The battery has cycled so many times but I just trickle charge it and it starts up fine.

I bought another red top from COSTCO on Friday and it has been great. No problems so far and the car fires right up without hesitation.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Mark

what part number was it? what was the cold crankingpower?