Optima VS Odessey Battery

[pl521sss]

Going for my second dead Optima Battery.

Not happy with Optima battery.

 

Anyone using Odessey battery?

[69FJWagon]

Going for my second dead Optima Battery.

Not happy with Optima battery.

 

Anyone using Odessey battery?

 

I have Abe and you will not be disappointed, they seem to hold a charge for longer if the car tends to sit for long periods but if I know the car is going to sit for a month or so I disconnect the battery anyway

 

PC925 is what I would use if I had a stereo hooked up.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Very disappointed w/ Optima(RED) myself. mine went bad in less than 3 years.

 

I had a habbit of leaving the lights on a few times but didnt really think it would KILL the battery.

 

I went with a the sealed OPTIMA battery after I had overvolt proplems with a Bad volt reg(battery acid all over the engine bay).

 

I now have a 80$ Schucks AUTOLITE battery and run a volt meter now in my 521

[LAYEDOUTB2K]

ive been usin an exide sealed battery. it looks a lot like an optima but a lot cheaper. ive had it for over 4 years now and its still runnin strong. in my mazda i would always park in front of our shop and crank the 1000+ watt systen up while i worked and had no problem ever with it dying. now its in my 320 that has the charging sytem disconnected because of a bad regulator and i only have to charge the battery about every 2 weeks.

[ppeters914]

Several roadster folks use the Odyssey and like it, especially when relocating the battery to the trunk. Of course, a lot of us like our Optima's, too.

[datsunaholic]

Funny how many folks have battery problems... I have a 6-year old Kirkland Signature (Costco store brand) battery in my truck.

 

One of my cars has the "junk" OEM Factory Nissan battery out of my sister's '93 Pathfinder (wouldn't start the Pathy but starts my 510 just fine... yes, the battery IS 15 years old). Usually my batteries die after 8-10 years. I've had the same Budget Batteries in my F250 since I got it in '98, and that bugger is hard to start (lots of cranking to get fuel up to the carb) but the batteries are still good.

[pl521sss]

I have Abe and you will not be disappointed, they seem to hold a charge for longer if the car tends to sit for long periods but if I know the car is going to sit for a month or so I disconnect the battery anyway

 

PC925 is what I would use if I had a stereo hooked up.

 

A lot folks have problems with Optimas.

I read them on other car forums also.

My Sears Die hard battery did bettery than these.

 

Odessey's are military grade and made from better material than Optima.

Optimas cost more than the average battery but doesn't perform as it should to my opinion. You get what you pay for is not always true in this case.

[BEEBANI]

I run centennial batteries in my rigs (we're a dealer) and they work great. They all come with a 5 year warranty, and my distributor trades them out every 6 months. This is where you run into problems with batteries; most distributors i.e. les schwab, sears, wally world, etc. don't trade their batteries out and have them retested and checked every 6 months. The longer a battery sits without being run down and charged, the less it will last. You could be buying a optima battery that has sat on the shelf for 2 years and won't hold a charge for shit. Make sure you ask the dealer how long it's been sitting and have them test it in front of you before you buy it. We have a tester here that will put the battery under load for a few seconds and will tell you how many amps the battery has. This is vital, because a battery can show 12-14 volts; but if it doesn't have more than 3 amps it will die quickly.

 

Kinetic has some very nice high-end sealed batteries that quite a few guys are using these days.

[FJDatto]

I run centennial batteries in my rigs (we're a dealer) and they work great. They all come with a 5 year warranty, and my distributor trades them out every 6 months. This is where you run into problems with batteries; most distributors i.e. les schwab, sears, wally world, etc. don't trade their batteries out and have them retested and checked every 6 months. The longer a battery sits without being run down and charged, the less it will last. You could be buying a optima battery that has sat on the shelf for 2 years and won't hold a charge for shit. Make sure you ask the dealer how long it's been sitting and have them test it in front of you before you buy it. We have a tester here that will put the battery under load for a few seconds and will tell you how many amps the battery has. This is vital, because a battery can show 12-14 volts; but if it doesn't have more than 3 amps it will die quickly.

 

Kinetic has some very nice high-end sealed batteries that quite a few guys are using these days.

 

Very true. In order for batteries to remain fresh on the shelf, they should be charged monthly. Also, don't trust what the dealer says, check the manufacturer date yourself. There's a group of 1 number and two letters around one of the anodes. The number stands for the last number of the year, the second stands for the month (letter i is skipped), and 3rd letter is the city of manufacture. Example: 3ac would be 2003, January, Cincinnati

[ppeters914]

Very disappointed w/ Optima(RED) myself. mine went bad in less than 3 years.

 

Let's see, I bought my Optima Red Top in 2005....uh-oh :eek:

 

A lot folks have problems with Optimas. I read them on other car forums also.

 

I'm only on 3 lists/forums (including this one) and this is the first time I've heard where Optimas aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

Odessey's are military grade and made from better material than Optima. Optimas cost more than the average battery but doesn't perform as it should to my opinion. You get what you pay for is not always true in this case.

 

Good to know. :thumbup:

 

Very true. In order for batteries to remain fresh on the shelf, they should be charged monthly. Also, don't trust what the dealer says, check the manufacturer date yourself. There's a group of 1 number and two letters around one of the anodes. The number stands for the last number of the year, the second stands for the month (letter i is skipped), and 3rd letter is the city of manufacture. Example: 3ac would be 2003, January, Cincinnati

 

More good info. Muchas gracias! :thumbsup:

[pl521sss]

Let's see, I bought my Optima Red Top in 2005....uh-oh :eek:

 

I'm only on 3 lists/forums (including this one) and this is the first time I've heard where Optimas aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

 

If you search for optima batteries, you'll get a ton of opinions about them on the web. Mostly negative.

Even Optima dealers don't like them cause more than half of them comes back with problems (not holding charge).

Car audio shops steered me away the first time but didn't listen.

It doesn't matter if it's blue, red or yellow top.

 

It's good that if your Optima is holding up for you.

2 Bad ones in less than a year and the other less than 2 years just tells me it's time to switch to conventional batteries or something better like Odessey.

[stilltwisted]

ok so the normal red top is not that great?? is the 1/2battery thats 6 volt just as bad ??? the reason i ask is i have a goon & i was going to lay them flat then cut a box under the back seat, and wire two up so it still 12volt,, is this a bad idea??????

 

 

sorry 4 hyjackn

[djmoreron]

i have an odyssey pc680 and it was great for about 2 years until i left the lights on and it died. after that it wouldnt hold a charge. i do like the fact that it has gold posts. i guess thats good to prevent corossion?

 

 

have a optima red top in my truck with no problems at all so far... bout 1 year or so. have let the truck sit for weeks at a time and it seems to be fine.

 

 

i had no idea about battery shelf life and whatnot until i read this thread. so ill prob look into having my next battery tested before i purchase one, to be on the safe side

[FJDatto]

Very true. In order for batteries to remain fresh on the shelf, they should be charged monthly. Also, don't trust what the dealer says, check the manufacturer date yourself. There's a group of 1 number and two letters around one of the anodes. The number stands for the last number of the year, the second stands for the month (letter i is skipped), and 3rd letter is the city of manufacture. Example: 3ac would be 2003, January, Cincinnati

 

Forgot to add, I've also seen the date displayed as a sticker on the side of the battery. Also, the example given "3AC" could stand for 1993 or 1983, etc...

[ppeters914]

...the example given "3AC" could stand for 1993 or 1983, etc...

Yeah, maybe, but I've never heard of anyone running a 15 or 25 year old battery.

[]2eDeYe]

Let's see, I bought my Optima Red Top in 2005....uh-oh :eek:

 

You might be in the clear. It seems that when Optima sold their company the new owners decided to cut manufacturing costs. This led to the decline in quality of the newer Optimas. The older ones kick ass and the company is still riding on that reputation.

 

I've heard very good things about the Odessey's. I may try one of those when my truck is back on the road or when my current Optima in the Jeep dies (of course I seem to have gotten a good one the last time around).

 

As far as I'm concerned I will never run a 'wet' battery again. To much chance of ruining a nice engine bay.

[fiveoneohray]

I think everyone has gone through the red top optimas

 

Never had a problem with the deep cycle blue or yellow top optimas. They cost more but they are meant to be discharged and recharged. Last forever.

 

Once you kill an odyssey they are dead forever. Still good batteries but you absolutely cannot let them discharge.