battery died again - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

ocbaud · 01-13-2005, 03:07 PM

if i were to get an optima battery, what would i want? the red or yellow top??

LOHRTBT · 01-13-2005, 03:34 PM

Red will do you fine.

Mine holds a charge and hardly gets driven.

Oh yeah..they are cheapest at Sam's.

ocbaud · 01-13-2005, 03:50 PM

how much are they at sams?

LOHRTBT · 01-13-2005, 04:40 PM

I think they are between 90-110

chamberedcoal · 01-13-2005, 05:14 PM

i have a yellow top battery and i havent had any problems and ive drained it completly bout 6 times and it holds a full charge for a long time

cliffsta · 01-13-2005, 05:39 PM

90 to 110 dollars? wow, how much is a regular Dura last, like 20 or 30? Man, you could buy like 3 or 4 wal mart POS batteries and go for twelve years or more; how long does a "super duper everyone has one so ill get it" optima last? 6 or 7 years? i still don't understand why you would spend so much on a battery, please enlighten me!!

Jonboy · 01-13-2005, 05:51 PM

The last Duralast I bought was about $65.00. They typically go bad in under 2 years. The optima makes a whole lot more sense in those terms.

67_SS396 · 01-13-2005, 06:02 PM

The Optima has a three year free replacement, no questions asked, warranty. There's a reason why so many people have them, they are well worth the money. I have one in the SS, it hardly gets driven and fires up easily everytime. I plan on getting two yellow tops for the Blazer at some point.

PHOENIX · 01-13-2005, 06:23 PM

I have a red top optima in my truck. I bought it new off a friend who purchased a pallet of them from somewhere. He sold me the battery and some gold terminals for $70.00. The battery was still wrapped in the factory plastic. I have had the battery for around 5 years now without a single problem. Dont have to worry about water levels or if it will start. Its always there with plenty of power and never any corrosion or leaks. I just purchased a red top for my girl friends car. Its an 02 mailbu that is on its forth battery. The first 3 were the ac delco stock type that cost $55.00 each. They are junk and were replaced under warranty. I still think something is wrong with the car, but well find out, it has a red top in there now.

A friend of mine had a battery hold down clamp break on him while wheelin', the optima red top hopped into the fan. The fan destroyed one of the 6 cells in the battery. He hooked it back up and ran it for another 2 years, before he replaced it. It was still working fine when he replaced it too.

I would recommend a Red Top for you, but here is what Optima says about the Yellow Tops:
"If your vehicle has a lot of accessories like running lights, high-performance stereo/AV system, winches, or hydraulics, your vehicle demands more from its battery. OPTIMA YellowTOP batteries provide the extra performance and deep cycling capability that your vehicle demands."

LOHRTBT · 01-13-2005, 06:42 PM

ITs great when you have aftermarket stereo and such to avoid the strain on your electrical system and such. It has more cold cranking amps. AND if it happens to ever go dead due to your error. it charges up SUPER FAST and holds it like nothing happened.

Due to them being gel cels they can be mounted in any possible configuration including upside down and on thier side.

phantom dually · 01-13-2005, 07:33 PM

I haver a Optima Red top under the hood of my 94 and yellow top in the bed for Stereo backup. I did have a NEW autozone battery in the bed but it decided to leak and ate a hole about 3" round in my damn bed. The battery was even in a plastic box!! Optima is the best choice by far!!!

cliffsta · 01-13-2005, 09:32 PM

ok well that all makes since, and i thought batteries were cheaper. so i'm now convinced, thank you

why spend 60 bucks every 3 years (about how they last for us) when you could spend 100 ish once every 7.
Makes since

Mike76251 · 01-14-2005, 02:36 AM

I have several different "colors" of Optimas and what I love best about them is the fact that the terminals are sealed. This means no more outgassing of acid at the posts and no more terminal cleaning.

TIMSPEED · 01-14-2005, 02:38 AM

I have Diehard Gold's on all my cars...I've never had any problems with them...

plumbcut · 01-14-2005, 02:42 AM

cliffsta are you serious? I mean are you really the kind of person that budgets his money down to the nearest $1 within a 5-7 year range? I mean come on. You sound as if youre outraged that people spend an extra 30 or 40 bucks on a performance battery when autozone has a generic one for less! like its crazy or something! If thats truely your philosophy and moneys that tight, "trucks" is not the hobby for you... maybe goldfish would be more your style..

as with almost everything, you get what you pay for. Even more so when it comes to car parts. junkyard has a pile of alternators in the back- $10 will get you any alternator you want. some of them have 4 or 5 years of life left in them.. that will save a lot of money over the life of a vehice vs. buying one from kragen.. do you see what Im getting at? and i dont even like optimas. </rant>

jberkeley · 01-14-2005, 09:26 AM

i have a red top and a yellow top in my truck..the red is used for starting. and the yellow is used for everything else. i was using sears suv style but with all the accs. i went thru 4 batteries in a three year span... the amp and cd changer pull a lot of power.. plus i'm adding on board air... my two cents...

MSL · 01-14-2005, 10:44 AM

I think the battery sounds like the trick i plan to buy one if you guys are having no problems with them.

hotrodhomi · 01-14-2005, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plumbcut

cliffsta are you serious? I mean are you really the kind of person that budgets his money down to the nearest $1 within a 5-7 year range? I mean come on. You sound as if youre outraged that people spend an extra 30 or 40 bucks on a performance battery when autozone has a generic one for less! like its crazy or something! If thats truely your philosophy and moneys that tight, "trucks" is not the hobby for you... maybe goldfish would be more your style..

as with almost everything, you get what you pay for. Even more so when it comes to car parts. junkyard has a pile of alternators in the back- $10 will get you any alternator you want. some of them have 4 or 5 years of life left in them.. that will save a lot of money over the life of a vehice vs. buying one from kragen.. do you see what Im getting at? and i dont even like optimas. </rant>

I think the kid is in high school. Give him a break. I think most people who plan ahead get to the end result a little faster than some one going in 50 different directions at once. I’m trying to get my sh*t together for my taxes. I wish I had planned ahead a little more. lol And to stay on the subject...get the red top it is worth it.

Mike76251 · 01-15-2005, 06:17 AM

You wanna see how good Optimas really are?
Look at them on eBay............they don't come cheap there.

I'd like to tell you they are great batteries but my oldest Optima is only 5 years old and it's just like new.
I have a red top in the Rivera and that car only gets driven twice a year.........still starts every time.

ocbaud · 01-15-2005, 10:12 PM

so would a bad battery die because of it being so cold??

it drained the first time because it was the first day we got below freezing and it died the other day because it got so cold again. then today it was barely charged and would barely start.

my dad thinks its something draining the battery, but i think its just the battery. nothing drained the battery the whole month that i had the truck sitting for the rearend swap and i have done nothing electrical since then.

magnethead · 01-15-2005, 10:57 PM

yes, i do believe they will.

when it gets as cold as it's getting, i wouldnt be surprised if the battery acid is freezing.

optima' can remain stable from something like -30 to +150 i think?

79Silv4x4 · 01-16-2005, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ocbaud

so would a bad battery die because of it being so cold??

WITHOUT A DOUBT. Get a new battery and you should be good to go.

Mike76251 · 01-16-2005, 11:17 AM

Most car batteries lose about 2% per day with nothing hooked to them.
Also very important to never let the water/acid freeze as this will warp the plates.
The only way to keep them from freezing is to charge them.
If you never drive the vehicle.....either get a Optima or a 12" square solar panel off eBay and plug it into your lighter.
Make sure the panel is polycrystalline if you get one........not just one color but looks sorta like a crystal surface.

76bonanza · 01-16-2005, 01:37 PM

Do the optima battries fit same as the stocker ones in the stock tray?

Thinking of getting one.

C&C Chevy · 01-16-2005, 01:56 PM

Quote:

... or a 12" square solar panel off eBay and plug it into your lighter.

You learn something new every day on here.

01-13-2005, 03:07 PM	#1
ocbaud Garage Queen Material Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 4,129	battery died again if i were to get an optima battery, what would i want? the red or yellow top??

01-13-2005, 03:34 PM	#2
LOHRTBT BeWarE tHe eViL CrAnkTOe! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Yukon, OK Posts: 3,605	Red will do you fine. Mine holds a charge and hardly gets driven. Oh yeah..they are cheapest at Sam's. __________________ ~Dave~ You can call me Mike, Mike Oxlong - 1986 Chevy SWB - Stock for now - *1986 Chevy Custom SWB* *Stolen 6/26/05* - 1985 Chevy SWB SOLD - 1999 T/A Some mods www.cardomain.com/id/ramairdave AIM Screenname - Jester84

01-13-2005, 04:40 PM	#4
LOHRTBT BeWarE tHe eViL CrAnkTOe! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Yukon, OK Posts: 3,605	I think they are between 90-110 __________________ ~Dave~ You can call me Mike, Mike Oxlong - 1986 Chevy SWB - Stock for now - *1986 Chevy Custom SWB* *Stolen 6/26/05* - 1985 Chevy SWB SOLD - 1999 T/A Some mods www.cardomain.com/id/ramairdave AIM Screenname - Jester84

01-13-2005, 05:39 PM	#6
cliffsta Stepsides RULE Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pineville, LA Posts: 1,921	90 to 110 dollars? wow, how much is a regular Dura last, like 20 or 30? Man, you could buy like 3 or 4 wal mart POS batteries and go for twelve years or more; how long does a "super duper everyone has one so ill get it" optima last? 6 or 7 years? i still don't understand why you would spend so much on a battery, please enlighten me!! __________________ 1981 Chevy C10 Custom Deluxe Stepside 350 V8, headers, side exhausts, 3-speed auto SOLD 1980 Chevy C10 Custum Deluxe Stepside 305 V8, Edelbrock Performer Intake, Edelbrock 1406 600CFM 4-barrel, TH350C. Bent rod. SOLD 1984 GMC Sierra Classic Longbed 6.2L Diesel SOLD 2009 Kawasaki KLX-250S too many mods for this signature 1999 Honda Accord EX 4-cylinder, 17" Motegi Wheels 215/45/17 Sumitomo tires, Tein S-Tech lowering springs, KYB GR2 shocks, Acura TL 20mm rear swaybar, debadged, blackhoused headlights, Short-Ram Intake Cardomain of the Accord

01-13-2005, 05:51 PM	#7
Jonboy Slots go on anything! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 5,957	The last Duralast I bought was about $65.00. They typically go bad in under 2 years. The optima makes a whole lot more sense in those terms. __________________ 1974 Jimmy- 5.3/4L80e/NP241

01-13-2005, 03:50 PM	#3
ocbaud Garage Queen Material Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 4,129	how much are they at sams?

01-13-2005, 05:14 PM	#5
chamberedcoal Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 14	i have a yellow top battery and i havent had any problems and ive drained it completly bout 6 times and it holds a full charge for a long time

01-13-2005, 06:02 PM	#8
67_SS396 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Blue Ridge, Tx Posts: 1,172	The Optima has a three year free replacement, no questions asked, warranty. There's a reason why so many people have them, they are well worth the money. I have one in the SS, it hardly gets driven and fires up easily everytime. I plan on getting two yellow tops for the Blazer at some point. __________________ Fawker Fab three seater rock crawler buggy 498 BBC/SM465/203/205 doubler, propane, 5.13's, 42" PB Rockers '66 C10 - The new hot rod '77 3+3 Dually - 12 valve 4wd conversion tow rig project '28 Ford 2 door sedan street rod RevLimit Offroad "Hang on beer, we can do this."

01-13-2005, 06:23 PM	#9
PHOENIX Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 4,703	I have a red top optima in my truck. I bought it new off a friend who purchased a pallet of them from somewhere. He sold me the battery and some gold terminals for $70.00. The battery was still wrapped in the factory plastic. I have had the battery for around 5 years now without a single problem. Dont have to worry about water levels or if it will start. Its always there with plenty of power and never any corrosion or leaks. I just purchased a red top for my girl friends car. Its an 02 mailbu that is on its forth battery. The first 3 were the ac delco stock type that cost $55.00 each. They are junk and were replaced under warranty. I still think something is wrong with the car, but well find out, it has a red top in there now. A friend of mine had a battery hold down clamp break on him while wheelin', the optima red top hopped into the fan. The fan destroyed one of the 6 cells in the battery. He hooked it back up and ran it for another 2 years, before he replaced it. It was still working fine when he replaced it too. I would recommend a Red Top for you, but here is what Optima says about the Yellow Tops: "If your vehicle has a lot of accessories like running lights, high-performance stereo/AV system, winches, or hydraulics, your vehicle demands more from its battery. OPTIMA YellowTOP batteries provide the extra performance and deep cycling capability that your vehicle demands." __________________ * AVOID: LOPER'S PERMORANCE / LOPERSPEED.COM OF PHOENIX, AZ & COTTMAN TRANSMISSION * Last edited by PHOENIX; 01-13-2005 at 06:25 PM.

01-13-2005, 06:42 PM	#10
LOHRTBT BeWarE tHe eViL CrAnkTOe! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Yukon, OK Posts: 3,605	ITs great when you have aftermarket stereo and such to avoid the strain on your electrical system and such. It has more cold cranking amps. AND if it happens to ever go dead due to your error. it charges up SUPER FAST and holds it like nothing happened. Due to them being gel cels they can be mounted in any possible configuration including upside down and on thier side. __________________ ~Dave~ You can call me Mike, Mike Oxlong - 1986 Chevy SWB - Stock for now - *1986 Chevy Custom SWB* *Stolen 6/26/05* - 1985 Chevy SWB SOLD - 1999 T/A Some mods www.cardomain.com/id/ramairdave AIM Screenname - Jester84

01-13-2005, 07:33 PM	#11
phantom dually Project92 SWB stepside Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 4,792	I haver a Optima Red top under the hood of my 94 and yellow top in the bed for Stereo backup. I did have a NEW autozone battery in the bed but it decided to leak and ate a hole about 3" round in my damn bed. The battery was even in a plastic box!! Optima is the best choice by far!!! __________________ 92 C1500 stepside 496 Stroker Competiton Engineering Ladder bars/QA1 coilovers. Dana 60 rear with 4.10 gear and posi. Bonspeed Palisade 20x12 in rear w/335/30/20 and 20x8.5 front w/245/40/20. 5/8 drop with Belltech springs/DJM spindles/drop shocks. WWS Progress thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=140448

01-13-2005, 09:32 PM	#12
cliffsta Stepsides RULE Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pineville, LA Posts: 1,921	ok well that all makes since, and i thought batteries were cheaper. so i'm now convinced, thank you why spend 60 bucks every 3 years (about how they last for us) when you could spend 100 ish once every 7. Makes since __________________ 1981 Chevy C10 Custom Deluxe Stepside 350 V8, headers, side exhausts, 3-speed auto SOLD 1980 Chevy C10 Custum Deluxe Stepside 305 V8, Edelbrock Performer Intake, Edelbrock 1406 600CFM 4-barrel, TH350C. Bent rod. SOLD 1984 GMC Sierra Classic Longbed 6.2L Diesel SOLD 2009 Kawasaki KLX-250S too many mods for this signature 1999 Honda Accord EX 4-cylinder, 17" Motegi Wheels 215/45/17 Sumitomo tires, Tein S-Tech lowering springs, KYB GR2 shocks, Acura TL 20mm rear swaybar, debadged, blackhoused headlights, Short-Ram Intake Cardomain of the Accord

01-14-2005, 02:36 AM	#13
Mike76251 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,499	I have several different "colors" of Optimas and what I love best about them is the fact that the terminals are sealed. This means no more outgassing of acid at the posts and no more terminal cleaning.

01-14-2005, 02:38 AM	#14
TIMSPEED Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 1,321	I have Diehard Gold's on all my cars...I've never had any problems with them... __________________ I have a few cars... See Them Here

01-14-2005, 02:42 AM	#15
plumbcut california fill Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Sunny So-Cal Posts: 694	cliffsta are you serious? I mean are you really the kind of person that budgets his money down to the nearest $1 within a 5-7 year range? I mean come on. You sound as if youre outraged that people spend an extra 30 or 40 bucks on a performance battery when autozone has a generic one for less! like its crazy or something! If thats truely your philosophy and moneys that tight, "trucks" is not the hobby for you... maybe goldfish would be more your style.. as with almost everything, you get what you pay for. Even more so when it comes to car parts. junkyard has a pile of alternators in the back- $10 will get you any alternator you want. some of them have 4 or 5 years of life left in them.. that will save a lot of money over the life of a vehice vs. buying one from kragen.. do you see what Im getting at? and i dont even like optimas. </rant>



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01-14-2005, 09:26 AM	#16
jberkeley 86 chevy k-10 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: nashua, nh Posts: 121	i have a red top and a yellow top in my truck..the red is used for starting. and the yellow is used for everything else. i was using sears suv style but with all the accs. i went thru 4 batteries in a three year span... the amp and cd changer pull a lot of power.. plus i'm adding on board air... my two cents...

01-14-2005, 10:44 AM	#17
MSL Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: So.Oregon Posts: 765	I think the battery sounds like the trick i plan to buy one if you guys are having no problems with them.

01-15-2005, 06:17 AM	#19
Mike76251 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,499	You wanna see how good Optimas really are? Look at them on eBay............they don't come cheap there. I'd like to tell you they are great batteries but my oldest Optima is only 5 years old and it's just like new. I have a red top in the Rivera and that car only gets driven twice a year.........still starts every time.

01-15-2005, 10:12 PM	#20
ocbaud Garage Queen Material Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 4,129	so would a bad battery die because of it being so cold?? it drained the first time because it was the first day we got below freezing and it died the other day because it got so cold again. then today it was barely charged and would barely start. my dad thinks its something draining the battery, but i think its just the battery. nothing drained the battery the whole month that i had the truck sitting for the rearend swap and i have done nothing electrical since then.

01-15-2005, 10:57 PM	#21
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	yes, i do believe they will. when it gets as cold as it's getting, i wouldnt be surprised if the battery acid is freezing. optima' can remain stable from something like -30 to +150 i think?

01-16-2005, 11:17 AM	#23
Mike76251 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,499	Most car batteries lose about 2% per day with nothing hooked to them. Also very important to never let the water/acid freeze as this will warp the plates. The only way to keep them from freezing is to charge them. If you never drive the vehicle.....either get a Optima or a 12" square solar panel off eBay and plug it into your lighter. Make sure the panel is polycrystalline if you get one........not just one color but looks sorta like a crystal surface.

01-16-2005, 01:37 PM	#24
76bonanza Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: St robert Mo Posts: 2,001	Do the optima battries fit same as the stocker ones in the stock tray? Thinking of getting one. __________________ 1968 c10 lowered 3" 4" 355/Th400 built by Hatfield racing in joplin MO

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