battery tray

[JimNolan]

Rich, Here is what I found on the choices of Optima batteries. hrsky has had no problems with his for almost 20 years now. I could have just got a bad battery. Jim

Choose the Optima Red Top? battery for a general starting battery. It is especially helpful for modern vehicles that are loaded with accessories. The Red Top will last longer and if it does require a recharge, it will recharge faster than a traditional battery.

Choose the Optima Yellow Top? for deep cycle battery requirements. Over the period of discharge, the Optima Yellow Top? delivers consistent power so you will never experience your equipment straining or slowing down under load.

Choose the Optima Blue Top? for all marine or RV use. The unique combination of exposure to excessive vibration and the need for both starting and deep cycle energy are two challenges for a battery in the marine or RV environment. Those challenges are easily met with Optima?s complete line of Blue Top? batteries

[RICH MUISE]

plus there's the gazillion other questions with the "antique Auto Battery"....Optima technology...does that mean it's the same quality as Optima?...are they an optima owned division? which technology are they using in the battery you got..red or yellow? etc, etc.
Rich

[JimNolan]

"This means the average observer will not be able to tell you are using an Optima battery unless they remove the cell caps on the replacement unit".
Rich,
   When I talked to them they said it was a Optima Battery inside. I read all reviews I could get hold of before I bought this battery and Optima had a good name. That's why I went ahead and bought it. It was very disappointing and no I don't think I'm special. The Antique Auto Battery was just junk. Johnson Controls wouldn't have kept this company if they weren't making money on it. So, somethings got to be good about it. Like you said, there has to be something different between an off the shelf Optima Battery and a Optima battery that's been transformed to incorporate a different case and terminals. Jim

[gasman826]

Just goes to show you that anything that is made can be made badly.  I like the Optima because it does not vent battery gases that ruin metal.  NHRA lets me use one in the trunk without being in a vented box.  They crank over my 290 Cummins, 557 stroker, daily driver, backhoe, and whatever really well.  I will also point out that they are a little quirky about charging.  The good with the bad.  The next time I need a battery...it will be a dry cell.  Sorry for your experience....$300 OOOh!

[RICH MUISE]

The Optima site has an article on a charger made specifically for the optima batteries, because as a commentor wrote..."normal charging systems don't work with the optima batteries"...whatever that means.
Rich

[Ford Blue blood]

I rear "somewhere" (old timers, I think it was in a Street Rodder) that the Optima and other gell cell batteries need special treatment to charge.  The process was to hook a good battery in parallel with the Optima.  That is to say positive to positive, negative to negative and then hook the charger up, plug it in and wait.