GRX

Why Optima? Why is this Battery soooo good? Weight savings? Longevity? I like the Sears Diehard series. Any opinions/comments appreciated.

GRX

ttt

PylonBoy

one thing I like about them is that they offer a gel cell so that if the battery went smashy smashy battery acid won't go all over the place. This is especially important if you have a battery relocated to the trunk or have the battery placed where it is placed in the c4.

Jim-K

I bought one for my 78 because 1. Its supposed to be a really good battery, and 2. I cleaned up and carpeted my rear compartments and wanted a battery that looked clean, didn't leak, put out fumes, ect. It also has a nifty handle to get it in and out. So far ive been satisfied and feel it was worth it. For the 86, i still have whatever it came with and will leave that as long as it keeps working. Ive heard that the optimas dont really fit in C4's because the post terminals are in the way.

Jim-K

365ZUM

I would advise against it for use in the C4. I looked in to it for my car. You DO have to modify the battery tray to get it to fit. I'd go with an AC Delco battery (75 series). Its the most powerful battery they make for the C4 and fits like a glove. Besides, what gains are you REALLY going to see from spending the extra money, HP? :D

scorp508

Duh.... :jester

NoWorries

From my experience's(two Optima's in friends vehicles), Optima is junk compared to Diehard Gold, and the Diehard is a lot less expensive.

I have a Diehard in my Blazer and my Corvette(as well as my moms Blazer and dad's F-250) and they haven't let me down.(I had a wiring problem, but the battery is still great)

If I could afford it, I think I'd go for Exide's new Marine battery, you can drill holes in the cells and it will still work for a day or two! :eek:

In my opinion, go with the Diehard. I can't get a Diehard in my bike, so I have a Interstate, it does great when its warm, but its junk in the cold.

importeater

diehard lover here too..things just seem to last a long time, put out power and all at a good price

Fang S-289

I guess I'm in the minority here :confused: I have an Optima model 8022-091 in my C-4 which fits fine in the battery tray. The battery does cost more then others. However, list for mine was $125.00. It can be had for $100.00 from Price Club-Costco. I have nothing against Die Hard batterys. I've owned a few with no complaints. I went with the Optima because my research indicated that it was the best. Perhaps that's not correct though. I did leave my interior lights on overnight by mistake after the Optima had been installed. Predictably, everything was dead the next morning. What surprised me though was that the radio presets and the CD were still intact. I've never seen that with any other battery. I'm not saying that is a reason to spend the extra money, but it does say something about the quality of the Optima. Just my opinion. Submited for what it's worth, if anything. :D

Zrxmax

I just installed an Optima and will be relocating it to the rear later on... It is gasless by design... That is one of the reasons I picked it... Also... check the cold cranking rating... Otherwise it would stay up front...Whoever said it is junk must know more about them than I do... I have witnessed long, rough, torcherous duty performed by optimas in heavy equipment... these were the only batteries that could take the heat and physical pounding... other batteries just would not last... The Optimas outlasted all others... and we tried several top of the line models including diehards...
About front installation... yes... you will have to do a little trimming to get it installed... ( make sure you trim enough so the battery is not "pinched" at the mounting hold down points... ie... make sure you trim the block and the tray where the battery engages the tray... otherwise you could short the battery internally by pinching it... The outer body panel will be snug against the side of the battery, but it does fit... and... the battery post sticking up DOES NOT hit any metal structure in your C-4... and leave the battery caps on... BTW... one advantage... a car thief drilling a hole in your battery to defeat your alarm system will be able to see that no acid is dripping on the ground... if your car has the see through ( old style ) at an angle vents he will know your battery is different and cannot defeat your battery with a few holes... The battery is heavy... about 40 lbs... so... moving it back 69 inches... and to the right about 44 inched should improve weight distribution a bit...
My 2 cents
Ted
90 ZR-1 # 334
Sun City, CA

jfb

Consumers report for November tested a number of car batteries against their ratings (CCA and amphour) and found the Optima did not meet its own ratings, plus the fact that it costs more than comparable batteries.

Zrxmax

I won't challenge consumer reports findings... however... my 1st experience tells me optimas perform well... and yes... I do read consumer reports on occassion when I want to know their opinion about something...
Ted

phrogs

I have an optima in my vert mainly because it was the only battery I could buy in okinawa with side post's I didnt modify my battery mount in anyway and it has been good to me so far ;) If there was a sears around here id have a
die hard !!

NoWorries

My Diehard Gold has 930 CCA's, but I dunno its amp-hours. I do know that even when I did something incredibly stupid, it didn't let me down. I wired a cheap sound system into my Blazer after the stock speakers(17 years old) died. It had at the time 2 6x9's, 4 6 inch, and 3(don't ask. :) tweeters. I finished wiring the 6x9's last, which were in the back, turned the stereo on to make sure they worked, then closed the tailgate and window and went inside and went to sleep. Imagine my surprise six hours later when I went out to go to school, opened the door to hear music. :eek: It didn't hesitate to start. :) That sold me forever on DieHard.

We were wiring fans on my buddies truck and his Optima(Yellow Top) died within 2 hours, and we only had the stereo on low.

92TripleBlack

Now that is the one I need. See my signature. :D
92TripleBlack

GRX

Thanks for all the info!

Charles Klein

I use a Diehard. I replaced the stock battery with the top of the line (non optima type) unit from Advance Auto Parts (I forget their brand name). It leaked, they replaced it with same type and it also leaked. They claimed it must be high alternator voltage. Mine does run as high as 15.0 (I have checked with a voltmeter, the dash guage is completely accurate) but I decided to try a Diehard Gold which, since the install 4 months ago, has not leaked.

Nathan Plemons

Hmm, that's funny. Mine fits perfectly and is held tightly in the tray.

BTW, this battery REPLACED the Die Hard that was in my car. It might as well have been called a Die Fast. Every OTHER car battery I have EVER seen go bad, has done so gradually and never left me stranded. My Die Hard worked fine in the morning, worked fine at lunch, and 3 hours later was DEAD. NO I DIDN'T LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON.

When I got the car home I put a charger on it, when I checked it much later I had 16 volts with the charger, 13 without. When I opened the door it fell to 9, and was at 3 when I tried to start it. Call me crazy, but I like a battery that gives some warning when it is about to die.


[Modified by Nathan Plemons, 3:08 PM 11/25/2001]

Corvette From Hell

I've only had ONE experience with an Optima battery. My friend installed one in his jet boat (454). After 18 whole months, it wouldn't start his boat if it sat for more than 2 days. Charging it manually made no difference. I'll stick with sulphuric acid, thank you!

POLOVETTE 94

OK, here's my experience. My 94 is no longer my daily driver. At times it may sit for more than a month. Life is busier than it used to be. I had the ACDelco that came in it (used, in 97), and two more ACDelcos since. If it sat for more than a week, especially in colder weather, clicky clicky! No crank. I would have to start the car every few days, even if I had no time to play. I installed a Champion Vortex battery. This battery uses the same spiral cell technology, and the fine print on top even states "made by optima", so it is esentially the same as the red top. I had to clip a small plastic piece from the front of the tray (no harder than trimming a fingernail), and did have to remove the PCM and cruise control servo. The bracket was touching the top post, so I hacked away at it carefully, then repainted the cut black. It is not a structural member...it only holds the cruise servo. The battery fits fine, and I went out to the car after not touching it for a month and a half and it started like it sat for an hour! OK, maybe I just had 3 faulty ACDelcos, but in my opinion, 3 strikes and you're out! If this is too much work for you to install the battery, maybe you shouldn't be reading the Tech/Performance section. Or maybe Optima only sells the good ones to Champion. I have a good one now.