Guest Anonymous Posted May 6, 2001 Share Posted May 6, 2001 Being sick and tired of the mess of conventional batteries and trying to save what metal is left in the battery tray area, I'm considering shelling out the bucks for an Optima battery. A friend of mine had one that lasted 10 yrs. in the heat we have here which is quite a testimonial, but I wanted to get the opinions of my favorite group of experts. Anybody have any experiences??? Thanks, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted May 6, 2001 Share Posted May 6, 2001 I put one in my kit car last year and think it's great. No fuss, no mess. The problem with having a kit car is that I don't drive it that often (couple af nights and on weekends) and it sits in storage all winter. It sat for just over five months this year and started right up. I was amazed that the battery didn't lose it's charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modern Motorsports Ltd Posted May 6, 2001 Share Posted May 6, 2001 I've had my redtop for 3 yrs or so and killed it a few times with alternator troubles (too close to header/pulley too small...), I'd thought it was the batteries fault but since I permanently resolved other issues it's been a dream.....mine's mounted right inside my passenger 'toolwell' right behind my passenger seat. Use 0 or 00 (I used 000, overkill but I like it ) wire and it's VERY handy to install a kill switch right their as well. I've driven it down to 3V's when an alt died and I just had to carry on to a parts store a few miles away....can't kill it! I saw a racecar BADLY bent up and battery dented.....they figured it was dead but crossed posts for kicks and welded their leads to it;^) Their are some other brands these days as well, some might be shorter/smaller than the optima. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 6, 2001 Share Posted May 6, 2001 I will also go to the Optima or Exide battery because they are sealed and very tough. I like the idea of being able to mount it inside the car safely. I'm not sure which is cheaper, but I imagine the Exide battery is cheaper--otherwise I'd go with the Optima. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 I've had one, killed it too! Took a few years and so really low charges to do that though and I'd buy one again. My one hesitation this time is the weight involved - my old one was a BEAST! I want something light this time and have been looking at a few options. Just not yet sure what I want to run... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Scott Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 My Optima lasted 8+ years. Bought another! JS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 Thanks to all for the replies. Once again the best forum online comes thru w/ the best info. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 Yep, had one in the Z but I had to cannibalize it for my other car since the Z's out of service for now. Only problem I ever had with it in 3+ years was when I left the lights on and drained it. Can't really blame that on the battery. Never had any heat related issues either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modern Motorsports Ltd Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 My RED top is only 38 lbs. Besides it's small size/weight and huge CCA of 800 given size etc, a bonus huge plus for me was the side mounts on it. Allowed me to just take my cables very smoothly from it's side (shortened header bolts secure my huge lugs) to my frame rail and fwd to engine bay (went inside rocker to firewall/staying inside car) where it comes straight thru and ties nicely to my Ford HD solenoid. I was originally suprised to find them at a marine/auto supply place locally at reasonable prices. Here's a link for optima specs: http://www.dcbattery.com/optima2.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 Optima also has a newer one out that's a bit smaller (red top only as far as I know). Has both top and side terminals. go to www.optimabatteries.com and check it out. I think that one only weighs 33 pounds, but it's noticeably physically smaller. Still should have plenty of juice for a Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted May 8, 2001 Share Posted May 8, 2001 I have the new red-top in my S10 and i cannot reccomend this battery highly enough. It proved itself on saturday. I puked my alternator on the highway two hours away from home. That battery got my 96 s10 home without a problem, granted no music and no headlights sucks. Thank god it was during the day! IT has top AND side posts, killer for a clean wiring job, especially i you have a stereo system. Evan PS... my Z will have one as soon as my new die hard craps out on me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted May 8, 2001 Share Posted May 8, 2001 I have the new red-top in my S10 and i cannot reccomend this battery highly enough. It proved itself on saturday. I puked my alternator on the highway two hours away from home. That battery got my 96 s10 home without a problem, granted no music and no headlights sucks. Thank god it was during the day! IT has top AND side posts, killer for a clean wiring job, especially i you have a stereo system. Evan PS... my Z will have one as soon as my new die hard craps out on me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted May 8, 2001 Share Posted May 8, 2001 I'll chime in with praise aswell. I had a BIG stereo built for professional competition years back (miracle ear..here i come). This system, with the stock battery, killed 3 alternators within 6 months After that I ran a redtop optima for a year with no failures. i could flat ROCK beach partys for 2 hours with it before i would need to charge it.It would start right up..Id make a store run to charge it up..come back and ROCK IT for another 2 hours. Highly recommended! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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