IXLR8

Kind of hard as the acid is "absorbed" in glass mat, which is why it is called an AGM - Absorbed Glass Mat battery.

But that isn't the point. You said "The optima is sealed" which an AGM (or GEL) battery isn't. It needs to have a valve in each cell to allow any gas to escape (for safety reasons) during charging. In a healthy battery that isn't being overcharged, that is never or rarely an issue.

Indycam

That is the point . That is the whole point .

http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/faqs.php
"The completely sealed design prevents loss of water which can lead to plate dry-out and failure"
"Does an OPTIMA battery ever gas?

When used with a properly regulated constant voltage charging system (such as an alternator) the OPTIMA will usually not emit hydrogen gas. However, gassing can occur when charging at higher voltage levels or in extreme high temperature conditions. In automotive applications this typically will not happen if the alternator/regulator stay below 15 volts."

Nothing will go in or out unless the battery is abused to the point where it is gassing .
Its a sealed battery . That's the definition of a sealed battery .
You want sealed to mean that nothing can ever go in or out ever no matter what .
That's not what sealed means .

IXLR8

I rest my case. I guess its not sealed.

Indycam

http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/faqs.php
"The completely sealed design prevents loss of water which can lead to plate dry-out and failure"

http://www.odysseybattery.com/batteries.html
"SHIPPING Air transportable; US Department of Transportation classified non-spillable "
"ELECTROLYTE Drycell (“starved electrolyte”) no external leakage or corrosion"

www.mkbattery.com/
"Sealed lead acid batteries for home medical, mobility, broadband, electronic, security, RV, marine, motorcycle, audio, and golf."

"BatteryMart.com offers a complete selection of sealed lead acid"

www.ebatteriestogo.com/
"Provides high quality sealed batteries with same day shipping supporting battery needs for laptop computers and recreational vehicles."

http://www.batterywholesale.com/batt...SLA-batteries/
"Rechargeable sealed lead acid, SLA battery replacements for a range of applications including UPS systems,wheelchairs,scooters,mobility products"

www.westcobattery.com/
"WestCo Battery - sealed maintenance free Gel, Cell and AGM batteries for motorcycles, personal watercraft, ATV and audio."

Sealed batteries are called sealed because they are sealed .
Not because they are not .
You can play around all you want but you can't say a sealed battery is not a sealed battery .

"BTW, there is no such thing as a sealed battery. Yeah, I know they advertize that, but those are "vented" as well and can leak under the right conditions."
A vented battery can and will dump acid , can not be shipped the way a sealed battery can be , can not be mounted on its side etc etc etc etc etc etc .

http://www.optimabatteries.com/impor...d_your_optima/
"It has up to 2X the life of traditional batteries and you can mount it anywhere, even upside down because it's leakproof."

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/optima/
"Optimas are sealed and do not leak. They can be mounted in vehicle sideways or even upside down and they will not leak acid like standard batteries. With an Optima, you will not see your terminals or battery tray corrode as you would with standard batteries."

cwrm4

FWIW, I picked up a Die Hard Platinum AGM this morning. On sale, $200 out the door. Not the cheapest, but 4-year free replacement at any Sears.

From what Google tells me, Die Hard Platinums are rebadged Odysseys.

Indycam

Cool .

James Achard

Odyssey here too #925. i got mine from batterymart.com for 166.00$ delivered.

IXLR8

OK, I won't tell you they are not sealed, Optima will...
If they are sealed, why are gasses escaping?

The battery community calls them SLA to differentiate them from a FLA.

I hope your charging system doesn't go ****-up and overcharges your battery in a confined compartment. I guess that is why Porsche used a vent hose.

Indycam

I'm sorry you don't get it . But it's not my problem .
I'll refrain from trying to get you up to speed , you are obviously dead set against it .

IXLR8

I'm not, AGM and GEL batteries have their advantages; they also have their disadvantages.

Their strong points are not that important to the vast majority of car owners unless they live in Churchill Falls in the middle of winter. Post #9 explains that.

Jim Richards

I put an Interstate Battery in my 964 a few months back.

Optima Bill

Hi CWRM4,
I won't go into the issues already covered with links to our site by Indycam. I am interested in your RedTop. When you say it loses charge in two weeks, unhooked, what is the “full charge” you start out with and what is the “dead” voltage reading? If the car does sit, and if like my extra car, sometimes later than I realize, the minimum parasitic drain can deeply-discharge sometimes quicker than we think. When this happens, any battery can suffer sulfation. This could be what has happened to your batteries and yes, this can shorten the life of any battery. In fact, some manufacturers will void the warranty on their batteries if you bring it in below their set minimum voltage level, because of this. If you can, and if the battery will take a charge, try charging it for a couple hours at 10amps. Keep a close eye on it to be sure it doesn't get HOT to the touch. Warm is ok, but HOT is bad. If it will charge this way, that could help break up the sulfation and help the battery hold a charge. I would be very interested in the voltage reading both as soon as you have it fully charged and then again 24hrs later. A fully charged RedTop should read about 12.6 to 12.8 volts and should maintain that voltage or very close to it for 12 to 24 hours if disconnected from the vehicle.
We do have batteries go bad, as any manufacturer will, but a lot of our returns are simply deeply-discharged and are fine once properly recharged.
I can understand your frustration, but if this is what is causing the issue, I am afraid simply buying a different battery is not going to cure your problem. Please let me know what you find.
Feel free too, to ask other questions about our products.
Thanks,
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

earlyapex

Odyssey in my spec 911.
Interstate in my RSA.
Trickle charger for my RSA when I can't drive it.

carlskisWP

So I just bought a optima red top 75/25 to replace the red top the PO had installed in May '05. The old battery seemed to still turn the car over fine but the voltage seemed to be getting lower and lower. The last time I check it was 11.9 v so I decided it was time to replace. I went back and forth about replacing with a standard lead acid battery or the Optima. The Optima is pricey and I keep reading about reliability problems plus no pro rated warranty. But I didn't want to mess around with reconnecting the battery vent line and had read that the vent line exits next to the AC condenser fan and can cause corrosion. Found an online coupon from Advance Auto (25% off) that made the Optima a little more reasonable so I bought it. Starts the car fine but my resting voltage with the new red top still seems low - 12.1 v. All my other car batteries (interstate, duracraft) keep a 12.5v or higher charge even when the car sits for a week or so. I start the 964 usually every day but only drive it a short distance. Maybe not long enough to fully charge?

GTCARR

I consistently get 5 - 6 years from Sears Die-Hard International.