eunsulover

Hello,

I read a lot of posts about this topic. However, is Optima really worth 2x more than the regular battery in terms of performance per price?

I found Duralast Battery at Autozone for $65, whereas Optima Red Top at Costco is about $139.

I am wondering whether I should go with Duralast.

Thanks in advance.

911C2

I have a Exide in my car. production 2000. I know it could go any day. So I have a spare Interstate. I bought an Optima brought it home and fount the positive post to be too far in so it di not work I returned it. Apparently was not the right one. From what I read there are some manufacturers puting Optima's in as OEM. There must be something to them for an Manufacturer to spend that kinda money

jdistefa

3 main advantages:
1. Fully sealed, no venting, no leaking
2. Cranking power
3. Lower discharge rate, lasts waaaaaay longer
Is that worth the extra dough? IMO, yes.
75/35 is the model you want (it has now been folded into the 75/25 model).

Burt Goodwin

Worth it? Yes, in my opinion...a year or so ago, noticed a "puddle" under left front wheel well..battery acid, overflowing from the vent tube, caused I suppose by a faulty batter maintainer...this nasty situation required many hours of baking soda neutralizing, scrubbing, metal sanding, spray painting, etc., not to mention the aggravation of resetting radio code, engine idle remapping. A new Optima Red Top, direct bolt-in fit, solves this problem...no more nervous glances at the garage floor each time I drive the car. You decide.

MarkD

Yes, for the reasons above and my Optima experience in my boat. The boat sits for months, then gets a little use during the summer. For years I had gone through a battery per year. I live in Ca. and am too lazy to pull it out every winter to maintain it. A few years back I bought an Optima. It has held up year after year with no charge in between... and very little use.

So, when it came time replace the battery in my 964, I chose an Optima. Not a deep cycle as I have in the boat (the car doesn't sit that long and I use a batt maintainer) but a standard red top.
No danger of leakage and a very durable battery. Gel cell technology is wonderful.

I'm not familiar with Duralast but if it is a gel cell and fully sealed it could be a lesser priced version of the same thing, though the gel cells are typically over $100.

ppressle

How much does rust repair cost? I think it is like insurance.

That said, I don't have them in my cars, yet.

Pete

Edward

Dissent here:

I've had two optimas in various cars, along with a whole slew of other batteries in various cars over the decades (done a LOT of backyard wrenching on mine and others' cars FWIW). And over those many years/cars, I' ve found that it makes not a whit of difference what battery you buy so long as you choose one of decent quality and with the appropriate CCA for your needs and climate.

The aforementioned optimas I owned lasted no longer, and the cheaper ones lasted no shorter. Their respective "performance" was no different as when they decide to quit, they just quit. Never had a leak or otherwise anything weird occur, especially notable considering I've bought some really inexpensive ones in the past.

With the excepion of deep cycle batts, they key in any battery lasting is keeping it charged and the terminals clean. With daily drivers, this is no prob, but with "fun cars" or other toys, this should be a part of your maintenance regimen or the battery will simply give up sooner than it should have, regardless of how much you spent on it.

Of late, the Kirkland ones from Costco have done very well for me, and you just can't beat that price. I've found that a battery will simply last around 3 years ...any more and it's gravy. And FWIW, one of my optimas lasted less. The other was about average with the others.

So there's my opinion. The considerable extra expense of Optimas just don't offer anything in terms of performance or longevity that I have found over more than a few cars. So unless you like showing off that colored top to your friends, save the dough and use it for something that actually offers a benefit (no disrespect to those who have bought one, mind you ...remember that I have owned two ).

Edward

eunsulover

Thanks so much for providing various opinions! I am learning so many new things!

Garth S

My experience closely mirrors Edwards. For the fun cars that are retired for winter, 3-4 years is an average battery life: with identical batteries in our daily drivers, 6 years is the norm. Choose a good make of reasonable CCA, and enjoy electrical reliability. I use lead/acid group 48 for the cars in the sig - and save the warranty cards: usually good for ~ 1/2 off on the next change out. ( my NAPA guy laughs when I show up with a battery and a warranty slip .... claiming that he never sells me one - that I just pay cheap rent ).

Leaking acid - only did that once, but the car had a few airborne stints that helped: well, it was actually the landing ...

jdistefa

Good opinions & experiences all around.
Keep in mind, like any preventative strategy, it seems like excessive cost until that rare thing happens to you. To me, the extra $80 is worth the absolute reduction in risk of an acid spill and venting tube hassles.

Air Kuul TT

Yup... I'm with you. $80 is worth not having to worry about the damm acid leaking and the time it would take (not to mentioned the damage) to clean it up. Piece of mine has a price.

amfp

For you guys who have Optima's do they handle winter Porsche trickle charges to keep their charge to a peak ? I heard pros and cons on that one.

To date for me, I change the acid batteries every three years and add a new battery mat, make sure is well vented, check area / water about once a month to make sure all looks OK. Been doing this for many years with no disapointments. But if Optima is less of a hassle and as reliable for a car that is stored, that may be my ticket next time.

Edward

Check under the hood of all the cars you currently own and ask yourself: is my battery currently leaking or has it ever leaked acid? Even better, in your older cars (if you own one), list the ones that have had the battery area destroyed by a leaking battery. To all those convinced by the salesmanship, please feel free to buy the extra "protection." At least that way they'll stay in business

Edward

MarkD

No "salesmanship" here. Gel Cells (Optima is a gel cell batt) are lighter, sealed, and in my experience and others I know, longer lasting than standard batteries.

The Optima I put in my 964 was a replacement for an interstate that leaked all over the tray area and had done so for some time due to the PO's negligence. Cleaning that up was clsoe to impossible and I'm still not sure I got it all neutralized. Ended up painting the area with POR15 (awesome stuff).

Another item worth noting, gel cells are highly recommended in boats due to the beating batteries take on the water. I know a few folks (incl. my brother) who had a standard battery in their boat go dead short on them due to the plates coming together. This fries and melts things. Again, a boat is a different deal, definitely takes more of a beating.

Good to see the different experiences/opinions here. It's always educational.

Air Kuul TT

No, I don't have Optima in the other 3 cars... but I drive them quite frequently. Just 2 weeks ago, I had to recharge my battery cuz I was not able to drive the TT for 8 weeks... Let me tell you... I din't have the porsche battery tender and I was out there pretty much every hour on the hour... just to be safe... cuz I didn't have a gel cell batt.

BTW, Edward, can you imagine if I had an acid leak... I wouldn't know what to do