RockHeadss

Im thinking on getting a optima red top battery for the Vette. I was talking to some c4 owners and they say that the optima red top battery is no good, For the Vette's.
what is a good battery for the c4's?

Mark

cv67

Just about any battery your car doesnt know what brand is in it.

RICEKILA

Frizlefrak

Marco had an Optima when I bought him that the previous owner installed. It failed shortly after I bought the car. It was about 18 months old. I replaced it with my favorite battery....the yellow Everstart from Wal-Mart.

I've heard both sides of the coin on Optimas. Perhaps the one in my car was allowed to run down a few times....that might have caused it to fail. That was the only personal experience I've had with them. I've also heard stories where they last 8+ years. Go figure.

To me, the Everstart is such a good battery, I can't justify any expense beyond that for a battery. And there's a Wal-Mart on every corner of the country if I ever need to exchange it.

YMMV

Crepitus

Optima=no corrosive fumes

RedLS1GTO

Optima = giant POS.

Wouldn't put one back in any of my cars if they gave it to me for free.

dizwiz24

Big pos.

Make that the three in a row I tried. Well, ok one worked for a day and then was dead the next morning- and wldnt accept a recharge.

Muffin

First one endured 6 years of abuse. Finally died last year. New one is doing just fine.

Goldcylon

Running optima for many years no problem. However you have to mod the underside cruise control backet in order to get it to fit or else it will contact the top positive post. At least you do in a MY90-96 Just FYI

zr1fred

A lot of money for the same 12vdc. Although it would make sense if you are planing on flipping the vette over. On the other hand, there is the school of thought that if it costs a lot more, it has to be a lot better.

jfb

BS. An Optima battery is a lead acid battery with the acid contained in a gel instead of being liquid. The exact same chemical reactions occur during charging and discharging.

Mustang_Eater

Had a red opti dry cell in my C4 1989 For 8 months now no problems to report.

PLRX

I have an optima in my 96. No problems in two years.

rickyrj1

Interstate for 5 yrs no problems

Midnight 85

Optima Red Top in my car, going on 5 years with no problems. I was putting a battery in every spring until I started using a battery tender, maybe that's why the Optima is still going strong.

Paul Workman

Yep! A lead-acid battery that is not being charged regularly will develop a lead-sulfate layer on the plates. This sulfate, formed as part of the electro-chemical process, coats the lead plates and effectively reduces the surface area exposed to the electrolyte (sulphuric acid). This effectively increases the internal resistance, and thus limiting current output over time to the point the battery may not be able to be revived - aka won't take a charge.

However, (short lesson) if the battery is continuously being trickle charged, the formation of the sulfate layering will not occur - or at least not as quickly - and the battery's potential will be substantially extended beyond that of an "un-tended" battery.

Not all battery chargers are alike. The Battery Tender is of the type referred to as a "smart charger". It's heart is a micro processor that senses when the battery needs to be charged, and when it is fully charged. When fully charged, the BT reverts from charging mode (higher current) to a maintenance or "trickle current". This small current not only prevents sulfide formation, but will supply the tiny current used by the ECM to keep the memory alive; killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

To some extent, the formation of sulfate is unavoidable, even with charging. Otherwise the batteries would last forever. Critical to the longevity of a lead-acid battery is (in short) dependent upon the charging taking place AND the concentration of the sulphuric acid. My point in mentioning the concentration level of sulphuric acid is it is one factor that has a drastic effect on not only longevity, but over all performance. Get it wrong, and all bets are off, as far as battery performance and life goes! This may be the reason some batteries suffer pre-mature failure. However, ignorance with regard to maintenance is by far the usual culprit. (But, this - ignorance - won't be a problem going forward, huh?)

So, I'll suffice to say that it isn't what you spend on a battery that will make the difference, it is the way it is maintained that will have the lion's share of the effective life of any lead-acid battery.

Y'all read all the battery manufacture's hype ya want. Me? Like Frizzle does: every 5 or so years I'll go down to the local WallMart and pick up a new one. Trust me... You hang one of those little 800 series Battery Tenders on the wall and plug it in every time you park (unless it is a daily driver), and unless you leave the lights on and run it flat a (very) few times, your battery woes will be a thing of the past!

P.

HlhnEast

Spend the extra bux somewhere else. The Optima is designed really for odd locations and mounting. Its great for 4X4's for off roading but I see no need to put it a regular car under regular situations. My .02 anyway.

RollaMo-LT4

I replaced the battery in my '96 back in the summer of 2006.
That same battery is still in there going strong.
It was just a regular battery (whatever brand O'Reilly Auto Parts sells).

If you have to replace the battery every spring or your car won't start after sitting for a week or two, then it's not the fault of the battery.

RedLS1GTO

I killed 4 Optimas in a 3 year span, 2 Corvettes, 2 killed batteries each, all replaced by Optima under warranty. 1 of them, less than 6 months old and cared for correctly actually died in the track car WHILE running on the track. The 2 that died in my Z06 in less than a year each both died with it being used as a daily driver, not sitting for weeks or even days at a time. With ZERO other changes the Interstate batteries that replaced the POS Optimas have worked flawlessly since then.

If you do the math on the warranty replacement, I have 2 brand new Optima batteries sitting in my garage that I wouldn't even think about putting in my cars.

F-Optima.

My $.02. Take it or leave it.

Baldfart

I thought Optima batteries were a AGM, not a gel type.