Well my red top sits for sometimes 3 weeks and fires up. I know I'm cheating death and keep thinking I should buy a battery tender. Somebody posted you won't find a leaker in todays modern batteries. Tell that to everything that resides under the battery. Not as corroded as I've seen but it still got eaten up by a new modern leak proof battery.

 

I use this "BatteryMinder" from VDC Electronics and it a great duel purpose float charger and it only costs $39.95 at Northern tool co. But with all the talk about keeping a Corvette hooked up to a "Ctek" (Another great battery tender) or other charger but I have no doubt I could leave the car/battery sit for a month and it'll still fire right up. Red Tops just have given me good service.

But just like tire Air pressures or fluids check, I just don't need to test the batteries limits and with any of the 'Float chargers' on the market it's foolish not to use one. I don't necessarily need it, but I like to take care of any of my cars. I take as good of care with my 8 year old Chevy Cavalier as I do the Corvette. Just something taught to me as a young man and I never forgot what works and what doesn't.

 

I must laugh.. All the die hard people claiming the Red Top is the greatest thing since sliced bread.. Well, most important, it's RC rating isn't more than 100 RC. The required RC is 120 for the C5.. I say, why buy a lesser battery when you know, sooner or later, you will be stranded.
It's like buying a new motorcycle helmet.. If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet.
You have a C5 Corvette! Buy a battery that has the ratings that are required for a happy C5!
Maybe the OLD Red Tops were better, before they were made in Mexico.. Well, the new ones are CRAP!

 

Like I said in an earlier post, I don't know much about batteries. However I was told many years ago that the most important number for a battery is Cold Cranking Amps. The Red Top's CCA rating is 800. The Delco part # 78-6YR in Delco's Professional Series (I assume that is their top battery from their website) has a 700 CCA rating.

I see another number; RA=120. I don't know what that is or means. There is no "RA" number on the websites for Optima or Delco. There is a Reserve Capacity, which for the Red Top is 100.

I also noticed either on the Die Hard or Delco website, that their battery had an "Acid Resistant" case. I'd rather have an Optima because I don't want an acid leak.

As for made in Mexico; I looked at my Red Top and I can't find a reference to where it was made. I bought it in 2008, perhaps they went to Mexico after that. I would think that the trend to manufacture everything in countries other than the U.S. is going to force all battery manufacturers to go elsewhere and whatever battery you choose to purchase will be made in Mexico, China, etc.

For the next battery I buy, I will try to determine where it was manufactured, but like most things, sadly it may say "Made in China".

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldvetter View Post
A 12-volt battery will measure at about 12.9 volts when it’s fully charged and about 11.4 volts when it is fully discharged.

I use a battery tender on my Optima Redtop when the car sits for 3 or more days.
"fully discharged" would be zero

Actually, you're wrong ! A battery measuring UNDER 11.4 volts would be considered over-discharged.

 

I have a red top that was installed in 2006 and its now has a battery tender on it 24/7

 

I continued looking on the Die Hard battery website and found what may be a better battery than the Red Top:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...=xsite_DieHard

The RC = 135 and the CCA = 880.

Any thoughts?

 

It seems the Red tops are hit or miss. I had a red top on my DD for years with no problems. I then switched to a yellow top and put the red top into a second car and it lasted a few more years.

 

Definitely a great battery, but check out it's weight ! 53 pounds !

 

Ouch.

 

The Optima weighs 37.9 (minimum weight) so that's a difference of ~15 pounds. I have enough trouble with the Optima weight. I'd need a crane for the Die Hard . Die Hard must put a lot of lead in that case, which once you place it in the battery tray is good.

 

So My optima yellow top just died on me. Left the car sitting for about a week, and it reads 5.3 volts..... I bought the car from the guy that put it in, and he said it hasn't even been in there for a year.


Everyone keeps saying how you have to put the car on a tender to keep a charge, but at the store that sells optimas you don't see all of them on tenders do you? I think that the putting an optima on a tender just is covering up the problems it actually has. If you drive you car every other week, why the hell should you have to put a tender on it?

 

O Brother, The reason you don't see them on a charger at the store is because they are not under a load....lol
Install it is a C5 and you have a load on it, A more than normal load I might add.

 

Optima has a procedure for re charge a "Dead" battery that is much more successful then standard recharge.

Basically you hook up a known good and charged battery parallel to the dead optima and then charge.

Something about tricking the charger into doing something or other.

Call the 800 # and you can get the procedure from the automated attendant by pushing a few button when prompted.

Here is is in writing.

http://www.optimabatteries.com/produ...agmbattery.php

 

Tech Tips – Powered by OPTIMA Batteries®
Tech Tip #3 – Don't Throw Away Your "Dead" AGM Battery: Three Tips on Resuscitating a Deeply Discharged AGM Battery

Like a ghost story, sometimes the seemingly dead really aren't dead at all. The same may be true for your over-discharged AGM battery.

In time, AGM batteries, including OPTIMA batteries, may fail. Failures are typically caused when a starting battery is used in a cycling application, in which a deep cycle battery is the better choice.

Okay, so now you have a seemingly bad AGM battery, you attach it to your charger and…CLICK. The charger won't even charge it! "It must be a bad battery!" you exclaim. Or is it? In many cases, OPTIMA batteries that are assumed to be bad may actually be perfectly fine, just deeply discharged.

The great thing about AGM batteries, including OPTIMA Red Top® and Yellow Top® batteries, is that they have incredibly low internal resistance. This allows very high amperage output and for the battery to accept a charge very quickly.

An AGM battery, with its low internal resistance, may stump car guys because sometimes it doesn't work like a traditional flooded lead acid battery.

Here's the problem: most battery chargers have built-in safety features. A traditional battery that's at 10.5 volts or less is seen as defective, having either a short, a bad cell or some other defect. The charger "knows better" than to charge a defective battery because the results could be unsafe. But the fact is the AGM battery is just fine; it has simply slipped below the minimum voltage threshold of the charger and the charger doesn't know what to do with the battery.

Here are three options for bringing that fine AGM battery back to life. So grab your jumper cables and charger and…CLEAR!

Recovery Option #1: The Best Solution – AGM-Specific Chargers

The best method for recharging a deeply discharged AGM battery is to purchase a modern charger that has kept up with battery technology. Many chargers now have AGM-specific settings and de-sulfation steps that help recondition and recover deeply discharged AGM batteries. These are becoming more common, and they work well for all lead acid batteries. They have the additional capability of doubling as a battery "maintainer" for vehicle storage. Some come with additional wiring to permanently attach leads from your battery to an accessible spot on your vehicle. This makes it easy to hook up when you store your car, truck, boat or RV.

OPTIMA Batteries does not officially endorse specific chargers—we simply don't have the time to test all of the excellent chargers on the market. There are a few that our customers and staff have tried and liked. You can contact OPTIMA Batteries Customer Service at 888-8-OPTIMA (888-867-8462) or via email at info@optimabatteries.com for charger recommendations based on different applications.

Recovery Option #2: The DIY Solution

This is a recovery method for the do-it-yourselfer using the equipment you've got in the garage. With this option, you're going to trick your charger into charging the deeply discharged AGM battery.

Here's what you need:

* Battery charger
* Jumper cables
* A good battery, preferably above 12.2 volts (It can be an AGM or flooded battery, it doesn't matter.)
* The seemingly dead, deeply discharged AGM battery
* A watch or timer

Now, here's what you do:

1. Hook up the good battery and deeply discharged AGM battery in parallel—positive to positive and negative to negative. Do not have the charger connected to the battery or turned on at this stage.
2. Now, hook up the good battery to the charger. Turn on the charger. The charger will "see" the voltage of the good battery, and start providing a charge.
3. After the batteries have been hooked up for about an hour, check to see if the AGM battery is slightly warm or hot to the touch. Batteries naturally become warm during charging, but excessive heat may be an indication that there really is something wrong with the battery. Also discontinue the process if you hear the battery "gassing"—a hissing sound coming from the safety valves. If it's hot or gassing, STOP CHARGING IMMEDIATELY!
4. Check back every hour to see if the AGM battery has charged to 10.5 volts or above. If it has, disconnect the charger from the wall outlet and remove the good battery from the charger. Now, connect only the deeply discharged AGM battery to the charger. Turn on the charger and continue until the AGM battery reaches a full charge, or until the automatic charger completes the charge process. In most cases, the AGM battery will be recovered.

Recovery Option #3: Enlist the Professionals

If you don't own a battery charger, you don't want to make the investment, or you're not the do-it-yourself kind of guy, this is the option for you.

Take the battery to a professional battery specialist who knows AGM technology. Most specialists are willing to provide "charge and check" procedures free or for a small fee. Auto parts stores are typically not capable of accurately determining an AGM battery's condition, and many use conductance testers that don't provide correct readings. Battery specialists like Interstate Batteries and other independent battery distributors are experts who can help determine if your battery is recoverable or not.

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Great info! Just hooked my yellow top up to my battery tender I use for my bikes. I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens.

 

To easily connect your charger...check out StealthLink @

www.chargerconnection.com

 

I've had my RedTop in my vette since 9 months after I took delivery of my '02 when my AC Delco died. Since then, I have driven the car sporadically and it's usually stored on my lift covered with a charger on it. I've had that RedTop since 2002 and it's still running strong through two major moves.

Recently, I brought the car to SoCal and had it in storage without a charger for 6 weeks (no electric in the storage units). The car started with no problem several times while in storage without driving it in between.

There's also a RedTop in the wife's C5 but we had that one die on us. It was replaced at no charge under warranty, though and the replacement has been perfect ever since.

 

I have had an Optima Red Top in my 1999 Coupe since Nov. 2003 (7+ years). A couple weeks ago I went to start my car and the battery was completely dead. I had a Sears Diehard float charger hooked up so I thought for sure it was the battery. Turns out the charger was the culprit and it died on me. I ordered a CTEK charger and hooked it up to my Red Top....next day, Red Top back in action and has been working great since. So my 7+ years keeps counting......If/when it completely dies, I will run over and buy another Optima (probably a Yellow Top this time because I drive the car less now). for Optima

 

Jim is not at our location but you can reach him directly at Optimajim@gmail.com

"To answer your question, The second part number listed is actually for our YellowTop D75/25 which is very similar to the RedTop 75/25. The YellowTop version is designed for both starting and deep cycle applications.

You also correct in that many customers may believe their battery has failed when in reality it is only deeply discharged. Nearly all people (over 90%) who believe they have a "dead" Optima battery, the battery only needs to be charged. If the battery has less than 10.5v most battery chargers won't do anything to charge the battery using typical procedures, and most test equipment will erroneously indicate the battery has a bad cell."

To recharge a Red Top you need to connect a good 12 volt bateriey in parallel with the dead Red Top and hook a charger to the good fully charged battery and charge the battery till the Optima Red top has at least 10.8 volts and then all disconnected, a battery charger car be placed on the Red top and charged to it's fill voltage. See informative Video @ www.optimabatteries.com