What’s up guys. Lookin for a new battery. Was going to get a Optima RedTop 75/25 AGM. But been hearing a lot of bad reviews about them lately. So it’s between the Optima and a AC Delco group 78 AGM battery on Amazon for $174. Or the Optima at a store near me for $215. Any info or advice is appreciated. Thx.

 

Ive had optima Red tops for 20 years, never a problem .. average life of five different batteries has been eight years each. Ive yet to have an Optima fail me. Ive only replaced then because of age. I have a ten year old Optima that still works.. This has been my experience.. I just bought a New Optima in the last week based on 20 years of experience with them
Bill aka ET

 

I've also had good luck with Optima batteries when they are taken care of properly. Often times people put Optima and other AGM type of batteries in seasonal vehicles which spend a great deal of time sitting which can drain them over time. So it's strongly suggested to keep them on a battery tender when in storage to avoid issues trying to revive them in the spring. Then if the battery gets below an acceptable voltage range, they can be extremely difficult to re-charge if you are not taking the proper steps. Using an AGM specific charger or charger with an AGM setting is key with Optimas and most people don't realize that, so when the battery goes dead they have trouble re-charging them. Another tip I've found when doing some training with Johnson controls and Optima years back is that you can connect a dead optima to a good / fully charged battery with jumper cables and then charge the good battery while the optima is connected to it. The good battery helps to stop the discharged AGM from putting up such a fight with a non-AGM type of charger.

Here's a link to more info on how to resuscitate a deeply discharged Optima in case it helps anyone

 

When a battery sits for days or weeks, it develops sulfate crystals. Over time these crystals destroy the battery. having a battery stay ( appear to be in cycle ) will help to keep these crystals from forming. Be advised that a smart charger or tender does not disulfate a battery, a smart tender charger will only keep the battery from over charging.. Its not something you want in 2019... Since there are now chargers / tenders that are not only smart but the also have a diagnostic algorithm to determine when they need to be de=sulfated.. Most battery chargers/tenders, have a voltage regulator ( I would never trust the voltage regulator of an 8 dollar Chines manufactured smart charger/tender ) in them, which qualifies them as a smart charger/tender.. they sell chargers/tenders from China on eBay for 8 dollars. some people here have bragged about how great they are.. Some of us are highly educated in automotive technology, There is a reason why a high end charger/ tender maintainer is 75to 150 dollars. To think an 8 dollar charger/tender from China is the same thing is a very poor assumption. Understanding that the battery is only a small part of an electrical system is the first step to understanding its impact on a battery. keeping a battery charged and free of sulfate crystals can be done with the right charger/tender. also modification to the electrical system and peripheral components not part of the original electrical system can impact the battery and every other component of that system. Un qualified welding on a C5 without proper electrical grounding can do a lot of damage to the electrical system


I know a few things because Blah, blah , blah.

Bill aka ET
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Are there any chargers not made in China? Please point them out.

 

My Sears charger was made in the USA.. But then I bought it in 1978. Almost all new "electronics" are from China.

The all time best battery for the C5 is/was the Sears Platinum, which was a relabelled Odyssey Extreme - which are still available from Odyssey. Sears just dropped them because too many people were killing them with marine use (trolling) and claiming on the (then) very generous warranty. Consumers Association rated them the best battery they had ever tested.

Expensive, but great. Mine has been in for 12 years with no issues at all. And it still allows the car to sit for a long time without being driven. When (if) it dies, I guess it will be an Odyssey as a replacement.

 

Ok, here's my story. I worked for Midtronics, they are the number 1 Battery tester company in the world. We had a large lab that tested every battery made to man. When I asked them what is the best battery to get. This is what several of the guys told me. There are only 3 companies that make batteries, Johnson Controls, Exide and forgot the 3rd. After all their research and knowledge they told me to get the cheapest battery I could find but get the one with the best warranty. The batteries in the lab were cut in half and all basicly looked the same to me. They explained that Johnson Controls made the same batteries for a lot of companies, all they do is change the housing and put the logos on. When I asked them what batteries they had I was surprised that most of them had batteries from Walmart. Some said only reason they had something different because they were using them as test cars. I personally never had a problem with batteries from Walmart. I have one in my 04 Vette now. So I guess you have to decide if you want to pay big dollars for a name. If they have the same CCA and same warranty why would you pay double for the name. Just my thought. Every battery, matter who makes it can go bad. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will disagree with me but I've seen all the batteries cut in half I talked with guys who all they do is test batteries for their job, I will take their advice over someone who might have had a bad battery from a certain company and then will just bad mouth them.

 

There are very few companies that make batteries here in the US. Those companies regularly switch labels on their product for marketing purposes. Walmart does not make batteries and with the exception of their low end $50 units most are made here and last as long as name brand batteries. A C5 battery is under $100 and mine have lasted 5 years or more, sometimes 7-8 years. You don't need a $250 battery to start a low compression 350 V8. If your car is very special buy a special battery. You may never know the difference but it may make you feel better and look better at car shows.

 

Cars requiring high octane fuel are high compression motors the LSX motor is considered a high compression motor, it requires a High amp starter and high cranking power. especially if you start the car in sub freezing weather. A C5 requires a High quality battery because the PCM sits directly below it. AS a Manufacturing expert, and an engineer who has developed certification for C5 2nd and third tier suppliers. I know the biggest cost factor on supplied parts is the cost of quality... every manufacture out there has different levels of quality and different specs they have to adhere to. they do something called statistical process control., SPC. its requires test samplings and certifications sent as a paper trail.. it's how we at GM found the problem with the original AC Delco battery. A cheap battery is cheap, its designed with cost in mind and in most cases includes NO ( Zero ) quality control. I dont want a 40 dollar battery in my C5 that could potentially cause 5,000 dollars in damage. Many parts coming out of china have Zero quality control, that's why they are so cheap. China also makes high quality parts that are under the oversight of their customers quality control department. Those Chines parts are much higher in cost. The cost of high quality is 1/3 of the total retail cost of a product.
AS I always say, " I can not afford to buy anything cheap ( It just costs too much money in the end )

 

so once they determined they are all the same, what do they do now? Play cards?

 

Lots of technical stuff here!
Just buy a Red Top and a good battery MAINTAINER and be done with it for 10 years or so.
That is if you use the maintainer.
Good luck!

 

When I purchased my car it had a new Napa brand battery, weak starting and going dead after a few weeks. Bought a red top on line for $175 along with a Battery Tender Plus and use it religiously. Took the car out for the first time yesterday for the first time after winter and all was perfect. I'm a firm believer in red tops along with a Battery Tender. I have one on my ATV that has a 10 year old battery and the ATV starts all winter long no matter the temp..

 

With a C5 a gel mat battery is a must... Maintaining a battery during periods of down time ( 4 or 5 days ) ( if your car has a parasitic drain [fairly common ] it should always be connected to a tender ) is a must if you want to keep your battery for a long time. Cranking amps are important. Just because a battery may fit and have the correct orientation of terminals does not make that battery a good choice. Having 1000 cranking amps available is much better than having 700 CA. A 78 series Red top is around 200 dollars with available discounts, it has 1000 cranking amps and 800 CCA. You can buy the 78 series Red top for about 20 dollars less, it has 720 Cranking amps.. there are many wet acid batteries out there that fit a C5 for around 100 dollars with liquid acid cells that can leak and offer 600 cranking amps. these batteries usually have a prorated warrantee from day one. A Red Top has 3 years no cost replacement.

I think it is important to consider all these things when buying a battery. The worst thing you could do is go an buy a battery that fits, and consider the cost as the only prerequisite. That is the action of a very uneducated consumer.

Bill aka ET

 

I also replaced the stock battery in 2002 for my 01 coupe with an Optima and if the vette sits for more than a few days the battery tender plus is utilized.
You can do the math but this yellow top has supplied many, many years of reliable service. Also have a red top in my 4 runner.
I would not purchase anything other than an Optima battery for any vehicle I own.
The one exception is my Fat Boy, Optimal not available so odyssey battery for the harley.

 

The BEST battery maintainer/charger/desulfator is "BatteryMinder." Not cheap........but by FAR, the best.

http://www.batteryminders.com/

 

Instead of amazon for an AGM, are you close to any costco, sams club or even some walmarts have AGM's, or NAPA, batteries plus.

Like everyone says, whatever you get, ensure it's on a charger/tender of not driver for a few days. My vote is a CTEK connected via the cig. outlet.

 

I have never used a Red Top, or a Yellow top. They are probably very good batteries. I have used Diehards, Excides, Duracells and probably a host of others that I cant even remember. They all last 8 or 9 years, some longer in my every day drivers. I had an 85 Cavalier that had the factory battery go 10 years. Luck of the draw??? Could be,, who knows. I have never had one come apart or boil over. They just go dead and wont crank very well. So with my history, I just decided to put a Duracell battery from Batteries + Bulbs in my C5. I will keep a tender on it in the winter,, in a heated barn,,and well see if I can get 8 or 9 years out of this one.

 

So... For a new battery I go to the Chevy dealer in my area that employs two techs with Corvette specific training, so the dealer says, ... I don't specify a particular brand of battery, I ask for the best battery for the C5 Corvette... The dealer installs the standard Corvette C5 AC Delco side terminal unit... The price was fair I felt... under 200 bucks.. Question?... It wasn't a Optima, Duralast, Diehard, Interstate, just a plain ol AC Delco from the Chevy dealer... Did I screw up?

 

I seriously doubt it. Although, Menards sells AC Delco batteries for a lot less than $200 bucks. Its just like Harmonic Balancers....Some folks want the best...some want an medium priced part....and others settle for the cheapie... Different strokes for different folks... In the end,, Fire em' up!...

 

If it was a liquid acid lead battery, you may have screwed up. these liquid acid lead batteries have fill ports and vents. With the PCM directly below the battery, I would never want to put more risk on a tragedy with a liquid acid lead battery leaking on it. An AGM battery would be the right choice, since there is no pool of liquid to leak, since the glass mat absorbs the acid. Also a C5 by its very nature runs hotter by design than most any other car on the road...with elevated under hood temps, the chances increase of the battery case rupture from heat.

Just some thoughts on a battery selection for a C5

Bill aka ET