My original lasted 5 years. I just got a standard NAPA replacement battery with no issues. I did get an Optima Red Top for my Superbee since it sits up during the winter and it did not last a year. So mark me down in the Red Top sucks crowd too.

 

optimas have been junk lately i have a napa gel battery in my trans am and vette w/ no problems and the one in the TA has been drained a few times because the car is parked a lot and has a small current draw somewhere.

 

people overthink this all the time. Intrastate has worked well for me andaz always noted if not driving needs to be on a tender.

 

Walmart Everstart Maxx. Excellent battery for under $100. Outperforms many higher priced batteries.

 

^^^^ Same here!!
Last 10+ yrs my Optimas all puked early, done.
Bought 2 walmart batteries one for ea car almost 3 yrs ago both work great even after being discharged.
Never again will I pay a bunch for a battery., Heck they come with a 1 yr warranty so say you paid 50 to 80 and it died you got your $ worth.

 

Exactly. Now their warranty is 3yrs full replacement, 5yrs total. Great deal.

 

I just replaced my 8 year old AC/Delco 78ps with guess what ....... another AC/Delco 78s , when I start having issues I'll switch to something else.

 

I’m on my 3rd dead Optima red top battery from 2019 to May 2024. Even though I’m in the 3 years on the current battery they will mot replace because is was already a replacement. I’m done with this brand.

 

My first Red top lasted ~5 years so I bought another one, it died early, got another under warranty and it also died early. Car stays on a batt maintainer at home. I've heard the red tops shouldn't be used to jump start another vehicle and they can void your warranty if you tell them abt that.

I did have pretty good luck with a yellow top in my old truck but that was many years ago.

 

Yellow top is great for high power needs. Works as a starter battery and the power reserve of a deep cycle.

 

I’ve had a red top fail and go completely dead which they don’t like. It’s a bummer because they ’look’ so much better than every other battery but not worth it.

I’m back to lead acid

 

Yellow

 

Here is the greatest issue for most on Red tops. You can not treat them like a normal battery. They get down to around 10 volts they will not take a charge from a normal charger. You need to have a Glass Matt charger. These batteries have a diode that needs stimulated to take a charge. You also can connect a another battery in series and get it to charge if you do not have the correct charger.

Most failed batteries are still good as we have saved many of these with proper charging.
Also it is recommended to use a tender when not driving often,.

I have run these red tops generally past 12 years with no issues.

My old Delcos I could do the same and one went 18 years before I replaced it just to be safe.

Now my OE GM batteries since 04 have all failed in 3 years accept my last two cars. 5 others all failed right on the warranty.

Of all the Red tops I have had only one failed early and it was still under warranty.

Most need to go to the Optima site and read and learn what you need to do on these batteries. So many Optima batteries are in cars that seldom get driven and it takes little in voltage drop for them to not function.

I went to the Optimas for my Fiero as the battery holder is a welded metal part of the chassis. Acide batteries eat them up and you are screwed. Mine is like new due to the Optima and I have the same in my Corvette. My truck may also get one when it is time.

I really hate the damage acid batteries can do to our cars. I have seen some real messes.

Note too once you get the tender just wire it in. This way a simple plug in is all you need to do.

 

LOL! Purchasing a battery is just like a political move. EVERYONE will have their favorite battery and hell be gone to everything else.

SOME C5 BATTERY FACTS!
1. Your C5 NEEDS a battery that has a higher RESERVE CAPACITY (RC) Rating than what is commonly offered these days. The RC is how long it can supply your cars electrical system its needed CURRENT in its SLEEP or minimum current mode when the vehicle is sitting in the garage for days, weeks or MONTHS on end and still start the engine. You need a battery with a minimum 120 Amp Hour RC rating (or the highest that you can find or afford). Its VERY hard to find that 120 RC in a standard low dollar off the shelf lead acid battery. I have always upgraded to the next series battery larger that can FIT into the car and have been able to get close to that capacity. If you upgrade to an AGM battery, it will be easier to find that needed RC rating. You don't have to purchase a $400 - $500 battery to achieve what you want from a battery. I shop at Walmart, AutoZone, Oreilles, Advance Auto and I usually get their premium series Lead Acid or AGMs to fill my needs. I know the ZO6 came with an AGM. The C5 1997--2000 take a 75 series. I stuffed a Walmart 78 series lead acid in the ZO6 and its been working fantastic! . Its a Walmart Super Start, 78 EXT, CCA 800 RC =115 lead acid battery. . Purchased it in 2019 and it still going strong. My 2011 C6 Has to have the AGM for the (Higher RC) as it eats Lead Acid batteries of lesser RC ratings batteries for lunch. The C4, C5 and C6 etc....cars have a SLEEP Current that is consumed by the BCM and any other modules that have a memory or Security systems . The C5 Sleep current is right around 25 Milliamps. That higher battery RC allows the battery to supply that sleep current to the car for an extended period of time without the battery going dead. The higher the RC the longer it can let the car sit with out having a dead battery. Usually around two MONTHS! NOTE!! CHECK your C5s Sleep Current reading and make sure it in the correct 20-30 MILLIAMP range that it was designed to have. If your car is showing a HIGH sleep current draw when its suppose to be in the sleep mode, A $600 battery will NOT fix a dead battery problem after it sits for any period of time. FIX your current draw issue what ever it is making it draw excessive current in Sleep mode before purchasing a nae battery.
2. Get the BIGGEST Battery Foot Print that you can fit into your C5. Measure, measure Purchase ONCE! I physically measured to see what size battery that I could cram in that battery space. It will easily fit a 78 series in a C5 75 series battery holder

3. NEVER let your battery go DEAD! Every time it does, it lessens its life. READ your OWNERS MANUAL! If you ever have to store your car for a very long period of time, just DISCONNECT and remove the battery. OR You can put it on a SMART CHARGER and you will be good to go. I personally use the CTEK line of Smart Battery chargers and have been VERY HAPPY with them. LOL again,, The Smart Charger crowd will always have their FAVORITE Chargers also! The CTEK has worked very well for me. I also have a no name POUNDER Charger that I can REVIVE TOTALY dead batteries. Its a 2-10-20 AMP hard charger used to POUND life back into totally dead AGM and Lead acid batteries.
4. My C5 has a Walmart 78 series Battery. It a little tight but it fits fine! Again, it slightly bigger than a standard C5 battery and it has to be bigger get that bigger Reserve Capacity in a Lead Acid battery that the car needs!. I had to modify the battery HOLD DOWN plastic part that grabs the lip of the front of the battery slightly by elongating the oval slot on the hold down. No big deal there.. Took 15 minutes. Its gone totally DEAD 3-4 times (my fault) letting it sit for months on end without charging. Hey,, Its still hanging in there even after being ABUSED. The C6 Grand Sport has a DURALAST Platinum AGM Technology 24F-AGM 710 CCA, 885 CA and a "120 Reserve Capacity" That RC is the most important. Its a bigger foot print battery than the C6 came with. Its LONGER and slightly wider than a standard C6 battery and I had to slightly modify the battery tray to get it to fit. If I remember correctly, Its an AutoZone 24-F AGM Battery. These days, almost any standard lead acid battery will be right around $120-$150. The AGM use to be right around $200. Who knows what they are today......

PM me for more of my experiences with C5-C6 batteries or pics. Been there, done that. Paid the price, learned the lessons. NO MORE OPTIMA RED/YELLOW TOPS for me. LOL!
Just get the correct series battery that can support the correct RC and you will be a LOT happier. USE a Smart Charger to keep your battery topped up also if you can. Its been a LONG time since I have had to purchase a C5 or C6 battery. The Physics will always be the same BUT the current battery technology and pricing is ALWAYS changing. Start researching what you need, what's out there and be educated and ready when you are forced into purchasing a battery.

My next battery purchase will be for My 2015 Durango Citadel. It takes a unique AGM ($$$$) battery. I already have eyes on an excellent AGM that will fit right in! I'm READY when that day comes. Oh, It has the original 2015 OEM AGM that the vehicle came with! . Knocking on wood!

BC

 

No issues to speak of with an Optima red top in my '03 C5.

 

Im going to have to agree with you sort of. The optima is great for extreme situations. It can be mounted sideways, up-side down and in extreme vibration situations. When was the last tome you needed to flip the C5 upside down? LOL! HOWEVER, Its also a whole lot more expensive and IMHO, not needed in a vehicle that doesn't go through all those extreme conditions..

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2003, I decided (because of all the hype) that I needed an Optima Red Top for my 02 ZO6. Yep, With all the hype, I had to have the BEST BATTERY for the new ZO6. I put the good OEM ZO6 battery in my 98 coupe, which needed the battery replaced and the Z had the new whiz bang OPTIMA Red Top!! Well, 6 months later, while I was out of town on a business trip, The wife calls me at 0700 hours and states that the ZO6 is dead and wont start. I told her to call GM and get it to the stealership. Its under warranty!! GM Road side assistance came and flat bedded it to the local dealer. Wife called several hours later and stated that They wouldn't touch it cause it had a dead aftermarket battery. The RED TOP up and up **** it self. Internally shorted. Wife had to remove the battery, take it back to AutoZone, exchange it, and reinstall it herself! That experience soured my taste for OPTIMA. The replacement OPTIMA only lasted three years before it needed replacement again.

 

You have to remember electronics are not like mechanical items. They are either working or not. Failure is full not part.

Working with many electronic parts I find you always have a larger number of failures with these Electrical parts. We sell all sorts of batteries, alternators and other electronic items and there is always a percentage bad or go bad. The twist with AGM batteries is they are different and while the true failures are about the same we see more due to the lack of knowledge on them. Be it Optima or any other AGM.

Too often people take for granted many parts are still the same on the new cars as old. The way they are made, used and designed can change even if they look the same. Brake pads are the best example due to EPA regs. They look the same but they are vastly different and that is why bedding in the pads is so important today. Same on from wheel beatings as many cars are now hubs with ball bearings that roll easier but mpg but they are much easier to damage vs the old rollers.

The devil is in the detail and we all need to keep up with much of this as things keep changing and often we do not notice it

A lot of people base things on experience. This is not always a true indicator of what is really going on. The web often just makes it worse.

Anyone using an AGM needs to visit the web site of the company they purchased and learn the details of their battery. This will often result in much better experience with that product and any other product that may be a little different than we are used to.