If an OPTIMA is deeply discharged (below 10.5 volts) most basic chargers will not supply a charge. ![]() Optima says this is a common problem, but it’s the battery charger’s fault. I had two other negative Red Top experiences, one from vehicles in storage for 6-12 months, unable to take a trickle charge afterwards. Frankly, after many hours of wrenching, I suspect he’s right. I discussed this with an Optima product guru: he suggested the problem is unique to my car. Fearing more problems (been there, done that), I proactively switched to a conventional battery and netted rock-solid charging after 2+ years of daily commuting. It worked until it’s second Houston summer made the car’s voltage fluctuate several tenths in stop/go traffic. But the Optima survived the ordeal, where a normal battery would have exploded.īut why did I donate a functional Optima to the LeMons car? Again, geek alert: my Lincoln Mark VIII (a car known for charging problems as they age) had bizarre charging characteristics after 2 years of use with a Red Top, even with significant upgrades over OEM. Such good friends, in fact, they welded themselves together and cooked several underhood wires. With our luck, the car’s good vibrations let battery hold down (metal) meet the positive cable. Proof positive was our electrical nightmare: the reinforced battery tray that dislodged itself from the rusty fender. TTAC’s race car for the 24hrs of LeMons uses my leftover Optima “Red Top” battery, doing very well under the rigors of race use. The design also allows a more pure grade of lead and there’s a fiberglass mat to hold the electrolyte gel against the lead. Optima’s design is inherently stronger, thus more resistant to vibration, especially in off-road applications. Geek Alert: while conventional lead-acid batteries use (fragile) lead plates suspended in vats of acid, the Optima has lead wound into a spiral tube. But is it pure advertising hyperbole or is there something to the claim? To find out I tested the Optima Red Top and Yellow top batteries in situations ranging from daily-driving to that demolition derby-in-denial, the 24 Hours of LeMons. Perhaps you’ve seen the advertisement: an Optima battery survives the rigors of a demolition derby, then goes into the vehicle taking it’s owner home.
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