whats your battery of choice?

[chevdoug]

So I am looking for another battery, thought I would find out what brand you guys prefer to run. I have had an optima red top (still have but won't hold charge), diehard, interstate, some off brands, and currently a duralast.

My truck sits for long periods w/out being started, so it ends up draining what ever brand its had in it. My initial thought was a optima yellow, until I looked up how much they are

[poorboy1]

If your truck has any battery drain issues it wont really matter what battery is in it they will all eventually go tits up. A deep cycle may not putz out completely but it may not last during everyday use? I had a duralast in the ford, it lasted 4 years. I got a yellow top in it. My offroad truck has had the same batteries fro about 6 years. I don't remember the brand but they are truck batteries out of a semi. I have drained them completely dead numerous times and they still take a charge.

[popeye]

you could always put a battery tender on it, they do make solar powered one but i don't have any idea if they are worth a darn

my favorite was called power plus it was sold by GI Joe's thought i read some where that they were made by exide but i didn't find that info when i did a quick search a couple months ago so i just bought exides for my crew cab they seem to be ok so far

[studebaker]

i use interstate batts cause i get them cheap. the one i use is a group 31 semi truck batt in my xj i just made bigger battery box for it.had many off these batts works great

[junkyard dog]

my blazer has a red top optima.... I have a battery quick disconnect, the battery goes dead in a weeks time if you leave it connected..... if you are not worried about memory on your radio thats what I would reccomend

[WILLYNILLY]

x2 on the optima, I have ruined a few batteries racing my truck offroad. my optima has held up flawlessely.

[cousinmike]

I have been using the Everlast batteries from Walmart with good luck. I was reading my trailer manual for winterizing and it said to remove the batteries, fully charge them, put them in a dry place (like the garage) and check the charge once a month. I leave the battery in my race jeep year around and have a battery disconnect on the positive wire and have not had a problem.

Batteries like to stay charged and usually do not like to be completely drained.

[chevdoug]

with my optima red top, it stopped taking any charge, somewhere I read there is a way of using a good battery to somehow "trick" the optima into taking a charge while on a charger?? anyone know or heard of this?

I do keep the battery disconnected but after it gets low and having to give it a jump start so many times they don't seem to last long. so maybe I need to look into a tender?

[fandango]

I tried just about every battery out there from a cheap Bimart battery to the best batteries plus and les schwab sold. All would only last about 3 years in my truck until I bought a yellow top optima in 2002. It has sat for a month at a time and been drained flat lots of times. It was left with an accessory on for over a month that drained it. Thought for sure that would have killed it. That was back in 2003. I checked it last weekend and it still registers 740 cca. I am sold.

[Rock Dawg]

Nov 30, 2011 12:39:34 GMT -5 chevdoug said:

with my optima red top, it stopped taking any charge, somewhere I read there is a way of using a good battery to somehow "trick" the optima into taking a charge while on a charger?? anyone know or heard of this?

I do keep the battery disconnected but after it gets low and having to give it a jump start so many times they don't seem to last long. so maybe I need to look into a tender?

Yes I've heard about "tricking" the optima's into taking a charge but I don't remember the details. I do believe the battery exchange guy in Hillsboro talked to me about how to do it and offired to do it for free to mine.

Costco has the best prices on Optima's. Harber freight has $5 battery tenders.

[popeye]

so i decided i needed to do some investigation

i read this before
www.batteriesareus.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=2

www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/charging.php

www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/faqs.php

www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/charging_agmbattery.php

[Buzzer]

any battery that doesn't leave me stranded on the side of the road...lol

[bleakhorizon]

i use whatever i have around lol. but being i see fords all day we seem to have good luck with motorcraft batteries (like we have been replacing ones from 1997 lately. not to mention the warrenty is 3 years free replacement 5 years prorate...

If you looking for a decent battery i would stay away from the optimas there quality has gone way down and seem to be just crap anymore.

To "trick a optima into charging you have to hook up another battery to it in series and charge them both at the same time. SLOWLY like at 2 amp least thats what has worked for me

If your looking for a decent "highend" drycell look at the odyssey line of batteries, They are spendy but worth it, i used sell them to all the loggers that kept having to replace the optimas in there carriages ....

[fourxlife]

I run dual optima red tops in my bronco. I've had them for about 6 years with no issue even after running the stereo for days in the shop while working on it. Still hold a full charge all the time.

[mudmaniac3]

The trick to getting optima's to charge is they don't won't take a quick charge you have to trickle charge them at 2 amp. My old man ran the same 2 red tops for 12 years and never had a problem. truck sat for 2 years at one point with a blown motor. went out truck would crank but just not fast enough to start after 2 years he tried charging them wouldn't take a charge read online they have to be trickle charged.
NOTE: I did hear Optima's are now being made by a different company and aren't as good as they use to be. just what I heard.