Optima Battery

[RioRat]

Does anyone happen to know the series, CCA, CA etc. I need when purchasing an Optima battery for my 2000 X-22?  I was wanting to purchase one sometime today before the holiday.  Thanks for all the help.

Todd

[ATS_Aaron]

I would not buy an Optima on a dare. I run a Toyota MR2 shop and by far the worst batteries we see are Optimas. Once they go down they never come back. They suck.

Honestly, I think I'd try and find out the original size and buy a Toyota battery from a car dealership. I think Panasonic makes the Toyota batteries.

Aaron

[RioRat]

Optima or not, how many CCA, etc. will I need for my boat?  I could look on the battery that's in the boat now, but I'd like to pick one up on the way home.  Thanks for the help.

[Rambling Wreck]

RioRat, I don't know the CCA of my battery off the top of my head but I will try to look this eveing and get back to you.

ATS_Aaron, nothing like setting off a few fireworks for the July 4th weekend!!!

There are guys here that LOVE the Optima battery so your post may be fighting words. However, even though I have never had one, I don't see how I will ever be convinced to try one either. I had an Interstate battery in my E21 went I bought it. Seeing as that is the battery shown in the picture in my owner's manual, I figured it was the original battery. It finally pooped out last year. I happened to see an Interstate Battery store while I had it with me in the car and stopped in. The guys looked at it and said it was just over 6 1/2 yrs old, which means there is an unexplained small gap since I have a 1999 boat but details will interfere with the fun of the story-

He sold Optimas as well as Interstate batteries. He said boaters love the Optima but they get about 2 years max out of them. The warranty, especially the full replacement part of it was really short. Mine was an auto starting battery that cost about 1/5 what the Optima cost yet had a 5 yr guarantee (2 years full replacement). Heck, I could replace it for free if it quit on me every 2 years! I asked the guy if they would give me grief if I use the battery in a marine application. He smiled and said I would be bringing it back to him in my car just as I did this one and no one would be asking anyway! For the price of one Optima I can supply batteries for my boat for over 30 years if they all last as long as the one that went out on me- sold.

PS: For what it is worth, Consumer's Reports really likes the Interstate batteries and I rarely find them to be way off the mark.

[2000epic]

I'm running a yellow top in mine, and one in my 87' Landcruiser.  They suck!  If they get discharged all the way they are difficult to bring back.  Mine discharged over the winter just sitting on the shelf in the garage not hooked up to anything.  By comparison, the Autolite battery I took out of the Landcruiser kept it's charge for over a year sitting on the same shelf .  I like that they are dry cells, but I'll be looking at other brands next summer. 

[ScarabEpic22]

Ive got 2 red tops, one in my 02 TrailBlazer and one in my mom's 99 RX300.  Havent had a problem, but the one in my TB did die on my parents last winter when they didnt drive it for 2 weeks.  I like them, but realistically Ill end up with a different battery for my Epic and the next battery for my TB.

I bought an Exide Nautilus battery for my 87 Scarab 1 with a Merc 220 Laser XRi, 1000CCA/860ish MCA and lets just say it fires up perfectly every time.  My neighbor uses Nautilus Deep Cycles in his travel trailer and researched the crap out of batteries when he bought them last year.  If I get 3 years out my Nautilus that cost me $115 with tax and after $10 core, Im saving a bunch of $$$ vs a $160+ Optima BlueTop.

[breakawaydaze]

I have tried optima batteries on two occasions (not marine).  They were in a couple cars I dont drive much.  If they go all the way down, they are done, very hard to bring back.  Best bank for the buck so far is the interstate, auto or marine.

[Lakeside]

I've got a blue top in my Epic.  No problems and the boat sits in unheated storage all winter long (and the Wisconsin winters are cold and long).   I had a regular car battery in it previously and it lost it's charge over the winter.  When you've got a dead battery at the boat ramp, it's a real drag. 

I'm in my third year with this blue top in the Epic, so it better have a long life ahead.  So far I'm quite satisfied.  In fact, I put a red top in my SUV over the winter as well.

If you shop around, you may find a decent price.  I got my blue top at an industrial battery supplier and my red top at a farm implement store for much less than a typical store.  Spend 5 minutes on the phone and you may save a quick $50.

[flyn2001]

I have a yellow top in my boat and a red top in my 4-Runner.  Neither has let me down.  I think you can find them cheaper at Costco than at auto part stores.  K-Town went a different route and ended up getting a different high-end battery, but I can't remember what kind it was.  I believe it is also used in aircraft.

[Ktown]

Yep, I had an optima battery and one of the cells went bad.  At the same time I was discussing batteries with a guy I know who does a lot of off-roading.  He had a two battery setup of Odyssey batteries that never let him down.  Since I only have one battery and we were on such a big lake without cellphone reception, I wanted to know I would have a quality battery.  I did some research and although they are pricey, they get rave reviews.  Here is some more information if anyone is interested.  http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc1500ms.htm

Here is a quote from Odyssey's website
"34M -PC1500
Group size 34M marine style dual terminal battery.
1500 cranking amps and 135 minutes reserve on a 25amp load.
Battery footprint is 10.07 long x 6.26 wide x 7.82 tall and weighs 48 pounds.

The Odyssey 34M-PC1500 is the same size as the Optima marine Blue top with more cranking power, more reserve capacity, longer design life, and a better warranty.