I don’t know what that means… Lol and if you’re referring to your battery or the one for my truck.
Looking for a good battery for my 2018 Ram 1500 Limited
- Thread starter Corneileous
- Start date
All of the Hseries Optima yellow tops are pure lead flat plates. Quick cruise through YouTube will explain what that means.
Well, being that I was advised on the ram forums not to waste my money on an optimum yellow top due to the fact that I guess their quality is just went out the door from what they used to be, I was recommended to choose between the Odyssey AGM for my truck and the X2 extreme. What’s everybody’s opinions on these two batteries?
My personal experience is that you’re getting bad advice from the Ram forums.
On what, about the yellow top Optimas or those other two batteries I mentioned, or both?
But absolutely no disrespect at all but you’re just one person because after looking on YouTube, I found mixed reviews where people said they were awesome and some people who felt like they didn’t get what they paid for but then again, just like with any review, nobody knows The true specifics behind any review to know exactly why one person said they loved it, and the other person said they hated it.
Just like one time when I was reading reviews for a set of tires that I was interested in and, there was actually one person who reviewed them saying they were the worst tires he ever had, even though he also surprisingly stated that he drove on a lot of dirt roads And he never rotated them and he never bothered to keep the tire pressures up so again, it doesn’t sound like no matter what research I do that none of it’s really gonna be helpful to me, if you know what I mean.
Optima’s in general, I’ve had red tops and yellow tops and they have been good (much better than flooded) and their customer service is better than average. I had some Northstars in a non-starting battery application and they were nice but they were quite expensive.
RE other opinions- fine if the person has personal experience and is not just parroting something they heard/ saw.
I personally think the H Series optima’s are very very good.
RE other opinions- fine if the person has personal experience and is not just parroting something they heard/ saw.
I personally think the H Series optima’s are very very good.
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f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
I had three red top Optima AGMs leak in a row...never got more than 2 years before they leaked (on the Ferrari forum I am on, two Ferrari techs said they have seen the same problem and do not recommend Optima). Both Odyssey and X2 are owned by the same company and are premium products. I had an Odyssey and it was great. But I use the Clarios AGMs as they perform more than adequately. But yes, if you want the best, by all means, Odyssey or X2.
I have heard the non spiral design Optimas (plate design) are much better performing...but no direct experience, as I have written them off at this point.
An AGM will discharge quicker and perform worse the colder it gets because it has a lower internal resistance.
The "best" measure of a long lasting starter battery is probably reserve time. Most truck batts like group 48's or 94r's are 120 minutes. A starter motor will almost never draw 760 cranking amps even at it's 0*F rated temp nor drop below the 8v spec after 30 seconds. It's way more likely you leave your headlights on which will take a standard flooded at 12.6V down under 11 or so in about 2 hours (or 120 min).
The "best" measure of a long lasting starter battery is probably reserve time. Most truck batts like group 48's or 94r's are 120 minutes. A starter motor will almost never draw 760 cranking amps even at it's 0*F rated temp nor drop below the 8v spec after 30 seconds. It's way more likely you leave your headlights on which will take a standard flooded at 12.6V down under 11 or so in about 2 hours (or 120 min).
Not to change the subject but if extreme heat is not good for a battery and being that I live in southern Oklahoma where we have a whole lot more extreme heat than we do extreme cold, do I really need that wool-looking “blanket” they put over my battery at the factory? I mean hell, when I lived in Colorado for 20+ years about 12 years ago, we had a lot more colder weather than this and I don’t ever recall having a battery problem from I guess a naked battery- but then again, I guess, didn’t they make better batteries back then?
No matter which battery is chosen, there will be risk. That's what the warranty is for, and its strength and ease of making a claim should also factor into the decision.
The two recent experiences here with the spendy boutique batteries illustrate that they don't necessarily guarantee a smooth, hassle-free experience, though other factors beside product quality were involved. Paying those prices should ensure good support, and that is how it turned out, but the processes still required time and effort to be followed to reach a conclusion.
The mass market batteries come from whatever factory line could fulfill the order at that point in time, shipped from various parts of the world, then had a sticker for the appropriate brand applied by the distributor, before finally being trucked to the store. Fungible goods, and reflected in their supply arrangements.
Next month, quarter, or year, that origin will probably change, even if the sticker doesn't.
The two recent experiences here with the spendy boutique batteries illustrate that they don't necessarily guarantee a smooth, hassle-free experience, though other factors beside product quality were involved. Paying those prices should ensure good support, and that is how it turned out, but the processes still required time and effort to be followed to reach a conclusion.
The mass market batteries come from whatever factory line could fulfill the order at that point in time, shipped from various parts of the world, then had a sticker for the appropriate brand applied by the distributor, before finally being trucked to the store. Fungible goods, and reflected in their supply arrangements.
Next month, quarter, or year, that origin will probably change, even if the sticker doesn't.
Well guys, I think I’m just gonna go get either a Duracell AGM at Sam’s Club or I may just get the Walmart AGM because extreme heat is a lot worse on batteries than extreme cold is and being that I’ll experience a lot more of an extreme heat problem down here where I live than I would an extreme cold, that just kind of sounds like a better option for me because it sounds like no matter what I do because of how hot it gets down here, heat is probably gonna kill any battery that I have in 3 to 4 years anyway.
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
There are foil wraps you can use to reflect some of the heat back. You wrap it on all sides of the battery. Not sure on effectiveness...
I'd go WalMart, as it will probably be an East Penn like the Duracell sold at Sams. You can go to Walmart and check the production number or date code. If it has an "EP", then you know its made by East Penn. The four year warranty at Walmart is a bonus too.
I actually have a little bit of that bubble wrap insulation stuff that has the shiny tinfoil like stuff on it; I think it’s called Reflectix or something but I’m pretty sure I could probably build my own battery cover out of that using the same specifications as that wool looking one that I have.
But this question is for everybody-
It was recommended to me that as long as I removed the spacer in the bottom of my battery box, I could even upgrade to an H8/group 49 battery that has a little bit more CCA’s and even has a little bit more reserve power that’s the same price at Walmart so what is your guys opinion on that? I’ve talked to people that have done exactly that without issue.
Rule number 1: "Trust but verify". Take very detailed measurements with specific focus on the: top clearance for the hood, positioning of the hold down bracket, and length of the battery cables relative to the terminals. If there is adequate clearance, I would upgrade to the larger and higher capacity H8/Gp.49 battery. You really can't have too much reserve battery capacity for any vehicle, especially in the winter.
Be aware that WalMart and most sellers will not refund or exchange a battery for a different size once purchased. Typically, they will only exchange it for an identical battery if it tests bad during the warranty period.
Well, after looking at the specs for both batteries, the H8 is only about an inch and a half longer than the H7 but the height of the battery and the width of the battery is exactly the same.
Be certain the tray will accommodate the extra length and that both cables will reach the terminals since they will be spaced further apart than with the stock H7 battery.
I’ll have to look this evening when I get home, but I’m almost 100% sure it will handle something longer but not too much shorter.
Make sure the hold down has another spot Or enough room to accommodate the larger battery.
