mannye

Just my 2cents as an actual user of the Red Top Optima. I am in Miami and heat is the name of the game here. The only battery that's lasted in my cars down here is the Optima. I don't know anything about batteries in particular, but I went through about four of the regular "maintenance free" jobs before I finally got a Red Top for my 69 Road Runner...then did the same for my 04 LS 430...and when the battery in my new LS dies, I'll probably go with a Red Top on that as well. I also like the warranty...no pro rating BS...if it fails within three years, replacement. Although I will admit that shelling out the initial cash was painful.

VAWS

Thanks, Mannye. Your comments are making my decision easier. And yeah, my wallet is wanting to stay shut against spending all that money. However, if it will bring me peace of mind, it will be worth it.

mannye

Anytime. Just remember to keep that old battery somewhere in case you accidentally discharge your AGM battery all the way down. As per the Optima website, you need to hook up a fully charged 12 volt battery to a completely discharged AGM battery in parallel before hooking up a charger to it or it won't take a charge.

Here's how I know... I left the interior lights on in the Road Runner for a week, which of course discharged the Red Top all the way to "nuthin" (that's the techinical term). When my AGM battery charger woudn't even make a dent, I went to the website and there it was! I borrowed my neighbor's car battery (what a guy!) and did as they said and boom..done.

Of course if it's only a little bit discharged (9-10 volts) you should be OK with just the charger.

Also, make sure you get a battery charger that has the little AGM switch! Take good care of the battery and it will take good care of you!