Can I use an Optima Battery?

[Por_sha911]

Found my old battery dead with a bad cell this morning. I like the idea of the no-lead Optima but I have been told that it is not good to use when the car isn't driven every day. I usually drive the car once a week but have had to go 2-4 weeks without driving it. Will the Optima stand up to being ignored for 2-4 weeks? I'm looking for answers from someone who had used their Optima like I would.

[AvonGil]

I have one, and its ok for 1-2 weeks. If I know I wont start my car in more than a week I plug in the battery tender. It will maintain its charge as soon as the voltage drops below a level. Search for battery tender, most recommend the deltran 1.5 amp for the optima, although I use the 800ma charger and it works great, albeit the first time I plugged it in, it was charging for a few days straight, now it seems like its cycling on once in a while for I always see it in its standby state.

[wachuko]

I use it in my 964 without any problems. Sometimes I forget to plug the car (wife already make jokes about my electric cars...) for weeks and it turns on without any problems. I am actually thinking of replacing the battery in the SC and TT for an Optima as well... just not having to worry about acid spills/vapors is good enough for me...

Highly recommend the battery tender... I have one for each car and try to remember to plug them in whenever I know they will sit for weeks in the garage. Specially the TT... that one will eat the battery in a week, 964 seems to be ok for more than a month... I have had the SC for a short time so not sure what the drain is on that one...

[the]

If your car sits for 2-4 weeks at a time, you should use a battery tender no matter what kind of battery you have.

[Eagledriver]

I have one in my race/street car. It sits for weeks at a time and starts right up. If I have it down for a month or more I hit it with a charger for a couple of hours before I start it back up. Battery is a red top and it's at least 6 years old.

-Andy

[Quicksilver]

I put the 925 in my car and it has been fine. The most I have let it sit is about 10 days but it still spins the starter real hard.

[jmz]

got a red top in mine it's something like ten years old now. It sat once for about 1.5 years while the engine & trans was out of the car. When I put the drivetrain back in the battery handled it without any problems and it took a lot of cranking to bring the car back to life again.

only problem is that they are pretty heavy. ...great battery though.

[pwd72s]

My old Dodge truck often sits parked outdoors for over a month with no charger applied...it has an optima. There has always been plenty of cranking power to start it's 360 cubic inch V-8. An optima lasts about 10 years for me...