[Es2] Do I want an Optima?

[quattro + 5 or 8 = fun]

The red top is not the best choice for vehicles that sit for long periods of
time.  HOWEVER, if you drive it on a regular basis, I see no problem with a
red top.  I too had back luck with the red top in my plow truck.  But,
switched to the blue to over 5 years ago and have had NO problems with it
since.  it holds a charge for 6 months, will take the beating of the up and
down with the plow and has been totally faithful.  I own a minor emergency
center.  we use blue tops in our ambulance and all three of them have held
up VERY good.  we had red tops in there before and those lasted almost 7
years.  Douglas battery also makes an AGM version.  I have heard they are
cheaper then optimas.  I do know for a fact they come in BCI "sizes" unlike
the optimas that only come in 3 or 4 sizes.  another advantage to AGM is
that you can lay it anyway you want.  Johnson Controls makes the optima and
I have heard rumors that there are rebranded optimas being sold to various
large chain stores around the USA.  Like K-Mart or Wal-Mart.  I have not
verified this, but have heard they are much cheaper then the actual optima
brnad.  I do know that costco sells optimas.  And, last time I was there
(which has been a couple of months as I work out of the country) they had
the yellow, red and blue tops.  If I remember right, they also had to output
levels of the Red.  Might check them out.

I HTH,


Shayne


PARTING:  1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 4.5
PARTING:  1986 Audi 4000 CS quattro


> From: bob <bob at maxboostracing.com>
> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 16:31:15 -0400
> To: Kneale Brownson <kneale at coslink.net>
> Cc: Audi 20V <audi20v at rennlist.org>, "es2 at audifans.com" <es2 at audifans.com>,
> Audifans <quattro at audifans.com>, <S-CAR-List at audifans.com>
> Subject: Re: [Es2] Do I want an Optima?
> 
> The optima batteries dont have vents so you dont have to worry about
> that, they are completely sealed. If you keep your voltage under 15v
> they will not gas, however there is a safety that will allow gasses to
> escape if you exceed 17+- volts. They are AGM (absorbed glass matt)
> batteries, and honestly i havent had stellar luck with them. I havent
> gotten more than a year out of the 3 Ive had. In all fairness they
> werent daily drivers and sat for long periods but that was their selling
> point, so it should have been fine.
> 
> Kneale Brownson wrote:



>   
>> I was getting ready to buy an Optima Red Top for my e//S2 and was told I
>> might not be doing the right thing.
>>
>> The battery is currently in the trunk area and I will be relocating to
>> under the rear seat in a stock S2 battery box.  I figured an Optima
>> would be the right choice as it is a vent-free battery and the battery
>> will be in the passenger compartment.
>>
>> I went to pick one up at Advance Auto and the store employee told me
>> that I should have a vented battery.  She said that a vented battery
>> would exhaust the fumes outside the car.  If I had an Optima I might
>> exhaust any fumes inside the car - not good.
>>
>> OK, OK, I know...it was a discount auto parts joint with a likely
>> less-than-pro clerk, but it did make me think.
>>
>> Do I need an Optima? (I guess not since the stock S2 battery was vented
>> - the vent hose in still in the box I bought)
>>
>> Do I even want an Optima?
>>