New Battery

tjkj2002 said:

There Platinum Series P4 uses 99% pure virgin lead as that battery is built by Odyssey for Sears and is the direct clone of the PC1500 just in a gray case instead of red/black.Odyssey does not use recycled lead in there batteries and are made in the USA where as the Optima's are now made in Mexich and most of Optima's best techs and engineers were fired when Johnson Controls took over and now work for Enersys who makes Odyssey batteries.And there's a big difference in recycled lead and virgin lead when it comes to batteries and how much juice they can put out.


I like my 1300cca's my Odyssey puts out compared to the 850cca's the Yellow Top I had could put out.

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FALSE...

You can believe anything you want but its a fairy tale. Optima and others also used to say they used virgin lead in the grids but no more. Due to a federal mandate and regulations by the EPA car batteries contain and must be made from 60-80% recycled lead. PERIOD.

If a company is saying they are making a battery from 100% virgin lead then one of two things is happening.

1. They are lying..
2. They are cheating and should be fined.

I attended a course on recycling and lead safety through a previous employer, now granted that was about 5 years ago, but even then it was required. And i doubt they relaxed the laws any.

Edit: Nope, went to the EPA website and looked up regulations regarding the manufacture and recycling of Automotive Batteries. Still shows 60-80% recycled lead.

And many studies were done by the EPA, MIT, and i think another one by ASE, and they found the only difference is that what the industry calls CLEAN lead, which is recycled and chemically seperated lead, requires a slightly higher charge rate or a longer charge time. VIRGIN or PURE lead takes less charge time or less charging voltage to be fully charged, but that even a battery made from VIRGIN or PURE lead will quickly lose that ability during typical use.

There was also a study done to show that it doesn't matter since the average automobile charges at whatever rate is needed to maintain the battery, so a slight difference in charging voltage or time is not a significant factor. They also found that there is only a 5-10% difference in current flow between the two, and that over time the VIRGIN lead battery will lose that advantage.

So does it matter?? Nope...

Why do i know so much? Because i can i read and i'm deeply interested in how things work.

libertyfever said:

You must be registered for see images

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lmao....

tjkj2002 said:

There Platinum Series P4 uses 99% pure virgin lead as that battery is built by Odyssey for Sears and is the direct clone of the PC1500 just in a gray case instead of red/black.Odyssey does not use recycled lead in there batteries and are made in the USA where as the Optima's are now made in Mexich and most of Optima's best techs and engineers were fired when Johnson Controls took over and now work for Enersys who makes Odyssey batteries.And there's a big difference in recycled lead and virgin lead when it comes to batteries and how much juice they can put out.


I like my 1300cca's my Odyssey puts out compared to the 850cca's the Yellow Top I had could put out.

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For anyone interested... I did a little research and quickly found online that consumer reports did a study on the Odyssey battery...

They reported that the 99.9% pure lead is misleading... Yes they use 99.9% for the plates, but NOT the entire plate. Pretty interesting. They are able to advertise this claim because they use virgin lead for about 50% of the plate, basically the thicker areas of the supporting part of the plate, the thinner areas are recycled.

Now this is according to consumer reports so dont shoot the messenger.

And now with all this talk of Virgin stuff i need a drink...

Back before they were called Odyssey batteries they were Black Panther Predators. I bought three and used them in my multi battery Suzuki Samurai. All three DIED within two years and the system was built by a professional electrician! I spent nearly 1000.00 on those batteries and they were JUNK back then. Good luck to any of you who are using them now!(bling)

kb0nly said:

And now with all this talk of Virgin stuff i need a drink...

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FORGET THE DRINK, i'll take the virgin (Cheers)

JeepOwner07 said:

FORGET THE DRINK, i'll take the virgin (Cheers)

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LMAO...

How about both??

kb0nly said:

For anyone interested... I did a little research and quickly found online that consumer reports did a study on the Odyssey battery...

They reported that the 99.9% pure lead is misleading... Yes they use 99.9% for the plates, but NOT the entire plate. Pretty interesting. They are able to advertise this claim because they use virgin lead for about 50% of the plate, basically the thicker areas of the supporting part of the plate, the thinner areas are recycled.

Now this is according to consumer reports so dont shoot the messenger.

And now with all this talk of Virgin stuff i need a drink...

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If you believe anything consumer reports print you need some major help,there paid off to say certain things,who pays the most gets the best review while ragging on the competitors.

tjkj2002 said:

If you believe anything consumer reports print you need some major help,there paid off to say certain things,who pays the most gets the best review while ragging on the competitors.

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Oh well...

Plenty of owners talking about them dying as well...

So take it all with a grain of salt, spend your money on what you want. Bottom line a battery is a battery.. I have only used cheap batteries all my life, they die within warranty i replace, the die out of warranty they probably need replacing anyway. $50-$75 every 2-3 years isn't bad.

Like I said, I dumped nearly a thousand dollars on those batteries and they died within two years. Crap happens i guess.

Oh.

I let my Jeep sit all week and it still started right up. That poor new generation optima battery. It's so little and "defective."


Now back to seafoaming my headlights thank you very much.

sleeve said:

Oh.

I let my Jeep sit all week and it still started right up. That poor new generation optima battery. It's so little and "defective."


Now back to seafoaming my headlights thank you very much.

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(lol)

Check the blinker fluid too while you in there...

sleeve said:

Oh.

I let my Jeep sit all week and it still started right up. That poor new generation optima battery. It's so little and "defective."


Now back to seafoaming my headlights thank you very much.

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Not saying Optima's are bad,there just not like they used to be.

The Optima RedTop I used to have(bought 8 years ago,had 7 year free replacement warranty instead of the 3 years now) survived two 1 year storage's with zero issues.The 1st storage year the battery was still hooked up to the system,the 2nd one it was disconnected,and both times it fired right up like I drove it the day before.

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to help out however I could. Replacement batteries should have cold cranking amps equal to or greater than the OEM battery they replace, but CCAs are more of a concern for vehicles that are driven in colder climates and not as important for vehicles driven in temperate climates. An appropriately-sized RedTop offers plenty of cranking amps in stock applications, but if you are running a winch or other significant aftermarket electrical accessories, we strongly recommend a YellowTop.

Johnson Controls did acquire Optima batteries ten years ago and our quality has continually improved under their ownership. All of our batteries are produced in a state-of-the-art facility in Mexico and we still use 99.99% pure, virgin lead. Most of the “bad” batteries returned to us now are just deeply-discharged and work fine when properly recharged. This video explains how to recharge a deeply-discharged Optima- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIoaL3DWWEg

All of our RedTops still come with three-year replacement warranties and our YellowTop replacment warranty was increased from one year to three years. If there is a defect in a battery, it will likely manifest itself within that timeframe.

If you have any questions about our batteries, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

Jim,

Thank you for stopping by our little corner of the interent. I've been giving these guys a hard time with my sarcastic posts for most of this thread. I have never had an issue with a RedTop. In fact I drove my Jeep everyday this week to work and it started each time... Imagine that!

On a more serious note I was wondering if you could explain: How do you get more CCA from a similarly sized battery? Is it through the use of higher quality components in manufacturing and / or a change in technology [glass mat verses submerged plates.] I went from 525CCA [stock] to your 620?CCA [Redtop Group 25] by simply replacing the battery.

Hi sleeve, that’s a great question. I wish more people asked how it is possible for our batteries to offer more cold cranking amps in the same battery size. AGM batteries generally offer superior performance when compared to their flooded counterparts. Optima battery’s AGM Spiralcells are made of high-grade materials, including 99.99% pure, virgin lead and are inserted into our case under compression. This compressed feature allows more material to be used in the same battery group size and because the cells cannot move, it also offers superior vibration resistance. Even compared to other AGM batteries, you may find another group 25 battery that weighs 45% more than an Optima, but only offers 3% more cold cranking amps. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I appreciate your interest in Optima batteries!

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

OptimaJim said:

Hi sleeve, that’s a great question. I wish more people asked how it is possible for our batteries to offer more cold cranking amps in the same battery size. AGM batteries generally offer superior performance when compared to their flooded counterparts. Optima battery’s AGM Spiralcells are made of high-grade materials, including 99.99% pure, virgin lead and are inserted into our case under compression. This compressed feature allows more material to be used in the same battery group size and because the cells cannot move, it also offers superior vibration resistance. Even compared to other AGM batteries, you may find another group 25 battery that weighs 45% more than an Optima, but only offers 3% more cold cranking amps. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I appreciate your interest in Optima batteries!

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

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Jim,

Can you explain what is up with all the dissinformation on the internet about recycled vs virgin lead use in batteries?? I have quoted the EPA website and a few other battery websites, all of which say manufacturers have been mandated to use recycled lead, but your saying your still using virgin lead.

Want to put this myth to bed??

FYI... I have an Optima YellowTop that i use as a battery backup for a DC power supply, Ham Radio, and i can say after five years of continuous float charge and some full discharges that battery has definitely withstood the test of time, keep up the good work!

Jim, thanks for stopping by. Though I don't personally own an Optima battery, it's always nice when a mfr rep visits a site such as this.

I get generally 5-7 years on my lead acid batteries because I charge them frequently on a external charger.
I will only buy batteries that come with larger CCA than stock, and a minimum 60 month pro rated warranty. Any manufacturer that offers less for a "supposedly" better quality battery is clearly sending the wrong message and should not be purchased.

Hi kb0nly, I’m not aware of any mandate requiring the use of recycled lead. Do you have a link for those sources? I did look through the EPA website and the only mention I noticed of recycled lead indicated that “a typical lead-acid battery contains 60-80% recycled lead and plastic.” That statement is true of typical batteries and it’s safe to say that most batteries that come in a black box do use recycled lead, however, an Optima does not.

LibertyTC, smaller companies like Kia and Hyundai will often use longer warranties as a marketing tool to attract more customers. If you are warranty shopping, those manufacturers might be your best choices. If other factors weigh into your decision, you may consider additional brands, like Ford or Jeep, who may not offer the same warranty coverage. Ultimately, the warranty you never need to use is the best one to have and it sounds like you take care of your batteries. If you can get five to seven years out of a regular flooded battery, you might get 10-14 years out of an Optima.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

Like many popular spiral-wound batteries, ODYSSEY batteries employ dry cell AGM technology to contain acid, allowing the battery to be installed even on its side. But the densely packed flat plates in an ODYSSEY battery avoid the “dead space” between cylinders in a “six-pack” design. The result is 15% more plate surface area — and that translates to more power!