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OPTIMA battery?? is it possible....

tonyankyfan1

CEG'er
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
105
Location
NYC
Hi guys-

Has anyone every successfully ran an OPTIMA battery on a contour/mystique ZETEC without any issues?? Any advice on space issues, wiring etc???

Thanks Anthony
 
I guess you really don't like the search feature do you...?? lol

Yes, I do... and utilized it, but more non sense "for sale" crap regarding optima batteries popped up and i don't have time to skim through pages of chit chat regarding selling them. I only came across 2 threads on the optima and fitment. I post my questions, seeking opinions and of course help. Do you have anything to offer?? Besides telling me to use the search forum... Plus, its easier to ask an exact question regarding an issue than waste 2 hours reading through threads of people that want to install the optima battery, yet never did. So i'm looking for members who have installed the battery and knows the "in's and out's" of the install. =)
 
First, a bit of history........................the Contour shoves battery way close to hood, the later Focus does it even worse. Currently on the Focus website we have a guy who has subbed a D35 yellow I think and has critical issues with it to the hood. The battery is too tall, but the stores say it fits. It will be likely close to the same on a Contour, both require the terminal to drop down into the battery top itself to fit and have hood closing room. Both also require the terminals to be on one side so the extra height gets absorbed by the heavy hood angle there. The D35 uses centered terminals that stick up and not feasible to use it there, it being like 3/4" too high. I for one do not know if that is the closest battery fit Optima has there but don't care anyway for the following reason...................

Optima batteries SUCK. They are for rough service ONLY and what they shine at, but warping conventional wisdom along with warping sales techniques have you thinking they are a better battery overall and that could not be further from the truth. The warranties are nowhere near as good as other standard batteries (LOOK before you say a word!) and the amps are not that incredible either. The added cost kills any advantage. I used to sell them and had utter fits with all the people that think in some weird way the batteries are supposed to last longer, they actually fail on the norm FASTER on say collector cars that sit a lot, where the value of them really gets bent all out of shape. And, where you get an anecdotal story of this or that brand that went way over the norm in life, I never saw that once on Optima, they pretty much die early or on cue with none lasting overlong like regular ones can. I never saw that, but I saw scads of them fail in 2 years and ridiculous.

Highly overrated crap unless you drive in the rocky desert everyday, then they might be worth something.

Of course, yours and do what you will.....................
 
My experiences with autocrossers and road racers mirrors amc49's, Optima batteries were the darlings of the racing community for some years, and many users experienced very short lifetimes for their dollars spent. The Optima deep cycle batteries seem to hold their water and work as intended, but the automotive rated Optima's often suffered from short lifetimes and high failure rates, and you can buy a couple of conventional wet cell Lead-acid batteries for the price of one Optima.

If you're wanting something smaller and lighter, look at Odyssey batteries.
 
An Optima Redtop 34R should fit with no issue. I have one in my 99 and 2k.

I did kill one once but after a good change it has been fine. Granted I do not drive the cars often so I leave them on a charger all the time.
 
I had an Optima Redtop 34R on mine. 2 years and 6 months, and pooff! it's gone. Usual battery lasted somewhere between 1y3m to 1y10m on my car. Given for the price and it's reputation, I certainly won't recommend it.
 
First, a bit of history........................the Contour shoves battery way close to hood, the later Focus does it even worse. Currently on the Focus website we have a guy who has subbed a D35 yellow I think and has critical issues with it to the hood. The battery is too tall, but the stores say it fits. It will be likely close to the same on a Contour, both require the terminal to drop down into the battery top itself to fit and have hood closing room. Both also require the terminals to be on one side so the extra height gets absorbed by the heavy hood angle there. The D35 uses centered terminals that stick up and not feasible to use it there, it being like 3/4" too high. I for one do not know if that is the closest battery fit Optima has there but don't care anyway for the following reason...................

Optima batteries SUCK. They are for rough service ONLY and what they shine at, but warping conventional wisdom along with warping sales techniques have you thinking they are a better battery overall and that could not be further from the truth. The warranties are nowhere near as good as other standard batteries (LOOK before you say a word!) and the amps are not that incredible either. The added cost kills any advantage. I used to sell them and had utter fits with all the people that think in some weird way the batteries are supposed to last longer, they actually fail on the norm FASTER on say collector cars that sit a lot, where the value of them really gets bent all out of shape. And, where you get an anecdotal story of this or that brand that went way over the norm in life, I never saw that once on Optima, they pretty much die early or on cue with none lasting overlong like regular ones can. I never saw that, but I saw scads of them fail in 2 years and ridiculous.

Highly overrated crap unless you drive in the rocky desert everyday, then they might be worth something.

Of course, yours and do what you will.....................

Hey thanks for you reply and opinion on the Optima battery. I always used them with no issues, But pricey and i must say this when Ultimate Energy owned them, and not Johnson controls, the optima batteries from 15 years ago were animals. I had one red top last me 7 years, (no joke) after that all down hill, pretty much 4 years then 3 years. Plus, I got this battery brand new for free, so i am looking to install on the MERC. I also been using them since 2003 on my 91 Foxbody, no complaints. I run a 95 lincoln mark viii electrical fan (has a huge draw on start up) on the stang, so i upped to a 200amp PA performance alternator and the Optima red top, also swapped out all electrical battery cables to 0 gauge, been bulletproof. Anyways, thanks for you help!!!! I also use to love the oldschool DieHard batteries when sears had them
 
An Optima Redtop 34R should fit with no issue. I have one in my 99 and 2k.

I did kill one once but after a good change it has been fine. Granted I do not drive the cars often so I leave them on a charger all the time.


Thanks for the reply! On your set up, did you eliminate the metal ground triangle and combine the ground wires??? Or did you connect each NEGATIVE single wire to a copper lug and attach them to a new battery terminal connector, like a side mounted wing nut set up? Same for the positive side?

Thanks Anthony
 
I had an Optima Redtop 34R on mine. 2 years and 6 months, and pooff! it's gone. Usual battery lasted somewhere between 1y3m to 1y10m on my car. Given for the price and it's reputation, I certainly won't recommend it.


What year was your contour or mystique? Did you have to modify the terminal connectors and wires???
Thanks Anthony
 
Thanks for the reply! On your set up, did you eliminate the metal ground triangle and combine the ground wires??? Or did you connect each NEGATIVE single wire to a copper lug and attach them to a new battery terminal connector, like a side mounted wing nut set up? Same for the positive side?

Thanks Anthony

The 2k does not have the ground triangles. On the 99 I believe it was the same, but I have also relocated the battery to the trunk so I don't recall.

So basically I just attached the terminals and was done with it.
 
... I have a yellow top squeezed in next to my S.C. cos I have a battery in the trunk already.

Car stands a lot on a CTEK battery conditioner/charger Gone completely flat several times and charged right back up ok.

I just checked ... it's a Johnson Controls' battery and it's 3 years old and starts and runs my car just fine ..luck of the draw I guess ....G.
 
First, a bit of history........................the Contour shoves battery way close to hood, the later Focus does it even worse. Currently on the Focus website we have a guy who has subbed a D35 yellow I think and has critical issues with it to the hood. The battery is too tall, but the stores say it fits. It will be likely close to the same on a Contour, both require the terminal to drop down into the battery top itself to fit and have hood closing room. Both also require the terminals to be on one side so the extra height gets absorbed by the heavy hood angle there. The D35 uses centered terminals that stick up and not feasible to use it there, it being like 3/4" too high. I for one do not know if that is the closest battery fit Optima has there but don't care anyway for the following reason...................

Optima batteries SUCK. They are for rough service ONLY and what they shine at, but warping conventional wisdom along with warping sales techniques have you thinking they are a better battery overall and that could not be further from the truth. The warranties are nowhere near as good as other standard batteries (LOOK before you say a word!) and the amps are not that incredible either. The added cost kills any advantage. I used to sell them and had utter fits with all the people that think in some weird way the batteries are supposed to last longer, they actually fail on the norm FASTER on say collector cars that sit a lot, where the value of them really gets bent all out of shape. And, where you get an anecdotal story of this or that brand that went way over the norm in life, I never saw that once on Optima, they pretty much die early or on cue with none lasting overlong like regular ones can. I never saw that, but I saw scads of them fail in 2 years and ridiculous.

Highly overrated crap unless you drive in the rocky desert everyday, then they might be worth something.

Of course, yours and do what you will.....................



I have never had a problem with an optima battery. Either the old ones or the new "lower quality" ones. Had two in my SVT. I thought one went bad and replaced it but it turned out to be my alternator. I charged the one I thought was bad and it was fine. I gave it away.

I have one in my Z06 and one in my Impala. No problems. Both bought within the last two years.

Actually...I did have one problem with an optima. The costco battery in my Impala went bad...so I went to autozone and bought a red top. Turned out it was bad but it also had a manufacture date of 3 years prior. It was sitting on the shelf for that long without a charge. And it still started the car and worked for a couple of months until it stopped. It was only then I noticed the mfg date sticker on it. I think that's quite impressive actually and I don't fault the battery at all.

Not sure what your issue is with the warranty either....they have a no questions asked warranty form most vendors within the warranty period.
 
What year was your contour or mystique? Did you have to modify the terminal connectors and wires???
Thanks Anthony

It was on my 99 Contour 2.5. I already had the terminals changed to aftermarket "golden" ones a few years ago, so I didn't have to change anything.
 
The anecdotal 'evidence' means little, I see nothing here other than 3 years and what Optima maxes out at. You guys DO realize there are some 7 year batteries out there, or there were anyway. You can get upper line Motorcraft batteries that have quite a few go 5-6 years plus. The longest lasting battery I ever had was a low dog Walmart 3 year that went ELEVEN years before it went bad, so there will be some that go longer than the norm. I never saw an Optima go more than 4 years though and I use common Walmart Everstart and just turned one in as core at 5 and the sister car had 6 on that one. Both being cheap less than $100 3 year batteries. I'll listen when an Optima goes that long.

The chains are supposed to have battery charge and change programs that cycle out batteries to first charge once at one year out on the floor, then strip all markings to sell as 'reconditioned' and should be about 2 years old then. So one older than that means a manager not doing his job, it's in the monthly planning programs of the stores but many like everywhere else are sh-tty managers that do nothing but hold down several thousand tons of concrete to keep it from floating away...........................................
 
This time around I'm playing the numbers to get average new battery price dropped roughly $40 each. Adapted one car to a 35 series and the other to a 75 series side terminal, to see if the batteries can still make their 3 years but at even cheaper ($79 each) cost. That's on Focus cars, the Contour now has a cheaper 72? series (out of a Tempo), I redid the cables to suit. The OEM sizes used there, 41R, 94R, 96R are nice batteries but they are just too high, you pay a premium just to get the recessed terminal technology.

I also tend to loosen up the cable fitment envelope to fit more than one battery size anyway, it helps a bunch if you suddenly encounter a bad battery and need a particular car. Battery interchanging is a wonderful thing.
 
The anecdotal 'evidence' means little, I see nothing here other than 3 years and what Optima maxes out at. You guys DO realize there are some 7 year batteries out there, or there were anyway. You can get upper line Motorcraft batteries that have quite a few go 5-6 years plus. The longest lasting battery I ever had was a low dog Walmart 3 year that went ELEVEN years before it went bad, so there will be some that go longer than the norm. I never saw an Optima go more than 4 years though and I use common Walmart Everstart and just turned one in as core at 5 and the sister car had 6 on that one. Both being cheap less than $100 3 year batteries. I'll listen when an Optima goes that long.

The chains are supposed to have battery charge and change programs that cycle out batteries to first charge once at one year out on the floor, then strip all markings to sell as 'reconditioned' and should be about 2 years old then. So one older than that means a manager not doing his job, it's in the monthly planning programs of the stores but many like everywhere else are sh-tty managers that do nothing but hold down several thousand tons of concrete to keep it from floating away...........................................[/QUOTE

I hear ya!!! But also note that i have never spent more than $147 for my optima.. I always find the model number online and have summitracing match it, along with free shipping and no tax. So it is a WIN, WIN!
 
The anecdotal 'evidence' means little, I see nothing here other than 3 years and what Optima maxes out at. You guys DO realize there are some 7 year batteries out there, or there were anyway. You can get upper line Motorcraft batteries that have quite a few go 5-6 years plus. The longest lasting battery I ever had was a low dog Walmart 3 year that went ELEVEN years before it went bad, so there will be some that go longer than the norm. I never saw an Optima go more than 4 years though and I use common Walmart Everstart and just turned one in as core at 5 and the sister car had 6 on that one. Both being cheap less than $100 3 year batteries. I'll listen when an Optima goes that long.

The chains are supposed to have battery charge and change programs that cycle out batteries to first charge once at one year out on the floor, then strip all markings to sell as 'reconditioned' and should be about 2 years old then. So one older than that means a manager not doing his job, it's in the monthly planning programs of the stores but many like everywhere else are sh-tty managers that do nothing but hold down several thousand tons of concrete to keep it from floating away...........................................



LOL you can call it whatever you want. Surely if they were that bad then I would have experienced a legitimate failure over the course of 10-15 years and what, 4 batteries? Instead I had one that was not the fault of the battery.

No issues with the warranty. They told me it was 3 years no questions asked at Autozone. If I happen to move some place that doesn't have an Autozone and my battery goes bad I'll deal with it and buy another.

Don't get me wrong, I had a Motorcraft in an explorer go about 7 years. I had the Costco battery in my Impala go about 4. It cost $75 and I let that thing go dead from sitting quite a few times. They all have their application. My SVT I had the battery in the trunk and preferred a sealed battery and also it just looked better than one of those God awful battery boxes. Impala I wanted top and side terminals so I can easily hook up the charger. Same thing with the Corvette.

Amps are 120 higher than the comparable Costco battery. It's enough of a difference that the starter sounds noticeably different and the car starts with no issue on even the coldest days.

No problems. No reason to switch brands.

Watch now I'll have one crap the best on me! lol
 
Regardless if Optima, Odyssey, or whatever battery brand you choose to buy, if you want a car battery to last for a long time, get it out of the under hood environment, put it in the trunk. Heat kills batteries, Miata owners (battery in the trunk from the factory) often forget their car has a battery, they usually see 8 to 10 years life. My wife's old 96 Mercury Tracer LTS, which was built by Miata for Ford, had a snorkel to the front of the radiator that fed cool air to a shroud that surrounded the battery. Clever those Japanese...
 
...... vibration also kills batteries. If you have a sealed battery.... put some foam or rubber mat under it to reduce the shock and impacts of driving.

The batteries in an industrial setting I've had experience of.... last freaking ages sitting in racks . .....G.
 
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