http://www.tundratalk.net/forums/tundra-lighting-electrical/204809-what-battery-you-using.html

 

If you search for Optima you'll find answers. I personally won't recommend one. Never had one last.

 

I know you didn't mention this one but I am a fan of the Diehard Platinum batteries.

 

Dodge optima like the plague. I run the sears platinum as well in my other vehicles as I just bought the tundra a few months ago, but when it comes time it will have new as well. The diehard platinum is a rebadged odessy battery.

 

Thanks! Dragos28! Great post! I was looking at those die hard platinum batteries, are they the same or equal as the Odessy?

 

Optimas are has-beens in terms of high end batteries. Today's best is Odyssey, or the Sears rebrand as mentioned.

 

Wow, what a great battery! I'm going to see if I can pick one up tomorrow! One other question for you guys...when you install these, has anyone had to buy battery cable extensions?

 

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. I use yellow top optimas exclusively in all my vehicles. I've owned perhaps 20 or so of them and they have all been great. All lasted a long time.

 

I don't see nothing wrong with an Optima. Got one for the wife's car. You only had 2 choices OEM or yellow top Optima. What I see is an issue is why those of you have short cables? I changed mine at Advance Auto since that's where the original battery died. Cables reached with no issue but I did change out to new cable tops on both sides.

 

I've been running an odyssey batt in my motorcycle and I'll never get a different kind. It was twice as much as a standard one, but I've never had to trickle charge it, it has never drained and it cranks just as hard after sitting in the cold for 4 months. No maintenance. When my truck batt dies I'll be getting an odyssey for it.


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i had the guys at the battery shop install mine and yes they had to add cable, they did a beautiful install job. Completely to my standards...
it might be beneficial to let them do it, as they have the big crimper required for that gauge of cable.
also splurge for the military battery clamps!

all in all it was $400 OTD
not bad for a bad ass battery and a professional installation & military clamps

 

Thanks dragos28 for the picture. It's a really nice install, those military clamps look really sweet too

 

we use odysseys in our fleet of cars. Only pain is when they get drained down, seem to be very hard to charge.

 

Battery from Walmart in all my stuff. Have one in my Suzuki ATV since 2003 with no problem, never had to charge either...$400 for a battery....Walmart battery for about $ 100, so if I get 4 years out of one that's 16 years for $400....simple math to me but I guess I will never win the " I got the bad ass battery" competition...

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Battery from Walmart in all my stuff. Have one in my Suzuki ATV since 2003 with no problem, never had to charge either...$400 for a battery....Walmart battery for about $ 100, so if I get 4 years out of one that's 16 years for $400....simple math to me but I guess I will never win the " I got the bad ass battery" competition...

That is actually a fair comment. Even the cheapest batteries will last a ways and give good power when they are new, so just keep buying them but replace them sooner and proactively.

 

bought autocraft platinum AGM for 3 vehicles so far - they're made by Johnson Controls so probably the same battery as the Sears/Autozone AGM's... so far holding up quite well

 

Depends what you're using the battery for as well. I have vehicles that pull a lot of power while not running, so I need good deep cell/starting batteries. My semi trucks each carry four optimas, wired to apu's. I could use other batteries, but most would cost me more in fuel via apu cycles. I use them in my personal vehicles only because I know they will last. I am sure there are a lot of batteries that will last at least as long, but I am happy with the optimas, so why change and take that risk. That's just me though.

 

Hey guys, in my OPINION and from all the reviews I've been reading online seems to me that the odyssey seems like the one. I don't use my truck everyday, so sometimes it will sit for a week, sometimes 3 weeks! (I know I'm ashamed) I also like CCA of 830...that will be nice "cold" starts up here in New England! Haha

 

I have a replacement yellow top I bought itbcause ibused tobhave good experiences with them and got a good deal new on amazon. It sucks balls had to jump it a few times last winter. This winter its been fine so far knock on wood. And that was with it being only a year old.

 

Had a yellow top optima in my Acura Integra back in the day. Got wasted at a friends house and fell asleep in my car with the stereo on. Woke up the next morning with the music still playing. Car started right up. Another instance were us partying down at the beach had my system on full volume for 2 1/2 hours. Same thing car started up like a champ and never had issues with it. From those encounters I am a believer and when my battery goes out on my tundra, she's getting a yellow top.


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key words being "back in the day"... I had them back in the day as well and they were much better then. I've went through numerous ones in the past few years.

When I do a battery in my truck it will be a Diehard Platinum

 

Had the stock battery but it continued to have battery acid all over the terminals even after cleaning them and putting grease on them. I finally changed to a yellow top 27 and haven't had any issues even when my truck sits for months at a time it will start right up. If you don't install a optima I think you should get a sealed battery because tundras have problems with battery acid on the terminals, just do a search. I also run a optima 27 blue in my wakeboard boat and I have 3 amps running 2500 watts of power and we will run it all day on the lake and it has yet to die on me and that is 3 years old. By the way if you go with the D27 yellow top, it will drop right in.

 

Used to use optima in everything. Have had jeeps since I was 15, alwats will. Always the first mod. Running a winch, rock lights, air compressor etc required a super tough batt or two. They used to be John Wayne toilet paper tough.

That was the old optima. Once they packed up shop, screwed Americans out of jobs and opened a factory in Mexico to make a sub par product for a premium price I was out. Their new batts are shit, their QC is shit, their CS is shit - google search it. No matter how many reps Interstate/Optima send on forums trying to play the cya game its just a fact now.

Odyssey and Deka are all I run now. If I have had an issue its been 110% no questions asked taken care of with no bs.I have heard decent things from a couple of guys running US Battey AGM stuff (I have no experence with them) but they got them free for sponsorship so....

Do your homework before you drop 150+ on a batt is all Im saying.

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Here's another vote for a DieHard platinum. I went with the marine deep cycle version that is just a tad wider (like less than a half inch) and love this battery. Over 1100 CCA, 270 reserve rating, AGM, and the stock cables and tiedowns only needed minor persuasion to fit. No modding whatsoever. I've started my truck in -20 degree temps and there was no hesitation at all. I also have several accessories pulling from this battery and it hasn't so much as hinted at struggling after 2 years of thorough use. I paid $297 out the door for mine at Sears. Good luck.

 

dude. that battery is $542.99
add install, cables, clamps, taxes... thats easily over $700

so then don't be "lame" go and buy one...

 

Right battery withe the right terminals, n u don't need all that extra crap. I'd never pay someone 200 buzz to install a battery! ;-)

 

Lol some Asian like myself love expensive things. If it's a lot of money it must be good right?


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Lol, yeah its a lil expensive upfront, but when u figure in a lifespan of about 8yrs its not as bad...

 

Hey, thats racist!

 

Well if were figuring in lifespans and adding this and carry the 1 then divide by 2 why doesn't he just hire a personal battery tender who can follow him everywhere he goes with a battery charger/jumper and he'll never have to worry about it, and to make the Asian community happy we'll make sure its the most expensive lil' battery tender guy we can find...sound good?

J/K In all seriousness Drago I hear where your coming from he could have simply stated his opinions on the Wal-Mart brand of battery's without taking the shot in apprentices at the "battery cool guys" Bang Bang was able to do it without being rude.

To the original OP as far as battery's and all of our opinions realize that if we bought one that hasn't given us problems we are gonna think they are great and maybe they are or possibly we were just one of the lucky ones? Gotta do your research and look at total percentages of positive vs negative feedback on a specific brand as well as model of battery. Also look at types of battery's specific to your use for them such as you stated deep cell for extended running times, extended periods of being stored. I've had a lot of different batteries over the years for show cars, boats, motorcycles, just about everything. Bad Habits and Stroked383z are absolutely correct about optima, they use to be a lot better but since thy sold and transferred to Mexico they're quality has gone to shit again not to say that someone hasn't bought one recently and it performed great, because even a broken watch is right twice a day.

Bottom line...for the application you stated I would go with one of these three (or one of these three's re-badged version i.e. Odyssey/DieHard Platinum) in no specific order
1. Odyssey
2. Kinetik
3. Stinger (my personal favorite, but again only a opinion)

 

Please don't get me wrong, wasn't telling him to buy lithium, just stating that me personally, before I sunk 400bux into a lead acid battery, that's the route I'd go. I don't have a lithium now, and don't forsee doing so in the near future! ;-)