Best Battery for Spider?

[giuliot60]

Hi all.

Well, my battery looks like it's pooping out. All of a sudden it's been taking a slightly longer time to turn the car over until today when she barely turned over. Put a charger on it, and it did start, but it doesn't look like its taking the charge very well.

So I'm looking for battery recommendations. I've always gone with Die-Hards, but wanted to know what everyone thinks.

Suggestions?

[4uall]

I went with this


New battery for Fiona by itzebtze, on Flickr

[vandor]

You asked... the BEST is an Optima, but it's pricy.

FWIW the Spider takes a '24' Battery. I've used smaller ones to save weight, but those are usually more expensive!

[maytag]

Optima. No question.

[giuliot60]

Optima. Really? That's what I have in the car now.

It's been working great, then just started acting up this week. I even had a trickle charger on it. Was that OK to do? That is the way the PO had it set up since it wasn't driven much.

I'm also wondering if I may have a little drain. My amp meter indicates a slightly below 0 reading when the car is off, and a slightly above 0 when running. I don't know how good the gauge is.

[maytag]

How is it "acting up"? And how old is your optima? Optima has an amazing warranty, but you should become certain what your problem really is before asking optima to fix it for you.

The optima battery is so good, that it frequently masks / hides real problems.

[4uall]

one option is to swap out the battery from another car and see how the Fiat performs or take the battery in to be tested. My battery was 1yr old when i bought Fiona and the test revealed a complete fail. Canadian Tire gave me a replacement.

[giuliot60]

By acting up maytag, I mean she's been starting up with a quick turn of the key since I bought her in the spring, and then the beginning of this week I'd have to hold it for a slightly longer time, then it got to the point where the starter would have to turn several times, until it was quite obvious that there was a problem, and then it wouldn't do anything until I threw the charger on it.

The Optima was purchased by the PO and it must be over 5 or 6 years old. I think I remember seeing a receipt for it, and I'll see if I can find it or look on the battery. How long do they last?

I am a little suspicious maytag, that's why I mentioned a possible drain. How would I confirm that?

Another thing that has me concerned is the fact that my aftermarket wiper motor, that doesn't use the harness and is wired right to the alternator, works when the car is off. That shouldn't happen, correct?

I think that's a good idea to have it tested Jay, again I'll look for the original receipt. I'll also try swapping the battery and see what happens. That will definitely tell if it's the battery or not.

Thanks guys!

[giuliot60]

So. Here's an update.

My Redtop Optima is from 2006, so it's 6 years old. I charged it overnight, then decided to check my connectors, and guess what? The positive terminal was loose. I took off the connectors, cleaned them, greased them, and tightened them up. She started right up. I also removed the cutoff switch on the battery to eliminate a couple of extra connections.

I took it to pickup my daughter at school, parked it and she started fine. I'll see how she does in the next few days. I just spoke to an Optima tech and he said the normal life span is 6 years, but he's seen some go up to 12-15 years.

So we'll see.

Thanks!

[giuliot60]

UPDATE.

The day before last, after charging her up she started up fine. I let her sit overnight without charging and the battery connected. The next morning I tried to start her, but nada. Charged her up for a few hours and she started right up. I decided to disconnect the battery to see how the charge would hold up overnight. This morning I connected the battery and she just barely started. I think it's clear the battery has seen better days.

So I found an Optima RedTop at advance auto online for $200 plus a 20% additional discount, a $50 coupon for a future purchase over $100, and free shipping. Sounds like a good deal, but I have to decide by today. A Sears Diehard Gold is $119

Feedback?

[maytag]

I just bought another optima yesterday for the jaguar. There are two red tops ; I got the larger one. I paid $204 at auto zone.

I have one red top that is going on ten years now. They are quite simply the best battery I've ever owned.

[giuliot60]

Well, I went with the Redtop from Advance Auto online. I found a 25% battery coupon code, got free shipping, and no core charge, but I did get hit with a $10 tax. All in all, I was able to get it for $161. I'm happy. I think the Spider will be too.

Thanks for everyone's advice!

[htchevyii]

I prefer any sealed battery, especially if it is in the truck. I have a XS Power battery from Summit Racing in my Spider.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/XSP-S925/