08 burb fan

08 sub 1500 with the 5.3flex motor needs a new battery. So I am considering an Optima red top or an Interstate.

Anyone have either one they can shed an opinion on?

trainwreck91

never owned either but if i had to choose i would go with optima just based on their rep. and things i've read on their quality and build, not knocking interstate don't know much about them. but honestly i've always used diehard from sears. my last one was an suv (platinum) top shelf battery with 850 cca. comes in handy here in the north east. it lasted well beyond it's 3 year warranty. i think i'm going on 8 years and i still have it. just pulled it out of my 98 expedition and threw in a cheap walmart brand i had laying around so i can trade the vehicle in. and sears has always been good honoring their warranty, if i ever had an isuue with one i would bring it back within the 3 years and get a free replacement!

about the everstart (should be called neverstart) walmart brand they are horrible went through 3 in 4 years on my dads pick up! they had a 3 yr warranty as well but after the first replacement they would not honor the second! horrible customer service and when i went to the manager (and argued with her for about 15 min) she said i had to take it back to the manufacturer so as i'm walking out with no battery i decided to look up who makes them....lo and behold...it's walmart! so when i went back in and showed her she felt like a d/ck! just my 2 cents!

in2pro

The Optima are supposed to be very well built and reliable and that is what you pay for...they are not like regular batteries though, they are AMG type.

Interstate are just like any other what I would consider good or quality brand of battery... I had a deep cycle one in my camper that lasted about 3 years...
The standard AC Delco in my 07 Tahoe I have replaced about 4 times they just don't hold up in this Texas heat with the amount of demand on them with all the modules needing power...
I often keep my interstate deep cycle in the spare tray under the hood for extra power...

73shark

AGM (Absorbed Glass Matrix) batteries are overkill (and very expensive) for these vehicles unless you have a lot of add-on electrical equipment.

I have two as house batteries in my Airstream Interstate and my jaw dropped when I checked on how much it would cost to replace.

I've had good luck w/ the batteries that Sam's sells.

fishing nut

I would hate to tell you this but Johnson Controls makes Diehard batteries. This is the same company that makes Wal-Marts Everstart Batteries and Interstate batteries.

08 burb fan

Both have decent reviews. The truck has only 90k on it, but 5 years of New England weather adds up.
Pricing I've found has the interstate at 40-50 bucks less.
Always noticed a heavy draw on the battery if you sit with the stereo on while the-engine off for any length of time.
As I am a do it yourselfer, want to make sure it fits. Might even buy two and fill up that extra tray.
Can always use extra power and peace of mind while sitting on the beach.

trainwreck91

The saying goes "you get what you pay for". And with car batteries I believe it's very true! And just because a company like Johnson controls makes the batteries for all 3 resellers doesn't mean that they're all the same. I'm sure there are different less expensive components that go into different levels of batteries. For instance a Walmart 3 yr battery sells for around $80. And my diehard platinum (also 3 yr) was well over $140(don't remember, that's how long ago it was). But my Walmart battery needed replacing every year and my diehard which is way older is still cranking! So for piece of mind. Sitting on a beach running the radio for hours. I'd go with the more expensive. And maybe the same or even a cheaper as back up

in2pro

Price point... is based on build quality... even though the batteries may be made in the same plant, they are build with different (read cheaper) materials per the re-sellers price point needs...
That is why the Optima batteries are so pricey... they do put a higher level of build quality into them, they user a larger copper strap(s) and other items that take more time to build therefore increasing cost... there are other AMG battery manufactures out there besides Optima but Optima claims theirs are better due to quality of the build.

OptimaJim

Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat and while some folks may think it is overkill, it is growing in market share on the OE side, because of all the electrical demands in new vehicles, especially in Start/Stop applications. We are owned by Johnson Controls, but we manufacture all of our own batteries in our own facility and they are the only batteries produced there. We never re-label or re-spec any of our batteries for any of our retail partners.

If any battery fails from a manufacturing defect, it is likely to do so well within the first year of use, if not the first month. Beyond that, warranties are largely a function of marketing and in some cases, the difference in price points between otherwise identical batteries. The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and is left sitting in that state, sulfation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. That makes a quality battery maintenance device an excellent investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use.

While our RedTop batteries are more resilient than typical flooded batteries, they are SLI (starting/lighting/ignition) batteries and are not designed or warrantied for deep-cycle use, like our YellowTops, which are designed for both starting and deep-cycling. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMAŽ Batteries (optimabatteries) on Pinterest

73shark

How can an AGM battery be tested to check for any degradation?