Another 12v Battery Option: O'Reilly's Super Start Extreme AGM

Good find. I notice it also has a greater amp/hr capacity than the OEM and the Optima at 46 amp/hrs.

 

Seems Optima Yellowtop buyers spend more money for less value, but why? What's so great about Optima anyways?

Is it because it is Yellow and looks more interesting than a regular battery?

Or is it Optima's stellar reputation in the 1990's that has in the past 10 years fallen significantly after they were bought out by another company?

Why anyone would by an Optima is beyond me!

There are other options that are not only a better price, but more powerful, better design, and will last way longer than an Optima...

 

An excellent question, lots of residual brand loyalty which does not seem substantiated by recent posts on PC by dissatisfied purchasers.

 

Is there experience to back up a recc to purchase a different battery than optima ?

 

Speaking as a UK Prius owner I must agree with Prius Camper there are so many batteries available that will fit the Prius, and in normal use out perform the OEM and Optima batteries both of which have ridiculous price tags.

John (Britprius).

 

I'll presume my use is normal. The OEM battery lasted 5 years, and my Optima is on year 4, going strong. I look forward to hearing of alternatives that handily beat these figures.

 

May I reverse your question? Have you any proof that alternative batteries will not last as long. We have batteries in the UK with a 5 year full replacement guaranty that are half the price of the OEM and close to one quarter the price of the Optima, and have a higher capacity.

John (Britprius)

 

You may not

You and the other poster said alternatives out-perform the OEM and Optima. I'd like confirmation by hopefully wide-spread experience. I should probably define performance: longevity and resistance to degradation from a couple of inadvertent deep discharges.

btw, at least here in the US the Optima gained traction amongst Prius owners because it is cheaper than OEM, and a large group of owners thought it more resistant to deep discharges than the OEM. That was true 5 years ago when I was shopping for replacement.

 

The O'reilly battery blurb is less than forthcoming.

How long is the warranty, and what determines failure ?

 

The batteries I am talking about are designed to be deep discharged and recharged without damage on a regular basis as they are ultra deep discharge AGM batteries.

There have been so many posts on PC stating that the OEM battery is not capable of withstanding repeated deep discharges without sever capacity loss, so not a particularly good AGM battery.

The problem with the Optima as I've said before, apart from it's price is it's waste of space between it's cells. This reduces it's capacity for a given foot print compared with flat plate cells.

The depth of discharge is dependent on the total capacity of a battery in a given application. A 20amp discharge out of a 40amp/hr battery is a 50% discharge (the maximum most manufacturers suggest for longevity) 20amps discharge out of a 60amp/hr battery is a 33% discharge.

The less you dip into a lead acid batteries capacity (of whatever type) the longer the expected lifespan of that battery.

I am not knocking Optima's product, although it's quality does seem to have reduced in the last few years. I am saying there are better alternatives.

John (Britprius)

 

The Toyota OEM 12v for smart-key cars is 36 Ah, while the Optima is 38 Ah. If past Optima batteries really did resist deep discharges and last longer than the Toyota OEM, it seems reasonable to suspect it was not just due to the 5.5% higher Ah difference.

If you believe the Optima marketing, vibration is a major cause of decreased battery longevity, and the circular packaging of the Optima reduces this problem 15x fold. Optima also says it has a higher Pb purity, allowed by the circular plates. Perhaps there is a trade-off here in total Ah vs competing flat plate batteries with even higher capacity. I for one cannot say which is more important, so I follow group experience.

Bottom line: if the Optima has dropped below 5 years expected longevity I'll look for an alternative. I'm not particularly interested in less expensive batteries with unproven track records unless they come from reputable companies with solid warranties and easy replacement.

 

A Prius doesn't use a 12volt in a "normal" way. A regular car has a starter motor that uses the 12volt battery. So most cars need high cold cranking amps to start an engine and if you buy a crap battery you'll hear your starter labor under that load and know your battery is fading.

But a 12volt battery in a Prius will never start the engine, the hybrid drivetrain-HV battery handles that. Instead a Prius 12volt battery powers up all the onboard computers, sensors, lights and devices, which means there's never going to be a huge load on the 12volt battery, which means you can make a huge profit selling Prius owners an overpriced battery that is cheap to make. As long as it looks pretty they'll never know they've been duped because their battery is never going to face the kind of amp load that a regular vehicle engine start presents.

I'll do a more thorough presentation / comparison of yellowtop vs. competitors in a future post once I've installed and tested some batteries first. In the meantime, for US members, here's the battery that's currently at the top of my list, which I've found at prices between $75-$134: WKA12-55C/FR 12V 55Ah Werker AGM Flame Retardant Battery - STEEPCLIMBER - Solo Wheelchairs - Wheelchair or Mobility - Batteries Plus

 

The batteries manufacturers I am talking about have a much longer track record than Optima and are from much more well known names than Optima and have as I already pointed out with solid guarantees.

The Optima does not have circular plates and the lead purity and vibration resistance are pure marketing hype.

It is a fact that the actual metalic lead part of the battery ads little to it's capacity. It is there as a conductor and carrier for the paste of lead dioxide for the positive plate and porous lead for the negative. It is these pastes that are hart of the battery, there to vastly increase the area in contact with the acid.

Optima are not the only spiral battery manufacturer Exide A much older and well known manufacturer produces such batteries as does Cyclon another respected name produces batteries for use in emergency equipment.

John (Britprius).

 

But that battery doesn't have posts so it requires modification of the prius connectors or some sort of adapter not shown.

 

Know it does not. Screw in posts are available, otherwise a single stainless steel bolt and washer "supplied" at each terminal will fasten the Prius (C) clamps. Much less work than the early Optima conversion. Also lets be reasonable here battery terminals are no big deal and anyone that is not familiar with fitting batteries is going to the dealer.

 

FWIW, there will always be a choice of batteries for whatever type of vehicle you use. Some folks are more particular than other's when it comes down to work needing to be done at the time of installation (fitting). I myself prefer to keep a vehicle as close to the way it was built. What that means in my book is that if I were to install a battery, I would want a battery that is similar to the OEM type concerning terminal's used, layout, size of battery and so forth. Other's may elect to use alternative sources and change cable's, terminal ends and so forth to utilize existing stock on hand to save money. As long as the installation is safe, trouble free, and in the future will not require a lot of modifications it seems to me that it is really up to the end user. Of course, when it comes down to resale of said vehicle certain modifications might affect the final sale price.

As most of you know, I recently replaced our 12 volt battery. I elected to go with a OEM replacement battery that I purchased from Toyota. Concerning longevity, I won't know how long it last until I change it out at a later date. This fact also holds true with any new battery that is installed. Past experience's with a particular brand or type of battery does not always mean that a new battery in that same brand or type will perform as the old one did. Batteries do fail. Some last longer than others. Even given brand names don't always last as long as a similar battery in a similar car. There are many factors involved that the end user can not control. As with everything that is man made, sometimes it boils down to luck.

I would encourage everyone to consider all the sources before you replace your battery. In the end, it is really up to you and no one else which brand you buy, install and use.

Ron

 

Yes, I know. I meant my Prius lives a fairly average life. No extreme hot or cold weather to deal with.

 

How much are screw in posts?

Oh and is the linked battery vented?

 

Well, thanks for the professions of loyalty guys, but I'll wait for more convincing data.