matg posted:with all respect - the only reason for OPTIMA WAS (!!!) it has NO SELF-Discharge. That is why it used to be used in special vehicles i.e firehose folks etc. If you do a trickle charge then the value of the batterie is gone, and then it is by far too expensive, as any other bat on trickle stays in top form..
Matthias
Not at all, you make a valid point. I think, like many, I just choose to use a trickle charger, or battery optimiser, as they are often referred to as, to make sure that my car is always 100% ready when I want to drive it.
Any car that I have garaged, is always hooked up to a CTEK, and I often use them on my daily drivers, every so often, to ensure that the batteries are fully charged, to prevent any unwanted sulfation.
I chose the Optima as, at the time, it was perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be the best choice. And have no reason to think otherwise. It would seem, from above posts, that their quality may no longer be what it once was.