I don't want to start a flame thread here, but unless you are planning
to roll your van or you really need to law the battery on its side,
there really is no benefit to an Optima except for empting your wallet.
Yes, the starting version has a somewhat higher cold cranking amp rating
and supposedly they accept a charge better, but the reality is, they
will not last as long or deliver the same capacity as a good high
quality flooded cell battery. I have battery knowledge from the RV and
industrial perspective. The Absorbed Glass Mat, (Optima) and Gel Cell
are still science experiments. They have their places but they are
expensive for what they offer.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: ' ' [mailto:rrecardo@webtv.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 11:22 PM
To: Dennis Haynes
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: optima the one for starting battery?

I was looking at Optima's today in a matter of fact.
Yellow,Blue, and Red.

Every one of them only had a 18 month warrantee.

Not really much for a $189.00 battery.
( 900 cca Yellow top )