2021 Corvette Battery
Cars
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
The 2021 Corvette seems like too new of a vehicle to need a battery replacement already, doesn't it? The reality at least for some Corvette owners is that the time has already come to replace their battery and OPTIMA offers two great options. Both batteries are direct-fit upgrades for the factory battery and offer more than enough cranking power to start your engine in even the coldest of temperatures that Corvettes might encounter.
The DH6 YELLOWTOP AGM battery is rated at 800 CCA, 72AH and weighs in at just a tick over 54 pounds. The QH6 ORANGETOP lithium battery is rated at 880A (they rate lithium batteries a little differently, cranking for 5 seconds at 0°F), 45AH and just 20 pounds.
FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER
That weight difference of 34 pounds between the DH6 and QH6 is obviously really substantial and while lithium batteries do tend to be more expensive than their AGM or flooded lead-acid counterparts, you'd be hard-pressed to make any other modification to your Corvette that would result in a 34-pound weight savings for less money than the difference in price between OPTIMA's AGM and lithium batteries.
For example, the sheet molded compound hood on a C8 Corvette weighs about 15.7 pounds. You could run without any hood and still wouldn't come close to even half the weight savings of running an OPTIMA QH6 ORANGETOP battery. You could buy a quality carbon fiber hood and save about 7 pounds, but that upgrade will cost you anywhere from $1,600 to $4,500! The original C8 Corvette doors weigh about 72 pounds, so upgrading to carbon fiber doors can save about 38 pounds, but that will set you back another $3,500 to $4,500!
SAFETY FIRST
If you decide on OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP lithium battery, you may have questions about the quality of our batteries and the safety standards we take in manufacturing them. All of OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries are IP67-rated against dust and water intrusion. While it may be unlikely that a Corvette would encounter significant amounts of either, that's just the standard to which we build our products. In essence, it's the right way to do it and we're simply not willing to compromise on how we manufacture our products.
That's a bit of a departure from what you might see from other lithium battery brands, because their involvement with batteries may begin and end with the marketing and selling of their batteries. In other words, they have no experience or background in battery manufacturing. They just purchase lithium batteries from someone else (hopefully not on temu or etsy), take that manufacturer for their word on how the batteries were built, put their labels on them and hope for the best.
All OPTIMA lithium batteries are our own proprietary design and we take the extra steps of having our batteries UL (1973 & 2580) and IEC (62619 & 63057) tested for safety at both the cell level and battery level, to ensure we are offering the safest products possible. When other lithium brands do have UL testing done, it is typically only at the cell level. OPTIMA's lithium batteries are also UN38.3 certified to make them safe for shipping.
OTHER FEATURES
While safety is our top priority, OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP batteries do have some other features that Corvette owners may value. They can operate down to -40°F, although we don't expect many Corvettes will see that kind of weather. They can also operate in temperatures up to 167°F. They all feature an advanced BMS (Battery Management System) that will monitor all battery activity, balance cells when needed and generally keep things operating as they should.
If you leave a light on or your Corvette sits for an extended amount of time and deeply discharges the battery, OPTIMA's CPR system will automatically turn the battery off to prevent further discharge and hold enough power in reserve to allow you to start your engine one more time and get home safely (you should fully recharge any deeply discharged battery with a battery charger as soon as possible). OPTIMA also has an industry-leading Bluetooth app, that can give you detailed information on your battery, it's state of health and also send alerts for extreme temperature situations.
OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP also offers incredible cycle life relative to an AGM battery, although we can tell you it is unlikely most Corvette owners will ever use their cars often enough or in a way that would allow them to really take advantage of that cycle life. One of our sponsored anglers told us the OPTIMA lithium batteries he is using in his bass boat have only been cycled 34 times in the last two years and that's from an angler who spends more than a hundred days on the water each year!
TAKE CHARGE
Whether you choose OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP or DH6 YELLOWTOP, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery fully charged whenever possible. OPTIMA's full line of battery chargers and maintainers can charge all 12-volt lead-acid (AGM or flooded) and lithium batteries. We're so confident they will improve performance and maximize battery lifespan, we'll add an additional year of free replacement warranty coverage to your OPTIMA battery, if you purchase OPTIMA's D1200+ battery charger at the same time.
The DH6 YELLOWTOP AGM battery is rated at 800 CCA, 72AH and weighs in at just a tick over 54 pounds. The QH6 ORANGETOP lithium battery is rated at 880A (they rate lithium batteries a little differently, cranking for 5 seconds at 0°F), 45AH and just 20 pounds.
FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER
That weight difference of 34 pounds between the DH6 and QH6 is obviously really substantial and while lithium batteries do tend to be more expensive than their AGM or flooded lead-acid counterparts, you'd be hard-pressed to make any other modification to your Corvette that would result in a 34-pound weight savings for less money than the difference in price between OPTIMA's AGM and lithium batteries.
For example, the sheet molded compound hood on a C8 Corvette weighs about 15.7 pounds. You could run without any hood and still wouldn't come close to even half the weight savings of running an OPTIMA QH6 ORANGETOP battery. You could buy a quality carbon fiber hood and save about 7 pounds, but that upgrade will cost you anywhere from $1,600 to $4,500! The original C8 Corvette doors weigh about 72 pounds, so upgrading to carbon fiber doors can save about 38 pounds, but that will set you back another $3,500 to $4,500!
SAFETY FIRST
If you decide on OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP lithium battery, you may have questions about the quality of our batteries and the safety standards we take in manufacturing them. All of OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries are IP67-rated against dust and water intrusion. While it may be unlikely that a Corvette would encounter significant amounts of either, that's just the standard to which we build our products. In essence, it's the right way to do it and we're simply not willing to compromise on how we manufacture our products.
That's a bit of a departure from what you might see from other lithium battery brands, because their involvement with batteries may begin and end with the marketing and selling of their batteries. In other words, they have no experience or background in battery manufacturing. They just purchase lithium batteries from someone else (hopefully not on temu or etsy), take that manufacturer for their word on how the batteries were built, put their labels on them and hope for the best.
All OPTIMA lithium batteries are our own proprietary design and we take the extra steps of having our batteries UL (1973 & 2580) and IEC (62619 & 63057) tested for safety at both the cell level and battery level, to ensure we are offering the safest products possible. When other lithium brands do have UL testing done, it is typically only at the cell level. OPTIMA's lithium batteries are also UN38.3 certified to make them safe for shipping.
OTHER FEATURES
While safety is our top priority, OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP batteries do have some other features that Corvette owners may value. They can operate down to -40°F, although we don't expect many Corvettes will see that kind of weather. They can also operate in temperatures up to 167°F. They all feature an advanced BMS (Battery Management System) that will monitor all battery activity, balance cells when needed and generally keep things operating as they should.
If you leave a light on or your Corvette sits for an extended amount of time and deeply discharges the battery, OPTIMA's CPR system will automatically turn the battery off to prevent further discharge and hold enough power in reserve to allow you to start your engine one more time and get home safely (you should fully recharge any deeply discharged battery with a battery charger as soon as possible). OPTIMA also has an industry-leading Bluetooth app, that can give you detailed information on your battery, it's state of health and also send alerts for extreme temperature situations.
OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP also offers incredible cycle life relative to an AGM battery, although we can tell you it is unlikely most Corvette owners will ever use their cars often enough or in a way that would allow them to really take advantage of that cycle life. One of our sponsored anglers told us the OPTIMA lithium batteries he is using in his bass boat have only been cycled 34 times in the last two years and that's from an angler who spends more than a hundred days on the water each year!
TAKE CHARGE
Whether you choose OPTIMA's QH6 ORANGETOP or DH6 YELLOWTOP, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery fully charged whenever possible. OPTIMA's full line of battery chargers and maintainers can charge all 12-volt lead-acid (AGM or flooded) and lithium batteries. We're so confident they will improve performance and maximize battery lifespan, we'll add an additional year of free replacement warranty coverage to your OPTIMA battery, if you purchase OPTIMA's D1200+ battery charger at the same time.