It's freezing outside! Is the same thing happening to my car battery?

Folks in some parts of the country woke up this morning to sub-zero temperatures and we've heard from our friends in traditionally warm climates, that even they have had some unusually cold days in recent weeks. It is wintertime, so those temperature swings are bound to happen. What is also bound to happen is folks having issues with their car batteries.

Cold engines need more cranking energy to get started in the winter, which can really put a strain on car batteries. Is your battery up to the task? OPTIMA's YELLOWTOP batteries are protected from freezing all the way down to -30°F and our REDTOP batteries are protected all the way down to -50°F. However, that protection is only good if the batteries are fully-charged.

If your car, truck, boat, lawnmower or other seasonal use vehicle has been in storage for a few months, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the voltage of your battery and make sure it is still maintaining a charge. Fully-charged, our REDTOP batteries (and 34M BLUETOP) will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts and our BLUETOP and YELLOWTOP batteries (except the 34M BLUETOP) will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts.

The lower the voltage in your battery, the less protection it has from freezing temperatures. If you find your battery has been frozen, do not attempt to charge it until it has been thawed out at room temperature for at least 24-36 hours. Learn more about cold cranking amps here.