What is the difference between an Optima battery and a regular car battery?

My car battery is pretty much one turnover from dying so I was thinking about getting an Optima battery. What is the difference between the batteries?|||Optima is expensive and sucks. Regular is less expense and doesn't suck.|||Optima uses a spiral wound core in a gel medium. It has more lead surface area to give you extra power reserve and cranking power. Its vibration proof, if in an accident the acid is gelled and will not fly about as the liquid acid in a conventional battery. The downside? It costs a bit more and Optima line still does not fit all vehicles.