Optima Questions

[linx]

I try to be positive, but I gotta warn ya.

Optimas suck man. Strait up. With heavy usage, they have about a 9 month shelf life, and then they're trash. They won't hold charge, their CCA numbers are way over rated. I'd only use one if I maybe needed one in something like a race car with occasional use.

If you must use a gel cell battery, get something like a marine deep cycle battery. You can pick up something like a Marathon for a heck of a lot cheaper than an optima, or you can get some higher dollar ones like the Mega Cranks.

If you don't need a gel cell (say, you're not mounting it upside down) then I'd just get a high CCA big truck battery. There's tons of different brands out there.

We went through about 10 Optima's on our fishing boat before we gave up. We tried the blue tops, red tops, and yellow tops. All failed within 8-10 month's of constant drain/recharge. Heck, the blue tops even failed when not used often and keep under a battery tender.

I told one of my good friends that is into competition car audio about the optima's and he wouldn't listen to me. He bought 2 of them, and both died within 4 month's under strain. He now uses some marine deep cycles and has not had a problem.

Fair warning

[North Texas Mudduck]

i bought the troll fury in june of last year
ran it all summer and then kinda half wayput the boat up for the winter
have not had any problems
also keeping a small trickle charger on the batteries helps alot
so they just dont sit idle

trickle charger that senses the voltage and kicks on charges for a few hours then shuts off

but the most the most most important thing about a battery

before you put any kinda of drain or load on the battery
charge it up for a few days
once you hit it with a load it has a memory and will stay in that area
so charge it up then hook it up

lot of folks just buy a battery and install it then crank it up and wonder why

[Savage]

what linx said, the optima's are no longer the quality product they may have been a few years ago. my vote is for marine deep cycle.

[Turbo-T]

Optimas aren't even a gel cell battery. I know, we use them all the time at work.

My experience I had one I bought new, it last 4 years and was seldom used, before it gave up the ghost all of the sudden one week.

At my work they seem hit or miss. The biggest issue we have is people that leave the panel lights on when the equipment is not in use....which in turn drains the battery.

But the big thing is they're safer than other batteries...in the even the case ever breaks/gets broken.

[shooterfpga]

i have yellow top optimas, my first one seemed good, for about a year, then i went through 5 because they all died and replaced, this last one which i got under warranty is doing good so far.

however, im thinking of trying kinetik batteries, they are about the same price as an optima 150 i think it was for the hc1800 and have capacity and cca.

[10 Gauge]

Optima Blue Top FTW

I just put a yellow top in the Civic, we'll see how long she lasts. I had one in my 300ZX that crapped out on me after it had been completely discharged for about 5th or 6th time, battery was about 4 years old.

[coondog]

Red Tops sucked for me.i had 4 in the back and all 4 went bad in less then a year. what a waste of money.

i"m using 5 (one in front,4 in back)High Reserve Deep cycle RV/Marine batts and there working great for my set up.

[Grump]

I used to work for Johnson controls which made alot of batteries they made them for autozone, sears, ford, and a bunch of others including Interstate. Now the way I knew it what causes a battery to go bad is bringing the charge way low then trying to zap it with an altenator for a quick charge. Anytime you charge a battery you get scales inside which most time fall down and get stuck and short out the plates which causes a bad cell. Everyone thinks it is the cold the kills your battery but it isn't, it's heat. It just don't take as much to start your car in the warm weather so a bad battery shows up when you need the most out of your battery. in my opinion it is always better to slow charge a battery then a rapid charge since more heat is built up that is why i never try and jump start my batteries. it sounds like you are needing deep cycle batteries and probably have a big altenator which in it self isn't the greatest setup cause you are throwing a lot of amps to recharge the batteries which causes heat. What i would do swamp is find your local interstate distributor not dealer and ask him about your application and see what he thinks. Cause if I'm correct they also sell true gell cells for wheelchairs and stuff which might be your best bet.

[Flattop]

Deep cycle marine batteries are NOT designed for this type of usage. just like tires their only a few mfg for batteries also what you need is a battery designed for heavy draw and fast charge where deep cycle are for slow charge and med draw a trolling motor does not have the draw of a 8 or 16 pill. At the present i run 6 Cat batterys 1200cca made by Deca they are also built for heavy equipment they need a lot of power to turn those motors but they also have heck of a charging system. my batteries are going on 4 years old. i use a red top for starting but it is not hooked to the radio system and is charged by the stock 95 amp alt. i have two 180 amp alts charging the rest. At the present i am running a galaxy 88 1x4 straight off the alts and a 16 pill of the motor maul and it rocks. I learned the hard way Redtops suck, deep cycle suck normal automotive batteries suck i wasted a lot of money

[Grump]

Deep cycle marine batteries are NOT designed for this type of usage. just like tires their only a few mfg for batteries also what you need is a battery designed for heavy draw and fast charge where deep cycle are for slow charge and med draw a trolling motor does not have the draw of a 8 or 16 pill. At the present i run 6 Cat batterys 1200cca made by Deca they are also built for heavy equipment they need a lot of power to turn those motors but they also have heck of a charging system. my batteries are going on 4 years old. i use a red top for starting but it is not hooked to the radio system and is charged by the stock 95 amp alt. i have two 180 amp alts charging the rest. At the present i am running a galaxy 88 1x4 straight off the alts and a 16 pill of the motor maul and it rocks. I learned the hard way Redtops suck, deep cycle suck normal automotive batteries suck i wasted a lot of money

Thanks for clearing up what i wanted to say those batteries ain't made for what they want to use them for I only suggested the true gell cell cause he wants to put inside his vehicle

[Flattop]

I built a battery box and used a marine blower to vent it to the outside. if he is not running outrages power their is a glass mat battery that would hold up it is for audio systems

[zman350]

kinetik,powermaster,batcap are all glass mat batts n made for high power stereo sytems,i use to be in all that,i tried them all,the powermaster and kinetiks seemed the best,but are not cheap.

[zman350]

thier quality is excellent,sealed no need for venting.

[zman350]

yes

[CamoRedneck]

I know of a few people that use dekkas.

[jessejamesdallas]

When I made my battery box for my Suburban, I decided to add vents so "if" the battery's vented gas (which they do) the gas would stay inside the battery box, and while driving it would be vented to the outside, and not stay in the truck.

All I did was seal the lid of the box, using weather stripping, then using some 2" PVC and electrical box's, made it so that while driving, fresh air would be forced into the box, and then back out...
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Looking from underneath the Burb, one PVC faces toward the front of the Burb, and the other to the back...Idea is when driving air is forced in one pipe, then circulates in the box, forcing any fumes from the battery's out the other pipe...
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This way, regardless of what battery's I have in the box, fume build-up won't be a problem. The box was originally was made to house 6- 6v battery's to run at 18v's. But I have also used it for 4 8v Trojan battery's for a 16v set-up, and right now I just have it set up as a 12v, with 3 battery's. (I can rearrange the current set-up, and there is room for 4 12v's if I decide to add one more.)

[Texas Mobil 219]

Thats a nice set up Jesse. Gives me some good idea. Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[127]

I run a D31 Yellow top in my Dodge Dakota, as a second battery right at the amp, and have been running it for 10 years with no problems.
I use the amp quite a bit with the engine off and this has not done anything to the Optima.
Optima has raised their prices wickedly so I might consider another battery type if this yellow top ever dies.

[Shaft]

I run a D31 Yellow top in my Dodge Dakota, as a second battery right at the amp, and have been running it for 10 years with no problems.
I use the amp quite a bit with the engine off and this has not done anything to the Optima.
Optima has raised their prices wickedly so I might consider another battery type if this yellow top ever dies.

What year Dakota do you have? Where do you have that battery located at?

[executioner]

I run a D31 Yellow top in my Dodge Dakota, as a second battery right at the amp, and have been running it for 10 years with no problems.
I use the amp quite a bit with the engine off and this has not done anything to the Optima.
Optima has raised their prices wickedly so I might consider another battery type if this yellow top ever dies.

You must have been the first one on the block to have a D31 yellow top back in 1998

[MECHMAN]

We ([Please login or register to view this link]) are a dealer for Powermaster (XS Power) batteries, and we are also a CBRT site sponsor.

The Powermaster (XS power) batteries are made from 99.98% virgin lead, not recycled lead like Kinetik, Deka, etc... AGM batteries have dramatically reduced life expectancy and performace when they are made with recycled lead. That's why Powermasters have a 3 year free replacement warranty, and kinetiks do not.

I have the lowest prices on the web, plus we offer FREE shipping/handling for CBRT members. For your application I would reccomend a single D3100 battery. It is a MONSTEROUS single sealed 80 pound AGM battery capable of discharging 3,200 amps min., and will easily outperform ANY two Optimas in parralel. They are on sale right now for $349 shipped anywhere in the continental US, which also makes it more cost effective than buying two smaller batteries. I have many customers running in excess of 300 amp loads off of a single D3100 for extended periods.



Mech
1-888-MECHMAN
mlogan@mechman.com



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