Optima Batteries.

[Grimm]

I'm gonna run dual battery with optimas. Which kind do I need? Red or Yellow? or one of each???

[chuck]

Maybe a sears platumn?

[Yikes]

A friend of mine just priced out dual set-ups between Optima and Odyssey. The Odyssey came in $100 cheaper, weighs 30lbs or so less and is much more compact. Not to mention battery life is 8-12 years. This is the kit he was pricing:

http://www.quadratec.com/Assets/Images/26374/26374-lg.jpg

[AngerIssues]

I'm gonna run dual battery with optimas. Which kind do I need? Red or Yellow? or one of each???

just send me the money, I'll bring a couple of those Sears Platinum's down and paint them whichever color you want :D

thanks for the chuckle, "chuck".

seriously, I have no idea. I am running to duralast... or maybe even 1 duralast now and 1 interstate battery. never been an issue.

[straightaxle]

If they are going to be tied together don't mix red and yellow. I have heard people use either for race applications. I use red tops with OK results. They have a different internal resitance that gives my voltage regulators fits, the voltage meters go from 11 to 14 volts on about a one second cycle, depending on the load. I have not been able to cure that, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything. I put a regluar lead-acid battery in and the problem goes away.

I can tell you that you never, never ever want to let a red top drain down flat. If it does, just plan on replacing it, its junk. Use a disconnect and open it up every time you shut the thing down.

[11wnb]

I can tell you that you never, never ever want to let a red top drain down flat. If it does, just plan on replacing it, its junk. Use a disconnect and open it up every time you shut the thing down.

I had never heard this before and I just bought my first ever Optima In November. Thanks for the tip.

[straightaxle]

I have about a dozen red tops in my fleet, one that is over 10 years old. Had a brand new one in a race car and left the ignition on over night, killed it dead as a hammer. Farmers hate them in equipment that sits in the off season. Only had one fail after about 5 seasons in the Bronco.

[roach]

A friend of mine just priced out dual set-ups between Optima and Odyssey. The Odyssey came in $100 cheaper, weighs 30lbs or so less and is much more compact. Not to mention battery life is 8-12 years. This is the kit he was pricing:

http://www.quadratec.com/Assets/Images/26374/26374-lg.jpg


if you can run these for cheaper than Optimas - DO IT!!!

cheaper, lighter, dry cell, and just as good if not better. we have used these on the class 1's and trophy trucks. good batteries.

[chuck]

just send me the money, I'll bring a couple of those Sears Platinum's down and paint them whichever color you want :D

thanks for the chuckle, "chuck".

seriously, I have no idea. I am running to duralast... or maybe even 1 duralast now and 1 interstate battery. never been an issue.

Iwasn't kidding, the sears platonum P1 and the odysey pc1500 are the same battery both made by enersys and are identical

[AngerIssues]

I wasn't kidding either! I run normal stuff and have never had a problem. It just struck me as funny, given the topic of the Optimas.

[chuck]

I get it, your post. I checked at Sears yesterday and the P1 is $179. I am not sure that is less than the OD

[Yikes]

I get it, your post. I checked at Sears yesterday and the P1 is $179. I am not sure that is less than the OD

The P1 is not a drycell battery though, is it? It's also a tank at 53lbs.

[chuck]

The 2 batteries are the same so they also weigh the same. The 2 I compaired are both AGM not gel

[wiley-moeracing]

You may want to look at NAPA, we use there orbital series, a dry cell type and we paid about $127 each. they work great but got to be careful about recharging(2 amps or less) and do not run them dead.

[dromero]

Yikes, where did your friend price that 2 batt. kit from?? Thanks

[Yikes]

Yikes, where did your friend price that 2 batt. kit from?? Thanks

I believe that was Quadratec.

[Ckrue689]

We run dual Optimas on our 7 open. Red top and a Blue top. Blue is a deep cycle. we're running a dual batt selector in the cab and can choose one batt, or the other, or both at the same time. Its worked out great for the last couple years. the deep cycle is great when the truck sits for a while...

[petepecas]

Has anybody drained an optima, only to not being able to recharge it?
and then tried to get a replacement under warranty, got told to take a hike?:mad:
I did, now I use Kirkland 875 CCA on all my vehicles, I blew one of those cause my alternator was overcharging, brought it back to Costco, they paid it back, minus the deductible, no q's asked:)

[chupakabras]

another pro to have dual batteries on racer or chaser, i was reading the may mag of dirtsports, and found this article about a dual batter powered mig welder, http://www.readywelder.com/ looks good..

[chupakabras]

Has anybody drained an optima, only to not being able to recharge it?
and then tried to get a replacement under warranty, got told to take a hike?:mad:
I did, now I use Kirkland 875 CCA on all my vehicles, I blew one of those cause my alternator was overcharging, brought it back to Costco, they paid it back, minus the deductible, no q's asked:)

y have the ones from costco too, and all my vehicles too,. i replace my batteries once a year, haha, no questions ask, they just look for the receipt or the system , and there you go, new batterie.

all the batteries are hard to get them back from full dead, and harder if they are goo batteries,. with more drain more resistance generates,. so you need a f.. good charger, a one capable to almost fry a batterie,

[Blanco]

Has anybody drained an optima, only to not being able to recharge it?
and then tried to get a replacement under warranty, got told to take a hike?:mad:
I did, now I use Kirkland 875 CCA on all my vehicles, I blew one of those cause my alternator was overcharging, brought it back to Costco, they paid it back, minus the deductible, no q's asked:)
Sorry to hear you had that Problem.
I suspect it was where you bought it from & not Optima ( The Company ) that gave you bad service.
I replaced one from my local auto parts store with no issues. http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/shrug.gif

[straightaxle]

Has anybody drained an optima, only to not being able to recharge it?


I have done exactly that, and it was not a couple of months old. This was a red top, and from what I have seen, they will not survive being discharged completely. Since I had this battery from a contingency award, I did not know how to go about turning it in for warranty and it sat around for probably another year. It had been sent out from Arizona from Jim Conner's business, and of course the contingency stuff never comes with a purchase receipt. When I finally got around to taking it in to a local Optima dealer, they checked the date code, and said the battery had been built 5 or 6 years before!! Without an invoice, I was out scout. It had to have been around 3 years old when I had taken possession of it, so it went to the recycle pile.

I have had regular old lead acid batteries that I have discharged completely over and over for months at a time and they have come back to life to successfully start a car. However, it sure is nice to know that there is not any acid sloshing around just behind you in the race car when you use an Optima style battery..........

[Blanco]

Yeah, I was happy that I had an Optima when I did this. :rolleyes:
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/431615/fullsize/img_8371.jpg
It was during the '06 pre-run of Primms race course.
I had the battery tied down with a bad idea of mine for a quick set up.
http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/431616/fullsize/img_8375.jpg
It came somewhat lose & the thread started sawing into the side of the battery. :eek:
Its was just sorta slowly seaping out this glel sorta stuff vs if it was a liquid filled Battey its would of all spilled out.

[pigracing]

I too ran a red top for years with out issue until it was ran down. It never held a charge after that.

[gunit]

I have had the same experience with Optima red tops, you can kill one overnight and they die dead never to be revived.

As a matter of fact, I have one right now in my prerunner that has dual batts, while the isolator was turned to #1, someone at a shop where it was being worked on left the race radio on and ran it all the way down. I have tried charging it over and over to no avail and this was a BRAND new battery.

I have spoken to the reps from Optima at the SEMA show and they all insist that the batteries will recharge like any other but this is not my experience.

I have had one Optima red top battery that shorted out internally during a race as well.

I still use them because I want a sealed battery in the car but I will probably switch to Odyssey batteries next time.

[Ckrue689]

thats wierd. the redtop in our truck was drained all the way down to where the headlights wouldnt turn on, I kicked it over to the deep cycle fired up the truck and after a day of testing it was fully charged and I havnt had a problem since...

this was a year and a half ago... only problem I ever had was in a buddy's truck where the battery flew off the back while he was doing about 40 though a washboard, someone picked it up and ONE of the corners was crushed in. hah the thing still worked too. but he sent it back and got a new one.

[wiley-moeracing]

Make sure you charge it on deep cycle and no more than 2 amps and charge for 24 hours and you can bring them back, Thanks tim

[Yikes]

Another battery question. Have any of you used these guys (http://totalpower-racingbatteries.com/)? How do they stack up against Odyssey? Their batteries are small and powerfull.

[steveG]

I've been using NAPA (Exide) Orbital batteries in everything I own (including my wife's car) for about 8 years now. I've only replaced one due to failure. It still worked but I had a run of stupidity and left lights on, key on ,etc about three times within a couple months then didn't charge it as instructed (under 14 amps I think). Point being, I'm pretty sure it the failure was my doing.

These batteries may not be the latest, greatest thing in batteries, but they're available at regular parts stores and more importantly have a nation-wide warranty, so you don't have to go fishing around for suppliers if it takes a dump.

[RSB3]

Yikes,

Do you have a link for that Odyssey setup?

Thanks,
Bob

[PWmtn]

I have had a yellow die that was not able to be recharged. It was only 6 months old.
Having said that I have dual yellows in the truck now. So far both are OK.
There was a period a couple of years ago when Optima was producing some pretty crappy batteries. Something about production changes?? We were getting them at the time for employee price ($65) so that was the reason we use them.
Now that that source is gone I would just buy any AGM batt and shop for high reserve. They all have great cranking ability. The quality of batts vary for season to season and they change periodically. Consult consumer reports for the latest good buys.
I am using no name brand in my powerstroke and they are better than the oem ones. They are size 65 and have twice the poop of any Optima.
Paul

[retroblazer]

I run a pair of yellow's in the rc and have never had a problem. I run them on separate cut-off switches. I start on both and then cut back to one battery, then I switch them after I have been running awhile to make sure the secondary batter is charged, finally going back to the primary for the rest of the race. After running them for four years, I switched them out for new ones last year.
Another suggestion that was given to me was to use Cat. batteries, because they are designed for high vibration environments.

[Grimm]

Props for optima. I had two red tops in the project build and over the past year or two they have accidentally been discharged fully several times by leaving the main switch on. I was able to recharge them a few times and they came back but recently they finally crapped out. The speed shop I bought them from closed, so I called Optima and they had me take them to one of their main Interstate Battery distributors to attempt a charge. Kind of a pain in the but 'cause they were 45 minutes away. But both batteries being completely DEAD and unable to bring back to life, the distributor just gave me two new ones today. Lesson learned, I will not keep two batteries in truck anymore until testing time.

[rhino105]

Here is what Optima says about dead batteries...
Do I need a special charger for my OPTIMA?
Under normal vehicle starting applications, most regular automatic lead acid battery chargers will properly charge an OPTIMA. However, since OPTIMA batteries are frequently used in high-performance applications or non-standard vehicle starting applications, there are certain instances that must be given special considerations.

An OPTIMA battery is an AGM battery, not a "gel" battery or regular flooded acid battery. A deeply discharged OPTIMA battery (less than 10.5V) will not test or recharge properly if treated as a regular flooded battery or gel battery. A handheld electronic battery tester will most likely provide inaccurate test results.

An OPTIMA battery has the benefit of very low internal resistance, which allows high amperage output as well as efficient charge acceptance. This benefit also allows an OPTIMA battery to run longer than its specified ratings and run to a lower voltage than typical flooded batteries. All of this can lead to confusion when it comes to recharging a deeply discharged OPTIMA. Most basic battery chargers have a built-in function to prevent charging a battery with less than 10.5 volts. If your OPTIMA is discharged below that, the battery charger may not start up.

Most high-quality, modern battery chargers now have built-in features to charge AGM batteries like OPTIMA. Some have specific AGM settings which should be used to charge an OPTIMA. Do not use “gel” or “gel/AGM” settings, as they will not fully charge an OPTIMA and could damage it over time. However, even some AGM compatible chargers will not recharge deeply discharged (less than 10.5 volts) OPTIMA batteries. It may be necessary to follow the instructions provided in section #3.

For regular charging we recommend a maximum of 10 amps, 13.8-15.0V. For float charging, we recommend one amp maximum, 13.2-13.8V.

Under normal (engine starting) conditions, an OPTIMA battery should never experience “at rest” voltages below 10.5 volts. In these applications, most 12 volt chargers (old or newer) or alternators will sufficiently recharge an OPTIMA with at least 10.5 volts. Typically we only see issues with charging when it relates to stand-alone deep cycling applications or severely discharged OPTIMA’s.

Back to top

How do I charge a deeply discharged battery?

If an OPTIMA is deeply discharged (below 10.5 volts) most basic chargers will not supply a charge. Also keep in mind an OPTIMA will not recharge properly if treated as a regular flooded or gel battery. To charge the battery, you can wire a second fully charged automotive battery (12+V) to the discharged AGM in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to either battery, setting the charger at 10 amps. Leave for two hours, monitoring frequently. During this process if the discharged battery gets very hot or if it is venting (hissing sound from vents) then stop this process immediately. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the standard battery and continue charging the AGM until fully charged.

For normal charging a relatively low current, such as one or two amps can work well, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation.

If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, you can get a rough estimate of the charging time in hours of a completely discharged battery (11.2V) by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2. If your battery is not completely discharged the time would be less.

In most cases these steps will recover the AGM battery. It’s okay for the AGM battery to get slightly warm during the charging process. If it’s hot to the touch it means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued.

Back to top

Can you trickle charge an OPTIMA? And what type of charger can I use?
Yes and you can use any charger on an OPTIMA as long as the voltage is regulated properly. If your charger will remain on indefinitely, the voltage should be at 13.8 volts maximum with a one amp maximum current.

[fj40]

This is very good info, time to remember where the dead optimas are.

[Blanco]

I've killed the RedTop in my Bronco Many times & either a jump or some time on my trickle has always brought it back & it seems most people say once drained they're junk.
I've not found this to be true & my battery is old, It normally just sits & never gets used & thats when it dies on me so its not a full discharge as if I left the lights on I suppose?

[Grimm]

So a follow up to the two batteries that I got on warranty

Since i vowed never to leave two of them connected in my truck again while it was just sitting in the garage i kept one brand new one in the house and one in the garage that would get occasional use when i fired the truck up every once in a while. Last time I went to test in April, BOTH of them were completely dead and even using the above mentioned recharging methods did absolutely nothing for them.

So although I gave optima props for giving me two new ones at first, I will never buy a red top optima again as I have had now 4 out of 5 end up discharging for whatever reason and never come back.
I will look into the yellow tops because I have heard that they are made to be deeply discharged and recharged multiple times.

[Blanco]

S
I will look into the yellow tops because I have heard that they are made to be deeply discharged and recharged multiple times.

Thats gonna be my next one considering how often I actually drive my Bronco.