Which Optima Battery?

[LanceS4803]

Researching for a battery replacement and a Search here showed that several different Optima batteries are being used; 34 and 35, and others. One distributor told me Optima only makes one battery model, so he was of no help.
(I want to go with Optima after a bad experience with venting and a HUGE battery.)
What is the Optima model recommendation for a garaged, 2,500 mile a year car?

[strupgolf]

Well, my choice would not be Opitma. I had a yellow top Optima that came with my car when I bought it. It was made in 2003, Sept. and I got my car in may 2004. When I got it home, the battery would not keep a charge.I called the factory, and they said they would only warrenty the battery for 12 months. Oh boy, mine was 13 months old. They said only for the original owner. They said if I took it to a dealer, and the charge held, then bye bye, sorry for your luck. This is b-**it. My car sits for a long time, and I dont want to be worried about a new battery going cold. Also, it is VERY heavy. I could not believe the weight difference between those and a say, a die-hard. This is my 2-cents worth, and I told Optima that I would pass their piss-poor attitude towards the customer to everyone I meet. They must have not cared

[Lukesportsman]

Might consider a yellow top. If you don't have a lot of accessories/stereo amps, I'd strongly consider the new Honda Civic size. Its smaller/lighter and designed for our size engines. It is available at Summit racing that you can check online. I think it might be a few dollars less too with about 10lbs savings over the larger full size yellow tops.

I run a full size yellow top on my 557 cu. in. race car so I don't suspect cranking amp issues for you of any choice. Good luck, and you'll be clad you lost the acid venting in the trunk at a small cost.

[Steve87-911]

Aren't you supposed to use the red top for cars? Yellow top is deep cycle I think, which would do better for your boat and trolling motor. My red top works great. You could always put a trickle charger on a red top for cars that aren't driven much.

[strupgolf]

Steve, you'r right. The red top is the one if you use this brand. The yellow top is not right for our P-cars. I was just pissed off at the attitude of the company with the warrenty.

[afterburn 549]

pc680

[NoLift911]

The yellow top is a deep cycle battery. You do not want that for your car. It is meant to be discharged completely and then charged back up...it's great for the import scene if you do the car show circuit with amps and video pumping for hours. They are also used for trolling motors in marine applications.

-Jeff

[Lukesportsman]

I've still used a yellow top on the race car because of the electrical drain from electric pumps, fans, electronics and such. They list the yellow top as a deep/starter. Sure they provide slightly less cranking amps, but really 750 is quite sufficient on a quality starter with good cables. If it'll start a 14.5:1 9 liter engine, then I might think redundant on a 3.x liter<10:1 engine.

I'm not debating that the red top is their "starter" battery, but strangly I've only seen the "Civic" size available in yellow. I don't think there are too many Civic powered trolling batteries.

The "blue top" was the one that I understood to be their boat style battery. I might be out of the loop here, but I have ran an Ulitma battery since they started making them.....and mine has not DIED. Use a battery tender to keep her from draining.

[RoninLB]

deep cycle needs a different designed regulator imo.

[Lukesportsman]

I agree with the theory in that, Ronin. It does see a lot of time on a charger versus time on the track so that may explain its success in my application. I definitely would agree with a true deep cycle (which I understand to be their blue top version) but have never seen this mentioned about Ultima Yellows.

If this is an issue, and I don't doubt it might likely be, then why do they market it them this way as combo applications?

[no substitute]

I was using the 35 Red. Recently bought a Champion that looks like a black Optima, slightly bigger than the 35. My experience with the Optimas in my 911 is that they are no better (or worse) than a plain old no maintence battery. The round tube Champion I bought was on sale for $69, regular $99. Seems to work fine. The red is snazzy ("bling" in present day verbage), but how often do you see it? Venting? That front corner of the car has a lot of air flow even with good hood seals, if that is what you mean. Or maybe I need new seals.

[kqw]

I've read and heard many issues with the Optima's. It needs this, it shouldn't be used for that, use the red, no, use the yellow, oh and by the way it needs to charged this way, some will not charge that way....

Why bother????

Get a good quality no-maintenance battery and forget about it....

[911pcars]

My old and new Optima. The old one was put into service in '94, sat until the engine came alive in '98 and died last month. Optima is not the only option, but choose one that doesn't consume the front pan while it's charging (or discharging as the case may be).

Sherwood
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[HarryD]

How about some pictures of the installation?

[William Miller]

This is a version with the top terminals on the right ends and no side terminals. I made the bracket out of 1/4" thick aluminum. The top plate sandwiches the battery using all-thread.

I can't recall the model number, but if you go to their site you will be able to see it. I got it at the local "Advanced Auto Parts".

[ScottKelly911]

how about the smaller lighter Oddesey batteries, what's people's experience with those?

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Lukesportsman

I agree with the theory in that, Ronin.

It does see a lot of time on a charger versus time on the track so that may explain its success in my application.

If this is an issue, and I don't doubt it might likely be, then why do they market it them this way as combo applications?

battery mfg stay in business thru marketing. Getting the whole pic sometimes isn't easy, even in the ratings.. Even the terms "deep cycle" & "starter battery" can cause confusion among mfg's. It's not like their hustling thru bad info.. it's just a lack of given info imo.

So lets say we'll stick with the same mfg. Then the deep cycle will have thicker plates than a starter bat. The starter battery will have more plates, although thinner. When starting an engine we need a rapid discharge of current. This available current is on the outer surface of the plates. The more plates the more available instant current. An easy way to work this is to make sure the deep cycle has the necessary CCA available. The inner plate area is poris, but diffuses current and re-charges more slowly.. as when you run down a good battery trying to start the engine till it no longer cranks. If you wait awhile and try again it will seem to be rejuvinated. What happens is that the inner plate will slowly give up it's available current no matter if it's a deep or starter bat. The deep cycle will have more current available inside the plate. So far it sounds pretty good.

When we want to replenish the current into the battery the outer plate area sees the current/voltage first. The regulator cuts back voltage around 3/4 full charge in a starter battery to prevent gassing. The inner plate area needs time for the diffusion. Thin plate = rapid diffusion. The thicker the plate the longer the time needed for this diffusion. So now we have a regulator that detunes the alternator, as a pressure switch would, based on the amount of charge on the outer plates. This lower voltage extends the time necessary for a deep cycle to charge, IF it's enough voltage to cause a charge diffusion into the deep cycle thicker inner plate.

So generally what happens if we use a deep cycle is that it never really gets fully charged on our cars. The surface charge fools the regulator. If it doesn't get fully charged then the remaining sulphation on the plates slowly kills the deep cycle battery. If you run the deep cycle battery to start the engine and keep it running all day it may recharge? Our regulators are a compromise between a mildly over-charged or mildly under-charged starter battery. A good deep cycle regulator is big bucks because it figures the steps needed to bring a deep cycle up to full charge, not like our simple pressure type switching regulators. It'll re-charge a deep cycle relatively quick.

A deep cycle means it can be discharged deeper and more times than a starter battery. We don't need that.

The thickness of the plates and it's charge/discharge plate diffusion is the envelope when discussing deep vs starter batteries in cars imo.

[Early_S_Man]

The Red top has a 36 month free replacement warranty, and the Yellow top only has a 12 month ...

Since you don't really need a deep-cycle discharge battery in a 911 ... why give up the warranty???

[911pcars]

Here's the new Optima in the old Optima battery box. The new battery is slightly smaller than the old one, thus the horizontal bracket (for now) is slightly oversize.

I installed it in the driver's side because the old one wouldn't fit on the passenger side (I'm using a late gas tank). In a rush to get the car running for an event, I didn't have time to trial-fit the slightly smaller case into that spot, but eventually I will.

Sherwood

[LanceS4803]

I started this thread, and now am now much more informed.
Size wise, anything is better than the 13 1/2" x 7 x 7 Duralast that is in the vehicle now. You literally have to shove it down to mount it!!
No Substitute mentioned a Champion battery that might be a gel cell. Sounds like worth checking out.