Optima Red or Yellow Top? (1 Viewer)

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ANy recommendations for a battery replacement? Seems most people run Optimas, and I have a Red Top now. It is 6 years old and seems to lose charge fairly quickly.

I currently (get it?) use it for starting and low power stereo, but I'm about to hook up an amp and sub, and may add lights later on. Not really interested in getting into a dual-battery setup right now.

Anyone suggest the yellow over the red?

THanks
 
prolly stick with the red top, unless your running a winch. I have 3 red tops and 2 yellow tops and one 31 yellow top. The yelloew tops are fine for starting BTW

there is another option, the Odyssey batteries
http://www.odysseyfactory.com/

I just got a 1200MJT yesterday($168 to my door), gonna use it on my 82fj40, along with a smaller 2nd Odyssey in the stock tray for a dual battery set up. I don't want to hack things up and only need the smaller bat as a starting backup to the 1200. The Odysseys have some pretty impresive specs, like can take a blow from a 1500lb hamer! and recharge very fast compared to an Optima and can discharge fully 500 times without ill effects, I dunno......just wanted to try something new :D

if you can get the 1700 to fit(and you can with some reworking of the tray) then that would be the ticket. I run a single Optima 31 yellow top(same size as the 1700) in my fj45, its a kickass bat and I got it new for cheap, if buying again(and paying normal prices I would have got the 1700 Odyssey.

ah heck.......just get another red top :D
 
I will back the Odyssey battery in full. We use those on the boat and for our forklifts. Great batteries that take brutal punishment.

If you stick with Optima. Red top is the norm. Yellows are deep cycle. And if you dont know it already, dont use the side screw terminals for your winch power. Melting will occur. Notthat I have some experience :-X in that or anything :-X
 
I am running a yellow top after burning out a red top in 6 months with a bad charging system. I like it a lot, still starts the cruiser just fine, and can withstand extended draws and still have enough left to start the cruiser.
About the stereo and other acc. you will want to be sure that your alternator can handle its current needs, not the battery.
 
Yeah, the alt

for sure, but I also park and run the stereo & lights off battery while the truck isn't running.

No matter how much I charge it, I can only get 12.40 volts from the red top now, and it discharges very quickly, like if the engine doesn't catch teh first time, sometimes it won't have enough juice to turn over the 2nd or 3rd time. Once I'm running, I'm fine.
 
Your battery is gone, time for a yellow top. I can leave my stereo on all night long without any problems (I have a 240 watt head and 200 watt amp on a 12"). I currently have a brake light problem and my brake lights have been on for up to 2.5 hours without even being able to notice a drain on the battery.
12.4 volts is normal for a battery, IIRC This is assuming that your engine is not running at that time. I'll go check my yellow top and get back to ya.
 
CruisinGA

Interested to see what you get for voltage across the terminals (not running). My multimeter manual says 12.4 is 50% discharged for a battery.
 
I hit battery jackpot today.
I was fishing with a friend in a lake at his country club where they provide you with boats, they have 20 boats all with dual Optima Blue Tops. Thats 40 batteries at about $170 each, $6800 in batteries :eek: :eek:
Anyway, I get an even 13 volts from my yellow top in my cruiser shut down. I would assume that is nearly a full charge.
 
IIRC, Optima has some codes on their website for what batteries are for what. Both for top colors and case colors. I ran a Blue top marine starting battery for 3 years by itself with no complaints, now a red for starting and the blue for winching. Works great.
 

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