Thinking of getting an Optima battery as my current battery is stock and 6 yrs old. Right now I'm not running anything special. Just got a standard CD player and 2 KC daylighters. Can someone explain the benefits of the Red vs Yellow tops. I was thinking I should just go with the Red as my needs are not that great right now. But do I even need an Optima at all or is a regular battery good enough for me?

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1995 F150 4.9L 6Cyl
http://kirby.colorado.edu/~terry/f150.html

 

I don't know the differences in the red and yellow tops, but I do know a bit about these types of batteries.

Vibration, especially that found in fast planing hull boats and in off-road vehicles, is a battery killer. It causes the plates in conventionally built batteries to buckle. When the plate buckles, the next step is the cell shorts out. Not a good thing to happen out in the middle of the ocean or in the boonies.

Optima batteries are built in a way that they can resist severe vibration. They can even operate in any postion, including upside down without leaking or failing. Important stuff for military applications, btw.

They are quite expensive, so I'd have to say that unless you put your truck thru severe off-road service, it probably won't make much economical sense to use such a battery.

I'd use Optima batteries in a boat without hesitation. In a truck? I'd go with conventional batteries. Optima batteries would be wasted in our trucks.

[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited 10-31-2000).]

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use the Optima battery. I currently have one in my Lincoln. The red top batteries are for regular applications. The yellow top ones are deep-cycle batteries. Blue tops are marine batteries.

The optima battery uses technology developed for the military. The acid is soaked up in some type of substrate. I think you could even mount them upside down.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/main.htm

regards,

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1999 XLT SC, bright red, 4.2l, 5 speed, MAAP stainless nerfs, Prime Designs bug deflector, Astro Euro-Lid II, Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil and Transmission Fluid.

 

I'm not employed by Optima, but I SWEAR by their batteries. They're the BEST commercially-available, lead-acid battery, by far! I've used a different model, the Black Panther series, to power our hybrid electric Dodge Intrepid.

We put the batteries through hell and back. Surprisingly, we could repeatedly drain them, and they would charge right back up, without any damage!

FYI - We had 24 of the small Panthers wired in series (312VDC nominal; we would see 400+VDC during charging and regenerative braking). It can deliver serious amounts of power.

Honestly, if I was severely abusing the battery in my truck (i.e. lots of wattage in lights, winch, thumping stereo, etc.) or wanting something for a marine application, I would invest in the Optima. But, if you're not putting any high transient loads on your electrical system, then I don't think the price of the Optima is justified.

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VENOM 99
Y2K F-150 SuperCab XLT 4x4
5.4L, 4R70W, 3.55LS
ORP, Trailer Tow, Extang BlackMax tonneau, BedRug
--envious of those with the chrome steel 5-spoke factory wheels--
www.students.uiuc.edu/~cellariu

 

I have a red top Optima in my Ranger after I discovered that a crack in the factory battery (bottom of all places) resulted in acid damage to the inside of my fender. My 99 Cobra had a similar battery problem. All I can say about Optima is they are awesome. They are well worth the money when you consider that they recharge quicker than standard lead acid batteries and they'll last a lot longer. I have a gell cell battery from Germany that is twelve years old and still going strong.

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'00 5.4L 4X4 Lariat (Black/Silver)
'99 Ranger 4.0L 4X4 XLT

 

I have Optima's in my truck and love them. I also have one that's been sitting on the shop floor collecting dust for over two and a half years, waiting to go in a vehicle I don't have ready yet. Every so often I'll hook it up to the battery charger, but within a few seconds it shuts off. It has never needed a charge since I bought it! Try that with a convetional battery.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Mag-Hytec diff. cover, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.