Wtf Is The Deal W/ Optima Batteries
02-04-2004, 08:57 AM
#1
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Jensen Beach, FL / Sylva, NC
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Is this a legitimate performance mod??
I mean the Battery starts the car the altenator does the rest so why will a Red top make my car faster??
Am I missing something here???
I mean the Battery starts the car the altenator does the rest so why will a Red top make my car faster??
Am I missing something here???
02-04-2004, 08:59 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, Ontario
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Who told you that?
If anything you'll be slower, I'm pretty sure they're heavier than your average battery.
Spill free is pretty nice though.
you'll also need a charger that has a setting for deep cycle batteries. I had a yellow top that got fried by a standard charger.
If anything you'll be slower, I'm pretty sure they're heavier than your average battery.
Spill free is pretty nice though.
you'll also need a charger that has a setting for deep cycle batteries. I had a yellow top that got fried by a standard charger.
02-04-2004, 09:27 AM
#3
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Location: Dover DE
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Optima Batteries acctually are a lot better than a standard battery because of the spiral wound technology they incorporate. The Spillproofing comes from the electrolyte of the battery being injected reather than a liquid. Depending on the model you buy they carry a cold cranking amp rating of 800-1050. We use them exclusively in the Air Force because of their adaptability to just about any vehicle, they do not freeze and I have not seen one blow up yet. Due to the vast climates Air Force vehicles are subjected to, such as the -40+ degrees in Minot North Dakota, to the blistering heat of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the middle east, these batteries hold up pretty well. Jims another advantage for you would be their resistance to the constant jarring from autocrossing. A normal lead acid battery would slosh around and the constant jarring of the battery would cause premature failure of the lead plates in the battery which is know as sulfating the plates. Over time as the chemical reaction occurs in a standard lead acid battery the lead plates break down and fall to the bottom of the battery causing the plates to short out over time, otherwise known as a bad cell. With your extreme jarring of the car the sloshing of the battery and the premature sulfation of the plates would be reduced by this style of battery. The weight of the battery is not much different than a standard Die Hard you get from Sears. They are maintenance free so you do not have to worry about a cap coming loose and sloshing acid all over your engien compartment or rear mount if you have one. I have on more than one occasion been able to bring an Optima battery back from the dead (less then 3 volts) by a slow trickle charge over 2-3 days, and used the battery for another 6 months before replacement was finally needed. Understand for fleet use these batteries really get a test. We use them in just about every vehicle in fleet that uses a standard automotive battery. I have to say I love them, the days of jumpstarting a vehicle @ -10 in the middle of a blowing snow and worrying that it may explode beaces it is frozen are over. If anything, the safety factor of these batteries makes them worth the price, especially when mounted in the cabin of the vehicle.
Hope this helps answer your question, and no I am not an Optima retailer or salesman :P
Hope this helps answer your question, and no I am not an Optima retailer or salesman :P
02-04-2004, 09:42 AM
#4
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Camel - You make some good points and if this was for my DD I would say yeah I would get one.
I actually drop a 11 lb. Drycel battery in my TII for Autocrosses to save weight. Then put in my run of the mill Sealed battery for DD When that dies I might look into a Optima.
I see people listing the Red Top as a noteworthy mod to their car. Like it is adding HP or something. I was just wondering if I was missing something before I laught at them for thinking a stupid battery is actually making their car faster.
I actually drop a 11 lb. Drycel battery in my TII for Autocrosses to save weight. Then put in my run of the mill Sealed battery for DD When that dies I might look into a Optima.
I see people listing the Red Top as a noteworthy mod to their car. Like it is adding HP or something. I was just wondering if I was missing something before I laught at them for thinking a stupid battery is actually making their car faster.
02-04-2004, 12:41 PM
#6
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the reason i got a red top optima was because i relocated my battery to the cabin. so now i dont need to have a vented battery box. it just has to be secured.
02-04-2004, 02:19 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by apexkw' date='Feb 4 2004, 01:41 PM
the reason i got a red top optima was because i relocated my battery to the cabin. so now i dont need to have a vented battery box. it just has to be secured.
02-04-2004, 03:29 PM
#9
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Location: WA
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i have a yellow top, relocated to the passenger bin. I like it because it lasts longer than a conventional battery and they are les prone to explode. And i got it for 100 bucks. 
about the same price as a regular battery.
02-04-2004, 11:35 PM
#10
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Location: Dover DE
Posts: 989
The Optima does need to vent, the two grey discs on the top of it are the vents. And if you do happen to fry one, which can happen. They smell horrid, the gel that the electrolytes is embedded in really puts off a bad odor.