yellow top optimas in a cummins

[zstroken]

I found some yellow top optimas for sale. They were used in a street rod and have set for about two years. how much better are the yellow tops than the oem's. what about optimas that are 3 years old?? sitting harm them?? what you think they are worth?

 

[HeberRam]

First of all, when you buy something used the old saying " buyer beware" applies. Just because they are Optimas they are not designed to last forever. The yellow tops are for those uses where you intend to drain them for periods of time ( deep cycle), such as, extended stero playing, using external lites for a time etc. The Red tops are more for our use IMHO in everyday driving and have higher cranking amps. I would recommend, you purchase "New" Red Optimas if you can afford them after your OEM s fail.



Used tires and batteries are two things I would never put on my truck unless it was an emergency. Safety and peace of mind are major concerns as I do some extensive driving, in all sorts of weather conditions year round.



Steve

 

[illflem]

Although a few folks swear by yellow tops they definitely aren't necessary in our normal application, add a plow, big amp, etc and it might be a good idea. The used ones should be good if they weren't completely discharged then frozen. If you can get a deal, like $30 or less go for it.

 

[fj40charles]

Another option is to find a Optima (Instate battery dealer) and buy blems for around 40 to 50. 00 each. I bought 2 blems for 50. 00 each and they have been great.



I use Optimas (Made by Interstate) in my 4x4 rig, because it is sealed and will not leak acid at extreme angles.



Charles

 

[Gifford]

Optimas

For what its worth, the OEM batteries went south on my 97 after only 2 years, I replaced them with red top Optimas (I remember the autoparts guy trying to talk me outta them cuz they were so expensive, I paid at least 115 each) That was in 1999, they are still working great, consistently maintaining 12+ volts with engine off, I figure the cost difference (of regular batteries) broke even at about 4 years, but if I could get them for 50 bux, its a no-brainer! The starter seems to crank over a bit faster than the OEMs too. Also, another interesting thing about Optimas, is that they never seem to have any corrosion whatsoever on the terminals, unlike any other battery I've ever dealt with.

 

[Lurch]

Check em out before you buy. I've seen people have problems with Optima's sitting idle for extended periods.



Lurch

 

[Loren]

Optima batteries have a much lower self-discharge rate than regular batteries. They can sit for a year (or more) and still start a car.



As you have heard here, the yellow-tops are deep-cycle batteries, so they should be able to stand a deep discharge and recover from it. Optima recommends deep-cycle batteries for our trucks. I suspect that is because of the large power requirements for the intake air heater.



I have used yellow-top and blue-top (same battery with different post layout) batteries in my trucks since 1997 and have no indications that any of them are close to failing. I hope, and expect, to get at least 6-7 years from the Optimas.



The blue-tops in my newer truck were discharged dead (my mistake) a year or so ago. They recovered fine with just a charge, and have been working great ever since.



If those batteries are less than $50 each, I'd buy 'em in a New York minute.



Loren

 

[John]

Not true HeberRam...

I have had the Optima Yellow Tops in my Ram for over two years now... and they work great! Additionally, IF you live where you are cycling your grid heaters all the time (remember, only battery power supplies the 100 + amps required for this), the Yellow Tops are the superior choice. Also, the Yellow Tops, even though they are a Deep Cycle battery, DO NOT have the normal restraints associated with your "average" plate style deep cycle batteries. In fact, the Yellow Tops are just as good at starting capabilities as their Red Top counterparts... this IS proven fact. That also goes for the Blue Tops.



BTW, I have had all three types of Optimas...



Red Tops (right after they were released on the market in various vehicles)



Blue Top (we use it for one of our battery powered fence chargers)



Yellow Tops (currently in use in my Ram)



Also, I haven't been driving my Ram for over two months now but...



I have been starting it weekly and letting it come all the way up to normal operating temps. (with my exhaust brake)... fully cycling the grid heaters (unassisted) each time with not so much as a wimper from my Yellow Tops.



Yellow Tops

 

[BatMan01]

Optima Question

I was all set to buy the Red Top's until I went to Optima's WEB site. Now I do not know which to buy. Heres my dilima. I live in Alaska so CCA is important. I have the Espar and a 1100watt amp for my sound system so reserve is important. I looked at my OEM batteries and they are 750CCA and 150 reserve. The red tops are 800CCA and 104 reserve. The yellow and blue tops are 650CCA and 120 reserve. The reserve on the Optima's concern me. How many Espar's at -40 can I get and still have enough start that mighty Cummins?

 

[HeberRam]

HeberRam Wrong??? NO-WAY!!!

First of all I try to post information that is factual and don't appreciate it when someone like "JOHN" says "not so HeberRam"... .



I'm usually right and factual in my posts, and as usual someone has other opinions, etc.



All I'll say is, let the facts speak for themselves. . In John's case the yellow top is the correct choice, with his trucks excessive down time in storage to maintain its shine and weather protection, and when out in the open, the high use of stero, lights, & power tools for hours on end detailing his truck. Not to mention the yellow top also matches the yellow wiring, chrome and black of his truck.



http://www.optimabatteries.com/usingOptima/auto.asp?make=55&model=140&year=70&brand=71

 

[scbrown]

I contacted Optima before buying and they recommended yellow tops because of the snow plow and CB radio.

When I bought them they tested the CCA and both read over 1300 CCA. But of course the label says different.

I love these batteries, no problems.

 

[tractorface]

Not to get off subject but does anyone know what the OEM battery was for a 99? Bought my truck used and want to know if the batteries are OEM or aftermarket. They are Autocraft Silver and look pretty old (can't find the date code). Seem to be "good" batteries.

Thanks

 

[John]

Sorry Steve...

I didn't mean to offend you.



I still maintain that if you consider your battery damands (i. e. , NO help from the alternator when firing off the heater grids... that's 110 amps! ), the Yellow Tops are the superior choice. Also, if you dig deep enough through all the Optima links, reading all the pertinent information between the Red and Yellow Tops, the Yellow Tops are the most logical choice for our specific trucks.



PS: the only reason my Ram is not being driven daily right now is because of the proposed upgrades I haven't had time to even start on much less complete due to other projects I have pending at my place. This is the first time in 4. 5 years that my Ram has not been driven on an EVERY day basis.



PS: My Ram has NEVER been garaged... not even for one night!

 

[Chipstien]

With my stereo I won't run Optimas unless I can get a hold of a couple of Group 31's. I need all the Reserve I can get and 120 minutes doesn't cut it. I'll be sticking to the group 27 trojan with 170 minutes reserve untill the group 31 Optimas are more readily availiable.

 

[Boondocker]

dead optimas

I've heard a ton of good things about Optimas, unfortunately, my experience as not lived up to those expectations.



My first was a Yellow Top for my travel trailer which saw only occasional use. When I sold the trailer less than a year later, I decided to keep the battery and put it in my Jeep. The Jeep was a daily driver and has an electric winch. It lasted about 1 1/2 years. To the Optimas credit, its demise was gradual, so I had warning. The vehicle just got harder to start.



Still believing in Optimas, replaced it with a Red Top. That lasted less than one year. If I let the vehicle set for several days, it wouldn't start. I'd charge it up, start, drive 25 miles to work. It would barely start at night but still got me home.



Since I claimed it was defective within the 1 year full replacement warrenty period, I got it replaced. It's been a couple months now and so far, so good.



Would I buy Optima again? Probably not. I don't see them as being a good value for my purpose. They certainly have some performance advantages, like any-position mounting and a claimed highly durable design. But since my Ram doesn't require those advantages, I don't consider them to be a good value for my use.



Regards,

Neil



P. S. My Ram does not fit in my garage

 

[John]

Re: dead optimas

P. S. My Ram does not fit in my garage

LOL... I have a 3-car garage and my Ram still won't fit (too much stuff plus the depth is such that I would have only inches front and back).



That was one reason I almost ordered a SWB Ram... I'm still glad I ordered the LWB instead though.



BTW Neil, I too had an early Red Top Optima go bad on me... about 6-months, maybe a year after I purchased it. It was replaced under warranty.



You know, a friend of mine told me he read where the first Red Tops out on the market had such a high percentage of failures that it almost bankrupted the company... I wonder if that was true or not???

 

[RAndrae]

VIBRATIONNNNNNN

I think that the OPTIMA's are awsome. first- no leakage seapage ect... I have a 100 MPH flat bottom race boat and the optima is the only battery that can withstand the vibration abuse. I have wrecked a few batteries just from vibration. This is not only me though, I know at least 10 other hot rod boat guys that use OPTIMA's. they sit all winter and then get thrashed all summer mine has lasted 2 + years. A close friend has had his for 5 years. 60-80 $$ for a decent regular battery and 120 $ for an Optima with no acid leakage ,,, I would go with an OPTIMA.

 

[HC]

OK, I'm not a battery expert, but I'll share some opinions.



Our battery trays are pretty much filled up by the stock batteries, and finding a replacement with the same (or better) CCA and RC that will fit the available space has proven to be more difficult than I would have expected.



Due to the design of the Optimas, I think that you can expect superior cranking amps, but they clearly have less reserve capacity, UNLESS you go to the Group 31 size. That might require MINOR battery tray modification, but the main problem is cost - approaching $250@ with shipping on any website I could find. I couldn't find blems in this larger size, at least not yet. Reserve capacity is a legitimate concern for those who must let the vehicle sit for long times, or those with ESPAR's or similar accessories they need to run when the engine is not running.



I want the sealed, AGM-type battery, to avoid the post corrosion others mentioned. But this "sealed" battery brings another consideration - charging voltage recommended for a "float" charge is <13. 8 volts. Most of our alternators are putting out more than 14 volts, even after the battery is fully charged. Those who draw the battery down with short trips may never see a problem, because it's OK to charge at higher voltages for short times or when bringing a discharged battery back to full charge. But those with a lot of road miles may overcharge the "sealed" type batteries unless you find out how to tweak (lower) the voltage output of our alternators. This could explain why a few members report less than stellar results with the Optimas, while others love them. As they say, YMMV.



Right now the most likely candidate for under my hood is the WalMart MAXX-1N (not available in some areas) or the Autozone Duralast Marine (1000 MCA, CCA unknown but probably 800+, and RC=180 minutes. ) At $55, I may just have to clean the terminals once in awhile. Another one I'm still researching is the ACDelco Professional Platinum battery; it's another type of sealed AGM battery, but so far if it is available in a Group 27 size to fit our trucks, with enough CCA and RC, I haven't been able to find one. I suspect it is new enough that our size isn't made yet.

 

[Loren]

BatMan01,



I would recommend the yellow-top or blue-top Optimas rather than the red-tops. You will see different opinions here, but Optima also recommends the deep-cycle batteries for our trucks.



The reason I have been buying blue-tops instead of yellow-tops is because I have a priority system for batteries. When any battery I own goes bad, the replacement is not necessarily a new battery. It depends on the equipment.



The top priority is the 2000 truck. It gets the newest batteries. Next are my 1995 truck and my wife's mini-van. They will get the batteries out of the 2000 truck. Next are the Toyota "beater" truck and the Ford tractor. Then the RV. The batteries sort of "flow downhill" until they finally go bad in some non-critical use. It's the RV that needs the screw post terminals on the blue-tops, although they are convenient for attaching truck electrical accessories as well.



I have never owned a red-top Optima, so I can't directly compare it to the yellow/blue-top batteries, but I've never had trouble with the cranking power of the deep-cycle Optimas (yellow/blue). The oldest Optimas I own are two yellow-tops that were installed in the 1995 truck when one of the original batteries went bad in 1997. Of those two Optimas, bought new in 1997, one is in the tractor and has come up low (not dead) a couple of times when I tried to start it. It's off season for tractor usage here and the tractor doesn't get started much. If I forget to hook up a charger for 10-15 minutes prior to starting it, it probably won't start.



The mate to that yellow-top is in the beater Toyota that gets used more often than the tractor, usually at least every other week. That battery hasn't let me down ever. (I'd better be careful saying things like that in mid-winter. ) That truck, by the way, has been sitting in an employee parking lot for several weeks now. I'll bet it starts right up.



Except for the low charge state on the tractor battery, none of my Optimas has ever let me down. I would not be concerned with the rated CCA, because it doesn't seem to be an issue. I don't know what an Espar heater draws while it runs, but the deep-cycle capacity of a yellow/blue-top would be much more important in that application than CCA would be.



Loren

 

[HC]

Let's clarify some terms: A "deep cycle" battery means the battery can take being almost fully discharged without damage.



Reserve Capacity, or amp-hour rating, means the battery has a lot of power stored in it, and can provide power (like to an ESPAR) for a longer period of time before becoming fully discharged.



The smaller Optima's in a yellow or blue top won't be damaged by Espars draining them down, BUT, they will be more quickly depleted than a higher Amp-hour (or RC) rated battery. In other words, you're running a greater risk of fully draining your battery with an espar, or if you leave a dome light on. So maybe you won't start after 10 or 12 hours instead of being able to leave the dome light on overnight and still start with no trouble in the morning.



If you choose a low Amp-hour battery, with much less RC than the stock batteries, then you run a greater risk of a "no start" condition if you put a drain on the battery, no matter how well the battery is able to tolerate the condition (deep cycle design). The deep cycle design just means you won't "kill" the battery by doing this. After you get it on a charger, it will recover fully.