Red, Blue or Yellow?
- Thread starter DaktariEd
- Start date
IZZYDUSIT
Adventurer
Battaries.....
I like the Interstate battaries!
I have a dual workholics set up in my FJ 62 -They are built to last!!!
Their inner structure plates connections are bomb proof.
draw back- acid...they must be secured.
I sell them in my shop for years and very little warranty issues.
half the price of the yellow..
I also have a third yellow top I keep inside the vehicle- just incase.. to run my arb fridge overnight.
I like the Interstate battaries!
I have a dual workholics set up in my FJ 62 -They are built to last!!!
Their inner structure plates connections are bomb proof.
draw back- acid...they must be secured.
I sell them in my shop for years and very little warranty issues.
half the price of the yellow..
I also have a third yellow top I keep inside the vehicle- just incase.. to run my arb fridge overnight.
Mike S
Sponsor - AutoHomeUSA
Ed
I have been using Optima Yellow Tops in my cruiser - a dual set up in the FJ60, and currenty a single in the 80 - I will double up when I get around to it.
I made my selection the easy way - I asked Mudrak what the best, most durable battery is, and he said Optima Yellow Top. So that is what I have been buying.
Additionally, conventional wisdom says that in dual battery set ups it is always best to run the same type and size batteries. I know that many do not and have no problems. I want to be sure I can fire up the truck regardless of weather or accessory use.
Mike
I have been using Optima Yellow Tops in my cruiser - a dual set up in the FJ60, and currenty a single in the 80 - I will double up when I get around to it.
I made my selection the easy way - I asked Mudrak what the best, most durable battery is, and he said Optima Yellow Top. So that is what I have been buying.
Additionally, conventional wisdom says that in dual battery set ups it is always best to run the same type and size batteries. I know that many do not and have no problems. I want to be sure I can fire up the truck regardless of weather or accessory use.
Mike
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
No, I am not incorrect. I am, however, blind. I looked at that very page since I'd gone there looking for that information b4 posting and missed it. What I get for doing non-work related research while at work.Westy said:
EDIT: Felt I should offer a better explaination. Starting in '96 thru '99 I was on the CSU Chico EV team. We had a set of GM NiMH batteries in the car, but had a problem with them at the '96 NESEA Tour de Sol. In late '96 we contacted Optima about batteries since the car was then w/o any sort of battery pack. We were told then that the Yellow Tops were a Deep Cycle only battery & would work well for our application.
Recognizing there's been some water under the bridge since then I did look at Optima's page b4 posting and failed to see that the Yellows are now listed as dual pupose.
Still, the performance curve of the yellows makes them a less desirable choice as a starting battery than even a wet battery IF the cranking cycle(s) last longer than a couple seconds. Like a hot re-start on a carb'd vehicle running this 'gasoline' formulated with injection engines in mind. Or a vapor-locked anything.
Interstate Batteries; I've had one in my glass buggy since I put the first new battery in it. Always been very good to me. Hold a charge while sitting for long periods & take a thrashing. First one came out after 6 years because I finally buckled the case to the point where one of the cells leaked dry, and then it finally wouldn't start the buggy.
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HenryJ
Expedition Leader
Optima FAQ
Red top= more cranking power, lots of power for short time. Less resistance , quicker recharge.
Yellow top= less power delivered over longer time. More resistance to both discharge and recharge.
Think of it as a five gallon can. One , the Red top, has a 1" spout. The other , a Yellow top is the same size can with a .25" hole for filling.
Pour either into your gas tank and it will start. One will be a faster drain and fill. The other will retain the fuel longer.
That may or may not be a very good analogy. Hopefully you get the idea.
A regular battery is designed to be charged and accept a charge rapidly. This gives the alternator time to cool.
The deep cycle batteries take a longer time to recharge and have greater resistance. This works the alternator for a longer time. This can lead to heating and shorter lifespan for the alternator.
It is all in how you use the vehicle. In a cold climate the extra cranking amps available may be an advantage. If you frequently draw the battery down with accessories and no charging system, the deep cycle may be better.
Everything has its compromise. Use what works for your situation and accept the consequences.
Optima said:
Red top= more cranking power, lots of power for short time. Less resistance , quicker recharge.
Yellow top= less power delivered over longer time. More resistance to both discharge and recharge.
Think of it as a five gallon can. One , the Red top, has a 1" spout. The other , a Yellow top is the same size can with a .25" hole for filling.
Pour either into your gas tank and it will start. One will be a faster drain and fill. The other will retain the fuel longer.
That may or may not be a very good analogy. Hopefully you get the idea.
A regular battery is designed to be charged and accept a charge rapidly. This gives the alternator time to cool.
The deep cycle batteries take a longer time to recharge and have greater resistance. This works the alternator for a longer time. This can lead to heating and shorter lifespan for the alternator.
It is all in how you use the vehicle. In a cold climate the extra cranking amps available may be an advantage. If you frequently draw the battery down with accessories and no charging system, the deep cycle may be better.
Everything has its compromise. Use what works for your situation and accept the consequences.
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Grim Reaper
Expedition Leader
Duralast from Autozone. 3 year replacement 8 Year total. I am at 6 years on one and still going fine.
The only reason I would EVER buy an optijunk is if I had to mount the battery on it's side. They simply do not last. I have seen very few people get more then 2-3 years out of one and I have on several occasions got 5 -6 out of other brand conventional quality battery and for a LOT LESS money. I paid under $80 for the top of the line 8 year warranty Duralast.
Di Hard stinks these days. Company truck ate them up. Factory battery lasted almost 4year and the die hards were done at 14 months.
Any battery at Wally world is junk. My burb had one in it that was 3 month old when I bought it. At a 11 months it dies. Got the replacement and had a guy in line right behind me exactly the same complaint and about the exact time frame. At 13 months that one died with no warning. Drove the truck to watch a B17 take off. No lights left on. Spent 30 minutes away from the truck. DEAD...DEAD DEAD would not jump. Same symptoms of the previous one the croaked.
Batteries are built to spec of the buyer. They can specify the build and it does change the price they pay for it.
Only three major builders, Delphi, Excide, Johnson Control. Funny thing is the batteries I have had the best luck were made by Johnson Control (Duralast and Interstate). But they also make Die Hard that I now have had bad luck with. It goes back to the company specking junk to get a better price and the sad thing is Sears never dropped the price when they did that. Kept charging a premium for a lesser battery.
Batteries I have had good luck with in recent times.
Duralast (autozone)
Interstate
The only reason I would EVER buy an optijunk is if I had to mount the battery on it's side. They simply do not last. I have seen very few people get more then 2-3 years out of one and I have on several occasions got 5 -6 out of other brand conventional quality battery and for a LOT LESS money. I paid under $80 for the top of the line 8 year warranty Duralast.
Di Hard stinks these days. Company truck ate them up. Factory battery lasted almost 4year and the die hards were done at 14 months.
Any battery at Wally world is junk. My burb had one in it that was 3 month old when I bought it. At a 11 months it dies. Got the replacement and had a guy in line right behind me exactly the same complaint and about the exact time frame. At 13 months that one died with no warning. Drove the truck to watch a B17 take off. No lights left on. Spent 30 minutes away from the truck. DEAD...DEAD DEAD would not jump. Same symptoms of the previous one the croaked.
Batteries are built to spec of the buyer. They can specify the build and it does change the price they pay for it.
Only three major builders, Delphi, Excide, Johnson Control. Funny thing is the batteries I have had the best luck were made by Johnson Control (Duralast and Interstate). But they also make Die Hard that I now have had bad luck with. It goes back to the company specking junk to get a better price and the sad thing is Sears never dropped the price when they did that. Kept charging a premium for a lesser battery.
Batteries I have had good luck with in recent times.
Duralast (autozone)
Interstate
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p1michaud
Expedition Leader
The Exide Select Orbital® XCD
Ed,
have you considered the The Exide Select Orbital® XCD? I've just installed my second Exide Orbital and am very happy with their performance. My primary battery is a Red Top and the The Exide Select Orbital® XCD is my aux.
Cheers,
P
Ed,
have you considered the The Exide Select Orbital® XCD? I've just installed my second Exide Orbital and am very happy with their performance. My primary battery is a Red Top and the The Exide Select Orbital® XCD is my aux.
Cheers,
P
DaktariEd said:
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Mine's going on 6 years now and is actually a factory second due to a blemish. Since I've now jinxed myself, I guess I will be looking for another.Grim Reaper said:
upcruiser
Perpetual Transient
I'm running a yellowtop here, no complaints so far. Previously I was running some sort of autozone battery with 1,100 cold cranking amps as I was running the truck in the winter and winters get REALLY cold around here. I was recomended the yellowtop as the best battery for my uses. Including running acceories off of the truck with the engine off, etc.
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
Re: the comment that the Opti's don't last. There was a period of a year or more where the quality was junk. Those batteries made prior to that point in time are what earned Optima it's reputation. I've read various reasons why the quality dropped. I don't know the truth, but suspect it's some combo of all of the conjecture.
Word is that the latest batteries are better. Whether as good as the early units I don't know.
Re: specing the quality to hit a given price. That is EXCATLY why Lucas has such a poor rep. It's not that they can't build quality stuff. It's that they're willing to build to whatever price level the buyer is willing to pay.
I like the Odesseys for their smaller mass & footprint, but I've wondered about long term. Seems like any time you shrink something you give up something else. Just have to try a couple I guess.
I have a couple of the Exide Orbitals in the Sub. Have about a year on them. So far, so good.
Word is that the latest batteries are better. Whether as good as the early units I don't know.
Re: specing the quality to hit a given price. That is EXCATLY why Lucas has such a poor rep. It's not that they can't build quality stuff. It's that they're willing to build to whatever price level the buyer is willing to pay.
I like the Odesseys for their smaller mass & footprint, but I've wondered about long term. Seems like any time you shrink something you give up something else. Just have to try a couple I guess.
I have a couple of the Exide Orbitals in the Sub. Have about a year on them. So far, so good.
tdesanto
Expedition Leader
DaktariEd said:
Ed, do you have a dual batt system in the FJ40 or do you have all of your aux power in your AT?
I've been running dual blue tops for almost a year now. I like them very much. They are the exact same battery as the yellow tops, just different connections. I wanted the aux connections, so I chose the blue tops.
I use the D31M--it's only slightly bigger than the group 34 batteries--skinnier, a little taller, and a little longer, but it has a ton of power. I've run my fridge for 3 days and still had plenty of cranking power left over. In fact, I'm still waiting for the day when I have to switch over to my backup battery for cranking up.
If you've got the room to spare, I'd look at one of these. I don't think you could regret it.
I purchased it here: http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/. Not only did they have the best price at the time, but I got it in 3 days with free shipping. When I factored in the tax and core fees I'd have to pay locally, it was a no brainer.
If you don't plan to need the aux power from this battery, then you might consider the benefits of a dedicated starting battery for it's increased CCA's.
DaktariEd
2005, 2006 Tech Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
tdesanto said:
Yup...I do have a dual battery system. The primary is a Delco...2 years old and dying. The auxiliary is an Optima Yellow top 34/78.
I like the terminals on the Yellow Top and I think I may just get another one as my primary. As someone mentioned earlier and I read on my isolator info, having two batteries identical may have some advantage...though that is more anecdotal than scientific.
I'll check out that Exide Select mentioned by p1michaud...
:sombrero:
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
[hijack]My experience with different batteries vs. same batteries in parallel is semi-contrary. I've had both that self discharged and one different pair that were totally happy together. No clue why.
One theory, it only takes a very small difference in potential to start the self-discharge disaster. Both batteries need to ground at the same place. I had both grounded to the engine block, but in different locations and that was possibly enough to start the cascade. New Sub has same bolt grounding & has yet to self-discharge using the same exact batteries (the Exides mentioned above) that self-discharged in the old Sub.[/hijack]
One theory, it only takes a very small difference in potential to start the self-discharge disaster. Both batteries need to ground at the same place. I had both grounded to the engine block, but in different locations and that was possibly enough to start the cascade. New Sub has same bolt grounding & has yet to self-discharge using the same exact batteries (the Exides mentioned above) that self-discharged in the old Sub.[/hijack]
Desertdude
Expedition Leader
Been through two red tops in the FJ40 - and two in the Tacoma ( just last year)
It's very easy to purchase the Optima's (plus the colors are seductive) if I had the time I would have replaced the last two Yellow tops in the Tacoma with Lifeline batteries here
The AZ heat really kills the Optima's faster - the two Yellow tops in the 80 series are already buckling on the top from the heat...
I will replace all the batteries with Lifeline this time around...
It's very easy to purchase the Optima's (plus the colors are seductive) if I had the time I would have replaced the last two Yellow tops in the Tacoma with Lifeline batteries here
The AZ heat really kills the Optima's faster - the two Yellow tops in the 80 series are already buckling on the top from the heat...
I will replace all the batteries with Lifeline this time around...
HenryJ
Expedition Leader
I have some more red top experience and information.
The Optima batteries are dated with a "burn code" this is the four digit number melted in to one end of the case. The first digit is the year and the last three are the number of days into the year. Example: 8365 = the 365th day of 1998 another 6090 the 90th day of 2006
My wife's car has been running my old red top since the crews factory AC Delco battery died. The other day her car was dead. The dome light had been left on for at least a day. This does not usually drain an Optima to the point it has no voltage to start. I was in a hurry , so I dropped the red top from the HenryJ in and drove it to work. Upon leaving I noticed it started a little slow. When I checked the alternator I found it was not charging.
It turns out the alternator had a bad regulator. Bearings an brushes were good since I had it rebuilt within the last four years.
Now back to the red top. The battery that died was eight years old. I do have one that is older and still going. I tested it and it had only four volts. With a load it would go to nearly zero. With no warranty left I said, what do I have to lose? I'll try charging it.
The "automatic" charger I was using says it will not charge a battery with less than four volts. Sure enough it trips the internal breaker several times before maintaining a steady charge. After an hour the voltage is up to six volts , finally. I still think this may be useless, but leave it to charge overnight.
In the morning I arrive to find a green light and a fully charged battery. Testing it with a load it performs just as it should.
It looks like the bad regulator was the problem , and not the battery. Who knows how long that battery had been keeping things going? The dome light left on was the last straw and it just could not keep going. After a nice long charge it did come back though.
I did buy another new red top, as I was one short even with the revived battery. I now own four red tops and a blue top for the boat.
I mentioned this tale to my alternator builder and he related a story from a gentleman who runs a wrecker. He had seen a red top cut in half. The bottom of the battery destroyed. It still started the car.
I am now more than ever a firm believer that the Optima batteries are a good investment. I am almost ashamed that I was so quick to blame the battery when problems arose. Next time I will have a little more faith.
The Optima batteries are dated with a "burn code" this is the four digit number melted in to one end of the case. The first digit is the year and the last three are the number of days into the year. Example: 8365 = the 365th day of 1998 another 6090 the 90th day of 2006
My wife's car has been running my old red top since the crews factory AC Delco battery died. The other day her car was dead. The dome light had been left on for at least a day. This does not usually drain an Optima to the point it has no voltage to start. I was in a hurry , so I dropped the red top from the HenryJ in and drove it to work. Upon leaving I noticed it started a little slow. When I checked the alternator I found it was not charging.
It turns out the alternator had a bad regulator. Bearings an brushes were good since I had it rebuilt within the last four years.
Now back to the red top. The battery that died was eight years old. I do have one that is older and still going. I tested it and it had only four volts. With a load it would go to nearly zero. With no warranty left I said, what do I have to lose? I'll try charging it.
The "automatic" charger I was using says it will not charge a battery with less than four volts. Sure enough it trips the internal breaker several times before maintaining a steady charge. After an hour the voltage is up to six volts , finally. I still think this may be useless, but leave it to charge overnight.
In the morning I arrive to find a green light and a fully charged battery. Testing it with a load it performs just as it should.
It looks like the bad regulator was the problem , and not the battery. Who knows how long that battery had been keeping things going? The dome light left on was the last straw and it just could not keep going. After a nice long charge it did come back though.
I did buy another new red top, as I was one short even with the revived battery. I now own four red tops and a blue top for the boat.
I mentioned this tale to my alternator builder and he related a story from a gentleman who runs a wrecker. He had seen a red top cut in half. The bottom of the battery destroyed. It still started the car.
I am now more than ever a firm believer that the Optima batteries are a good investment. I am almost ashamed that I was so quick to blame the battery when problems arose. Next time I will have a little more faith.
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