Optima batteries - worth the dosh?

[codlord]

I am looking to get 2 decent replacement batteries for my surf, and just wondered if Optima batteries are really worth the dosh or is it all just marketing nonsense - i.e. are they actually better that other batteries?

My mate was trying to get me some batteries through his work but the ones they use in sprinter vans are just slightly too large plus he could only get one type of terminal position - not left and right side batteries.

The optima batteries seem to have a simple flat top and protuding terminals rather than the semi-recessed top/terminals that other batteries seem to have - i.e. even with two batteries with terminals in the same place it would probably be easier to route/attach the battery cables with a flat topped battery.

[openback]

got two red tops on my truck so they should fit ok with some wire moving, and need a spacer(piece of wood) under the battery clamps as they are about an inch smaller all round than the old batteries, still considerably heavier though. as to weather they're worth it, not sure, they work great, never let me down, turn the engine over with ease. only got them because i had one six month old one in my old hilux which i sold for £250 so i wasn't letting the red top go at that price so stuck one of the jap batteries from my new truck in but that ment i had to get a second to make a pair for the new one! there are a few more similarly constructed batteries on the market now, i think scorpion racing do one. if you do decide on them ring around i got the second for £20 less than the first, see if i can find where from!

[codlord]

Just had a look at Scorpion Racing http://www.scorpionracing.co.uk/

They do Exide Maxxima batteries, but no prices.

Yeah if you (or anyone else) got any contacts for buying batteries then please add them to the thread.

[AndyLala]

Optima Red Top will turn over a 2.4 on its own. Mine is split off with a single Exide Maxxima (at the moment), when engine is running, they join together.

Make sure the Red Top is the big one.. as they make different sizes (remember your 650cca minimum)...

Not had a hiccup yet, but I did get the alternator heavily breathed on, so its putting out about 50% extra... so any major demand gets put back quickly...

You may be able to negotiate a better price for two Maxxima's and although they are rated as deep cycle batteries, they are capable of acting as starting batteries.

Another option may be the Odessey selection of batteries, the guys at www.TBRuk.com may do a deal on a couple of those.

[Dog_Book]

Optima Red Top will turn over a 2.4 on its own. Mine is split off with a single Exide Maxxima (at the moment), when engine is running, they join together.

Make sure the Red Top is the big one.. as they make different sizes (remember your 650cca minimum)...

Not had a hiccup yet, but I did get the alternator heavily breathed on, so its putting out about 50% extra... so any major demand gets put back quickly...

You may be able to negotiate a better price for two Maxxima's and although they are rated as deep cycle batteries, they are capable of acting as starting batteries.

Another option may be the Odessey selection of batteries, the guys at www.TBRuk.com may do a deal on a couple of those.

Who did your alternator dude??? i want more power output from mine

[da SLUG man]

i thought the point of the optimas was they they're gel batteries so at angles they don't spill acid all over??


my 3 litre turns over fine on a bog standard battery that i picked up from costco... don't know the cca though.

[crazybitch]

Bosch from costco has no problem throwing my 3.0 over!! first turn of the key, 3 years gtee and sealed for life so no spills either!

[Medieval Dave]

Yep, I have a pair of sealed for life bosch on mine and they turn it over FAST even in serious cold. I had to get them in a hurry after the catestrophic failure of the no-name jap batteries that failed last year but even over the counter in national tyre they were less than 100 the pair.

[codlord]

So I assume that those who have fitted 2 normal batteries without flat tops and with the terminals in the same place on both (i.e. something like the pic below) then it's no problem to fit existing wires - have you just turned one of the batteries around so the negative is always nearest the edge of the truck? Or are the existing cables long enough to fit both the "right" way around?

[AndyLala]

passenger side is a little tight, but doable. You'll need to remove some of the cable clips and refit them in the new place...


I got my alternator rebuilt at that place in Hanger Lane, "Sahib Electronics" on the north circular... it wasn't cheap, but hasn' t missed a beat, and it has had a spanking on a regular basis...

[TonyN]

i thought the point of the optimas was they they're gel batteries so at angles they don't spill acid all over??


my 3 litre turns over fine on a bog standard battery that i picked up from costco... don't know the cca though.

Yeah, you can mount them sideways. They're cool! The red top is just a good quailty battery, the Yellow top better as it's 'deep cycle' means you can flatten it and charge it over and over and it won't die (ie for lotsa of winching), it'll sit for a year and not discharge or it'll work fine as a conventional starting battery.

[AndyLala]

All the Optima's will deep cycle... but they all have a limit.


I think the Red Top (Starters) have a limit of 30 times or something like that...
And the Yellows, about 300... sure I read that somewhere... but can't find it now...

[golly]

buy a bosch n save some dosh

the title says it all
unless you do a lot of hardcore off road or you have a zillion amphour spots an aload of other battery draining things and for some reason you have tomount your battery onits side you dont need an optimer. when my jap ones die am gona get the bigest bosh silver tops i can stuff in the holes an they will last me at least 6+ years,the 1 on my red van is now that old and i live in the coldest place you could think of a company by the name of andrew page sell bosch look em up gollygone

[codlord]

My reason for wanting 2 decent batteries is that (a) the current ones are dying and I can't start the truck at the mo, and (b) when I go on off roading weekends I find that using the rear window and locks and int lights a lot when camped really sucks the life out of the batteries, so much so that I can have trouble starting if I have not used the truck all weekend (I may be using my motorbike all weekend).

I don't really want to go to the hassle of wiring up leisure battery as doing it properly is not an easy task (i.e. to get window running off leisure battery and connecting batteries together when started etc) - I thought just getting two decent batteries would be enough to sort this issue.

Tony - do you reckon I would be better off with 2 deep-cycle types? i.e. would they be o.k. as starters and handle being drained by window motor etc when camped?

[da SLUG man]

rather tha isolating the windows / lights etc... why not isolate the starter so that the engine turns off 1 batery and everything else runs off the other... then as long as you've got enough juice to energise the starter solenoid then the motor will start.


um... does that only make sense to me?