Optima batteries

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Author Message   Anonymous Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 10:20 pm:    does anyone have any experience with optima or the new pro comp batteries? do they require a new high-amp alternator?   bender2033 Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 10:41 pm:    I installed a red top optimal last month. So far so good. Only gotcha I encountered was the stock battery hold down didnt fit the optima perfectly. Im still looking for a solution.   Al Oliveira (Offroaddisco) Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 11:57 pm:    I've been running a yellow top for a few months. Works great. I had to install something at the base (a couple of 2x4s cut to size) to lift the Optima since the original battery was a little taller.   nadim Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 07:42 am:    I have an 85 AMP alternator, and running dual Yollow Tops. No problems. I think NAS Discos have 100 Amps if not 120 Amps alternators. The whole idea of the Optima Yellow Tops is to store enough energy and be able to deplete a lot so as not to be too demanding on the alternator during that intermittent use of the electrical power.   p m Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 01:14 pm:    i've had a red top for a few years. never let me down, even with parking lights and dome light left on overnight. new pro comp or exide spiral cell batteries are the same stuff, somehow exide wants more dough for their fare. you don't need any special alternator for an optima. peter   Mike B. Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 08:04 pm:    Sorry for the newbie question, but for a Disco with a winch and a single battery, are you supposed to get a red top or a yellow top. Currently, the stock Interstate battery lasts for about one minute before it's so completely drained (12.1 volts) that the winch quits. If I wait for about a minute, the volts climb back to 13.4 and I can winch for a few seconds more. Thanks in advance, Mike B.   p m Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 09:42 pm:    Mike, red top is a starter-optimized battery, that is, it will produce the max current but not complete charge ((current x time)@output < (current x time) put in). the yellow top is a deep-discharge-optimized battery, with less of CCA-producing ability, but while discharged at more reasonable current, it will render you more of the charge you put in it. the starter batteries don't like deep discharges, and deep-discharge batteries don't like very high currents. a yellow top will start your disco and provide a slight edge while winching. you may see a decline in performance of a red top after 10-20 complete drains. peter   nadim Posted on Thursday, June 27, 2002 - 02:34 am:    Winch = Yellow Top if only for one battery.   Mike B. Posted on Sunday, July 07, 2002 - 09:10 pm:    Oops. I forgot my manners. Thanks everyone for the input. I guess I'm off to find a yellow top! Thanks, Mike Bauer   Jon Posted on Sunday, July 07, 2002 - 09:28 pm:    I've got the orange top in my disco, it's been doing a great job the last year or so. i belive it's the same as the red tops, just the terminals are reversed... ~J   CEJB Posted on Sunday, July 07, 2002 - 09:57 pm:    Haven't sat down and compared performance but these appear to be worth a look. http://www.odysseyfactory.com/ FWIW I have a red top Optima with winch for the last two and a half years.   Jeff Price Posted on Sunday, July 07, 2002 - 10:26 pm:    The orange top is the marine version and is supposed to be some sort of comination of red and yellow. -jeff   Jon Posted on Sunday, July 07, 2002 - 11:08 pm:    Jeff, from what i've read i belive the orange tops are not a red and yellow combo but a battery for european cars...i might be wrong though... ~J http://www.absbattery.com/optimaorangetopnewproduct.htm   Warren Posted on Monday, July 08, 2002 - 01:33 am:    The Marine Battery is the Blue Top, Thats what I have in my DI, It has two extra auxillary battey terminals for all of the crazy stuff on our trucks, lights, powerinverters, systems, air compressors, winches, etc.   Jay Hobbs (Jayxd) Posted on Monday, July 08, 2002 - 11:33 am:    I've talked with a few people who find the red top a better option for winching uses. They said their yellow tops pulled longer, but not with enough power to get them unstuck, so they switched to red. Don't know how "real world" that is but I guess there is always a trade off.   Milan Posted on Monday, July 08, 2002 - 12:31 pm:    I used to recommend Yellow Top or Blue Top for the winch applications. Now I think the Deep Cycle Odyssey is better. More power, less cost and same technology as Optima. Get the Odyssey (coincidentally light blue top).