Hi Everyone,

I am lookin to replace my battery, and I was wondering if anyone has some good recommendations on something to replace it with. I don't really know too much about the brands. I need as much power as possible, and I've been told I need a marine battery, and I found the Optima Blue Top 34M, is this a good battery?

Thanks!

 

the blue top is a marine battery , not for cars. Who ever told you is messing with you.

i want to get HC1400 battery by Kinetik

 

yeah do no t get the blue top........I have the red top myself and it seems to be working fine so far and I got a 3 year warrenty at Autozone .....take it back anytime.

 

The red top Optima is a good battery... the yellow top is better since you are using a lot of power for amps and lights. The yellow top is a deep cycle which will perform better than a stock battery.

With all the stuff that you're running, it's kinda surprising that you're not already running a deep cycle battery. If you still need more power, then a second battery with an isolator might be a good idea.

 

So a yellow top? Any specific model?

 

optima..

 

optima

 

What do you need the power for? Do you need to run for a length of time with the engine off, like car shows, bbq, whatever? Or do you need cranking amps? If you wont be running the battery with the engine off, you don't need a deep cycle. If you have tons of equipment and will always run the engine, check into a HO alternator.

I was looking into Kinetik...but their spec sheets are amateurish compared to everyone else. They don't even post CCA figures, I had to email them for that. That makes no sense. Some independent testing facilities found they under reported CA. Can't believe everything you read on the intertubes, but there isn't much out there to support their claims besides anecdotal evidence.

Optima Red Top...meh. I am shopping for one right now. Next one will be a Diehard Platinum.It's also an AGM and the specs put the others to shame. Over 825 CCA/ Reserve 135. And guess what?? They are built by the same company that makes Odyssey batteries (Enersys). So you can get the equivalent of an Odyssey PC1500 for about $100 less since it's inside a sealed Sears box instead of bling bling red. Not to mention the Sears warranty.

my 2 cents

 

I need power to run at length of time with the engine off,

and what would cranking amps affect?

 

your ability to start your car. especially after abuse, with heavy loads, and in extreme temperature.

theres a formula somewhere. check the googlenets. you can figure out the amps you need.

honestly if you want to run at length with the engine off, you should be running 2 batteries. Get 1 mini odyssey to start the car, and the other to run your electronics with the engine off. If you drain the battery but good playing Halo all afternoon, you still have your starting battery so you can drive home.

 

So get an Optima Red top and a Mini Odyssey? Who makes the odyssey? What else do I need to run two batteries

 

Odyssey is the brand, but they are made by enersys. this is the link to the skinny mini's, seem to be popular:
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680series.htm


I would think for your electronics, you'd go with a Yellow, not Red.

and you'll want to wire them properly, with an isolator so they are separate..ie, the battery for electronics doesn't drain down the starter batt.

Good forum here: http://forum.ecoustics.com

 

Which Yellowtop do I want and which Odyssey battery do i want?

 

whatever that suits best for you really.

the yellow top well.. needs to fit.. and then the other, wherever you plan to install it.

also, look up how to hook up the battery isolator. you can usually find them easily at RV or marine places. it's a useful thing that'll keep your main cranking battery from dying.

 

Do optimas have a problem with fitting? How do I determine, is a 34 a good one?

 

34 will fit

 

Is that on the upper end in terms of power?

 

Definitely get an Optima yellow top, don't get the red top, I had mine for like 9 months before it died completely because I didn't know you couldn't recirculate them. The yellow ones can be recirculated with no problem.

 

what kind of yellowtop do you have?

 

Don't use a battery isolator when using multiple batteries, use a solenoid instead. Isolators are inefficient and problematic, old-tech you don't need. A solenoid wired so that the batteries are only paralleled when the engine is running (so they both charge) will ensure you still have one to start the car when the other battery has been drained. When using such a 2-battery solution, it's always best to start with 2 batteries of the same brand/model, and ideally, same date of manufacture. When you use different brands/models of batteries they tend to fight each other and may not charge well together due to their differing characteristics.

Just saying FWIW.