question Optima Batteries

[snowtracdave]

Ok men....I'm thinking of changing all my vehicles over to this type / brand of battery as I now have too many vehicles with dead batt's & the novelty of spending my hard earned on lead acid with monotous regularity has worn off . I'm sure I've read that some of you have already made the change - any thoughts or recommendations to pass on to somebody who has read the brochure , looked at the website and is now , still , completely confused ! Where to buy would be helpful too - if there are any discount outlets anywhere .

 

Thanks chaps .

 

Davie .

[Stormin]

They look far too small and modern and thoroughly out of place on an historic vehicle!

Not so bad if they're hidden away in an enclosed battery box but you're still going to have to make modifications to clamp and secure the little thing.

Some people on here swear by them, but you'll need deep pockets for the initial outlay.

 

Bet Jack would love one :rofl:

[84KB11]

Running Optima red tops in the Land Rovers and an Optima yellow top in the Daimler.

I have found them very good, and they have out lasted the other batteries that I have purchased since.

[philb]

The Optimas (Red Top especially) have much lower internal resistance (= more starting current) than liquid electrolyte batteries of the same size, they will suffer more deep discharges and they have lower natural (internal) leakage rates than other types but.... if they are left discharged for long they will be ruined too. Any lead-acid accumulator (which these are) has to be kept at a very high state of charge to have a long life. It's actually quite amazing how long a life they can have.

 

So, I'd say, if you are sure that your vehicles' electrics are not draining them while they are resting (or, it seems, as long as your name is not Jack), the Optimas will serve you well - but so should standard batteries. If they are not being drained, it's high temperatures (above about80°F in old money) that will cause them to discharge naturally and lose the will to live, not our winters, or autumns, or springs, or most summers.

 

Phil

[snowtracdave]

They look far too small and modern and thoroughly out of place on an historic vehicle!

Not so bad if they're hidden away in an enclosed battery box but you're still going to have to make modifications to clamp and secure the little thing.

Some people on here swear by them, but you'll need deep pockets for the initial outlay.

 

Bet Jack would love one :rofl:

 

Yes , good points . I'd already decided to build suitable battery boxes to conceal / minimise the visual impact on the vehicles where they can be seen or where it matters. And I'd also seen the prices hence the footnote asking if anybody knows of an agent offering better/discounted prices .

 

 

The point philb makes is also something we'll have to investigate more thoroughly as one of the Unimogs has already killed it's original (although that was on it's last legs ) & one replacement battery - most likely through lengthy periods of unemployment but the possibility of drainage is there although we've not had an oppertunity for a proper look . ........

 

Perhaps we can Jack to come up & have a look once he's sorted the GMC :-D

[84KB11]

My Daimler kept killing batteries, to many electrical gizmos!

Hence the Optima yellow top, which is designed to be deep cycle.

I use a solar charger to keep it toped up when the vehicle is not in use, and this seems to work well.

 

I would agree with philb, a standard battery should be just as good if looked after correctly.

I have just found the quality of other batteries that are available does not seem that good.

[N.O.S.]

I had 2 main reasons for going with Optimas:

 

1) was the problem of having to remove batteries from construction equipment for security. After a week of lugging 2 x 12v long units on and off each machine morning and night my arms were getting too long.

 

2) some older big diesels are quick to drain batteries and not just in colder weather) before reluctantly firing up.

 

Optima solves this by:

 

1) being light enough (red top) to carry one in each hand for considerable distances before fatigue sets in. This is also handy if you need to remove the battery to charge it.

 

2) having the ability to spin an engine over faster so that it fires up quicker. You really have to experience this to appreciate it. A guy in a scrap yard in Essex(?) laughed when my supplier put 2 x 12V red tops on a V16 Paxman generator which despite a massive battery bank was a sluggish starter. He didn't laugh for too many seconds :cool2:

 

An added benefit of this feature is the ability to use a set of jump batteries to start dead vehicles etc over and over again before requiring recharge. Even red tops will just keep on starting 'cos they don't have to crank the engine over for so long!

 

For vehicles/machines which can be locked away I use Yellow Top for added whump.

 

But as has been said above, standard batteries will give complete satisfaction if well looked after.

 

A battery isolator will stop any leakage problems.

 

A U.S. jeep parts site is pedalling 6V Optimas in a period lookalike black case - $ wow!, but the best for those who can afford.

 

Dave - for best prices contact 4leaf batteries, Carbrooke, Norfolk. Tel. 01953 881330 www.4leafbatteries.co.uk I'll pm you an "old boys' promotion code" :cool2:

[snowtracdave]

Message received understood NOS ! Thank you .

 

Isolator switch next on list of Things To Do .

 

Of course , by the Law of Sod I have one in the workshop somewhere & I fully expect to find it after I buy another one .

[84KB11]

Unless the "old boys rate" makes a significant difference, Paddock are a lot cheaper for these:

 

http://www.paddockspares.com/scp/PERFORMANCE/Optima_Batteries.html

[snowtracdave]

They certainly look like pretty good prices although I didn't check to see how much delivery was on top .

[N.O.S.]

Unless the "old boys rate" makes a significant difference, Paddock are a lot cheaper for these:

 

 

That is a good link, 84KB11 - not much difference at all.:tup::