Which OPTIMA battery to use?

[JeffW]

Sorry for the delay, I was sick all last week. Here are some pics.

[fourfourto]

Thanks for pics, looks tight to fit my light.
Maybe they have one with the posts more apart.
When Im ready I will have to look into it.

[mountainbiker]

Originally Posted by JeffW

Here are some pics.

Hi JeffW,

I see you had to mod the battery box lid. How about the bottom tray--did you have to trim away the little tab/reinforcements (on the terminal / length ends or all around)? Did you mod the "puck" (where the bolt affixes the strap)?

My smaller Red Top with a BCI of 25 didn't require the tabs to be cut, but would have required the lid to be cut (if I reinstalled it). I also had to make a slight mod to the "puck", so the strap would tighten against the smaller battery. Now, I am thinking of upgrading to the Yellow Top. Weird thing is your model has 750CCA, but the same model here in Europe is 690CCA.

mountainbiker

[JeffW]

Originally Posted by mountainbiker

Hi JeffW,

I see you had to mod the battery box lid. How about the bottom tray--did you have to trim away the little tab/reinforcements (on the terminal / length ends or all around)? Did you mod the "puck" (where the bolt affixes the strap)?

My smaller Red Top with a BCI of 25 didn't require the tabs to be cut, but would have required the lid to be cut (if I reinstalled it). I also had to make a slight mod to the "puck", so the strap would tighten against the smaller battery. Now, I am thinking of upgrading to the Yellow Top. Weird thing is your model has 750CCA, but the same model here in Europe is 690CCA.

mountainbiker

Yes, I had to trim the back two tabs to about half their original width. I did make a modification so the strap would be snug. I didn't modify the puck, though. I suppose that might be a good way to go. Instead I just put some strips of lattice fence wood on top of the battery underneath the strap.

[SHYANNE]

is the optima battery reall really that much better and will it last that much longer with the extra cost it cost ?i dont know much about it ?

[JeffW]

Originally Posted by SHYANNE

is the optima battery reall really that much better and will it last that much longer with the extra cost it cost ?i dont know much about it ?

Conventional batteries don't like to be dishcarged very deeply. That will shorten their life considerably. Yellow top is a "deep-cycle" battery which is designed to be allowed to discharge deeper between charge cycles. If your power profile is unmodified, I don't think this is of much concern. In my case, I added a computer system that goes into standby when the vehicle is off, and continually draws 180ma in this state. That shouldn't be too much trouble for the stock battery, but I decided to play it safe so I don't have to worry if the vehicle isn't driven for a week or so. One time, after I installed the Optima, I actually left the computer running at full power over night and it started up fine the next day (with computer still running).

[H3gtwn]

Originally Posted by JeffW

Conventional batteries don't like to be dishcarged very deeply. That will shorten their life considerably. Yellow top is a "deep-cycle" battery which is designed to be allowed to discharge deeper between charge cycles.

I have run both Yellow tops and Reds. My experience is Yellow Tops do not like to be charged frequently. My wife's constant short trips tended to kill a Yellow top in less than a year or two. If your charging profile is frequent short charges, and primarily starting, then the Red top is best. 5 years from a red top is easy and they take the abuse of trail driving like no other battery.

If left disconnected the low self discharge rate means they can sit unattended for a year and still maintain a charge. They also do not vent gases, so that battery box and vent setup are not needed and they can be charged at a high rate that takes advantage of the 125 amp alternator in the H3.

My first modification to my new '07 was to place a Red top 78/34 into the battery slot.