• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Which Optima, red or blue?

D

DaveNJeep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NorCal
I rarely drive the 91 XJ, maybe twice a month and only wheeling/camping/other recreation. I do have a winch with a stock alternator. I'm planing on upgrading the stock wiring (5-90 if available still).

The blue top says it's "starting/deep cycle" while the red top states it's "starting". The blue top is 750 CCA and the red is 800 CCA.

So which one is better in my application?
 
Blue all the way IF you go optima. No reason not to get a deep cycle batter especially from Optima. I ran a yellow or blue top in my race car.

That said I'm a recent convert to the F-Optima camp. They are extremely expensive and they SUCK. I had 4 batteries die on me over the years. The first was under full warrantee and the rest partial or none. But it would have been a lot more to move/rebuild the battery box so I kept buying them. In my Jeep I have a costco dry cell and I've run it dead 3 times and it charges right up. I lost a cell almost every time I drained my optimas.
 
Neither, buy an Odyssey AGM.


I haven't bought an optima in a few years but the red one I have was warrantied out 3 times in 7 years, it is dead and needs replacing again but the warranty ran out.

The yellow one I had lasted only about 1.5 years, and died without warning on a trail in Johnson Valley It was so dead it wouldn't even run after being jump started.
 
I know I'm not answering the question you asked, and I apologize. I had a Red top and I kept killing them (3). Picked up a Die Hard Platinum and have had it about 6 months. It cranks my heep faster than any other battery I have had in there. I used to have to keep my battery unhooked if I let it sit for a couple weeks, the Die Hard will crank it right up like nothing. I have been amazed by it. I must have missed the boat on the "good" Optima's.
 
About 12 years ago Optimas were great. All my desert buddies had them...it was the only affordable dry cell. Now the cost is double and the cells die.

Never buy a red top. Blue or Yellow if you are set on Optima. you want a deep cycle in case you do drain it.
 
Red tops are CRAP..

Orbitals are CRAP..

I LOVE Optima Blue tops...

/Experience
 
The top isn't the indicator of being a deep cycle. The body is either dark gray or light gray. Dark gray/blue top is marine terminal deep cycle, light gray/blue top is Marine starting.

Either way, I agree that the quality has dropped. I am currently running a Duracell AGM from Sam's, and I have been really impressed.
 
Odyssey.

Die Hard Platinum is rebadged Odyssey.
 
I had a red top and took it out and replaced it with a diehard platinum AGM. Never looked back, quicker starts and is happier while winching.
 
Re: Re: Which Optima, red or blue?

bigdaddyjlove said:
The top isn't the indicator of being a deep cycle. The body is either dark gray or light gray. Dark gray/blue top is marine terminal deep cycle, light gray/blue top is Marine starting.

Either way, I agree that the quality has dropped. I am currently running a Duracell AGM from Sam's, and I have been really impressed.
Click to expand...

For accuracy sake I wanted to update this post. Red vs Yellow the top color does indicate the funtion. Red is for starting only and Yellow is Deep Cycle. Blue is Marine and actually light grey is "dual-purpose" meaning deep cycle. Dark grey is starting only so avoid that. So a yellow top and light grey blue top are the same battery other than the terminals

More than anyone needs to know cause you shouldn't buy one haha
 
There was a lot of talk about this about a year ago and a rep from optima posted up that they had some issues due to them moving their manufacturing to Mexico. He said they have addressed the problems and supposedly brought the quality back up to where its supposed to be. I have had a yellow top for a couple of years and have been happy with it. That being said if I needed another battery I would be looking at the Sears Die Hard.
 
That line about fixing the Mexico problem is the same line they've been saying for years now...
 
Most all of the AGM batteries carried by you local parts stores are made by East Penn, based out of Ontaria, CA USA. Maybe even Odyssey?
 
Just tagging along here...

I had a Red top Optima ~ 15 years back that I ran in my Mustang Cobra and another Mustang for a couple years prior to that... in over 5+ years it never gave me any problems. Of course I wasn't running a winch on those cars, but did have nice stereo systems.

Fast forward to this past weekend... my battery went dead on my '01 XJ. No warnings, just absolutely DEAD... and this was my 3rd A-Zone Duralast Gold top battery I had to replace in ~ 2 years. No way was I going to buy another of those... apparently the rep and quality of these batteries are not what they used to be.

Since this battery was 'partially' under replacement warranty (they changed that too) I decided to pick up the Yellow Top Optima battery and pay the additional difference. Of course it's only been a week but so far so good. :) I'd have purchased something else but was kind of in a bind. Hopefully this Optima will be one of the good ones, but only time will tell.
 
I've had the same yellow top optima in my jeep since 2008. Starts like a champ.
 
One word of caution based on my experience. The Die Hard Platinum AGM battery from sears is a great battery, too bad their warranty/exchange process is a pain in the ass. There are also proven stories of warraty replacement batteries simply being used and recharged batteries that were removed from other customer vehicles. Don'y buy a battery from Sears.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Intermittent stalling
Replies
4
Views
943
Tim_MN
Tim_MN
B
No start on The Old 96er
Replies
10
Views
715
Anak
Anak
V
Sitting a long time. Maintenance/Upgrades?
Replies
7
Views
537
asymptonic
A
H
Parting out 2000 XJ - dark blue, manual locks/windows
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
Hildy
H
blondejoncherokee
SierraFest 2020 registration information - Register by July 5th
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
cj_mike
C
Back
Top