• 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.

Blue or Red Optima?

S

steveareno

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Stevensville , MT
I will be replacing the batterty on my 99 XJ. It has a winch and auxilliary lighting. I am thinking about the Blue (marine) Optima because of the twin terminals and deep cycling. However, the Red is cheaper.
Which do I want for my application? Why?
Thanks, Steve
 
Actually optima recommends a yellow top for that. The blue top, long term, is not a good everyday starting battery.
 
robz95xj said:
I got a yellow and love it.
Click to expand...

Same here. While I'm not winching (yet), it has run radio gear and computers for extended periods with the engine off and hasn't let me down. Also, it's probably worth mentioning that the D34/78 yellowtops *do* have a second set of terminals - you just need to get sideposts for them from your local auto parts store.
 
Thanks for the replys and url's to other posts. I reviewed tyhe Optima website and was still confused between the Yellow and Blue - they are both dual purpose batteries - starting and deep cycling. Red is a starting, only battery. So, then I called Optima, the tech said that the only differnce between the yellow and blue dual purpose batteries is the posts; Blue has dual. He said that the Blue would work fine for my application.
I will be buying the Blue because of the dual posts and they have it at Costco.
 
I believe Blue may have a longer warranty period as well......
 
I went with the blue top and have had 0 problems.

The extra terminals make it easy.

Brian T.
 
I would buy the Yellow. I know that if the Blue is a deep-cycle design....they last longer when fully discharged and re-charged on a regular basis. That's why they use them in marine applications...for trolling motors and depthfinders, gps...etc.

They USED to recommend for you to fully discharge these batteries quite often and to re-charge them slowly with a 2-amp trickle charger. They used to recommend for you to do this if you wanted the most life out of your deep-cycle battery. They might have changed all this by now.....or maybe they're making a more "dual-purpose" type of a battery now.

Either way....Optimas are great...I really like the Red-tops that I've been running for quite awhile now. They work great for what I've been using them for.
Aron
 
I know that alot of the monstertrucks (Bigfoot,Raminator) use the yellow tops. They don't have altanators so the batteries get discharged/recharged alot.
 
I have killed 3 red tops camping and Jeeping, and I only have 2 Hellas, no winch, and no amps/subs.
I run a Yellow in the rig now, and would never use anything else.
I use a Blue top as well, but thats in the boat.
Make a note.
 
If you go yellow or red top, do NOT use the side posts for your winch. They can't handle the amperage draw and Optima will not warrant them in that instance--and in case you're wondering, yes, they can figure out how a battery has been ruined.
 
what about energizer ones? i started seeing these lately in stores...
 
Timber said:
If you go yellow or red top, do NOT use the side posts for your winch. They can't handle the amperage draw and Optima will not warrant them in that instance--and in case you're wondering, yes, they can figure out how a battery has been ruined.
Click to expand...

I agree...I ended up completly draining my red-top winching off trail when I broke....The winch was hooked up to the side post, now the battery won't hold a charge at all. I'm currently setting it up for duals, a red for starting, and a yellow for the winch and radio....I think that should solve my problem.

Trevor
 
Yellow and blue are identical on the inside. The blue has extra posts. That's it. They're both deep cycle.
 
hoytinak said:
The winch was hooked up to the side post, now the battery won't hold a charge at all.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't see how using the side posts vs. the top posts would make a difference - the side posts feed directly off of the top posts, so amperage ratings should be the same, right?
 
Purple said:
what about energizer ones? i started seeing these lately in stores...
Click to expand...

The Energizer (JCI), the Optima and the Excide Orbital are all identical technology (AGM Spiral Cell) in different packages and specs. I like Optima Blue DCs.
Hoytinak, Your Red Top isn't toast because you hooked it to the side posts, your Red Top is toast because they are not designed to be discharged extremely deep. Plus most Optimas won't recharged if they're below about 4v. I've tried many, many times. If you want to run dual batts you should run two DC Optimas, then you don't have to fun an isolator switch. Hook them in parallal and you have 2000ca and 280min@25amp of reserve.
And you shouldn't use side posts for winches cause they are just thin strips of lead/Antimony or lead/Calcium extending from the buss bar. If you put a heavy load on them for a period of time, they melt. You don't have this problem starting your car with them cause that's only a few seconds.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
New and need help
2 3
Replies
41
Views
9K
Evan03
E
A
Intermittent stalling
Replies
4
Views
943
Tim_MN
Tim_MN
Anak
Fixing What the Professional Fixed
Replies
7
Views
717
Bent
Bent
M
"PayDay" my 2000 XJ Build,
Replies
1
Views
2K
Muddy98
M
M
"PayDay" my 2000 XJ Build
3 4 5
Replies
87
Views
18K
Anak
Anak
Back
Top