Optima Battery

John Dinkel · 02-16-2021, 01:08 PM

Which Optima battery for race car Red or Yellow?

Dan Walcott · 02-16-2021, 01:23 PM

Yellow Top / with Optima charger

John Dinkel · 02-16-2021, 01:40 PM

Thanks Dan

GTX JOHN · 02-16-2021, 02:15 PM

Hum..............We run exclusively red tops.
All our cars including both our Superstockers and
our Dragster run functional Alternators!

I do run a Yellow Top on our winch.

Please correct me if I am all WET = Not an electrical expert!

Jeff Stout · 02-16-2021, 03:04 PM

Red Tops in Stocker and bracket car. Bracket car was 6 years old and just replaced in December. Alternator on car also. I have been using solar battery charger when time allows. It is slow but works until eliminations then I go to generator.

GUMP · 02-16-2021, 03:09 PM

I have red tops in all of my cars. They all have functioning alternators.

curtis reed · 02-17-2021, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Dinkel

Which Optima battery for race car Red or Yellow?

I would say neither. These are my choice in a 12v set up.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/extre...ies-batteries/

And this is why.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/desig...sey-batteries/

Made in the USA, the UK and France.

Bob Don · 02-17-2021, 09:20 AM

I had a three year old red top quit on me at the scales at Maple Grove. Had to get towed back to my pit (thanks, Adam). Wouldn't take or hold a charge. Replaced it with a NAPA Legend that lasted 6 years.

Bob F · 02-17-2021, 10:30 AM

I switched to deka batteries made in Pa after Optimas were moved to Mexico.
Optima red in my truck only lasted about a year.

OptimaJim · 02-17-2021, 11:21 AM

Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our products and wanted to offer some clarification. The advice Doug received is what we typically recommend in racing applications. When pumps and/or fans are being run in between rounds and/or there is no charging system we would recommend a YellowTop. If a vehicle has an alternator that can maintain voltage (not underdriven) and can handle the vehicle's electrical demands after starting, then a RedTop is fine.

BlueTops are identical internally to their YellowTop counterparts (except the 34M, which is the marine version of the Group 34 RedTop). BlueTops offer additional threaded top post terminals for marine and RV applications, they are more expensive than YellowTops and their warranty is typically shorter (Group 31 is the same).

The quality of the batteries we manufacture (and we manufacture all of our own batteries, in our own facility) has always been excellent. The batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we've ever made. No manufacturer has a 0% defect rate, but any suggestion of widespread quality issues at any point in our production are false. Our plant and our main distribution hub in Laredo, Texas were both temporarily paused as of yesterday, due to weather-related electrical outages. We also had a two-week anticipated shutdown in April of last year due to COVID-19, but had a 90-day inventory stockpiled at that point. Other manufacturers were not so fortunate.

1uke, did you get warranty service on the RedTop you had in your truck?

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

02-16-2021, 01:08 PM	#1
John Dinkel Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pinckney, Michigan Posts: 507 Likes: 399 Liked 263 Times in 68 Posts	Optima Battery Which Optima battery for race car Red or Yellow? __________________ John Dinkel 3295 STK

02-16-2021, 01:23 PM	#2
Dan Walcott Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Gaylord,Mi Posts: 126 Likes: 302 Liked 92 Times in 26 Posts	Re: Optima Battery Yellow Top / with Optima charger

02-16-2021, 01:40 PM	#3
John Dinkel Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pinckney, Michigan Posts: 507 Likes: 399 Liked 263 Times in 68 Posts	Re: Optima Battery Thanks Dan __________________ John Dinkel 3295 STK

02-16-2021, 02:15 PM	#4
GTX JOHN VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Boulder City, Nevada 89005 Posts: 2,736 Likes: 2,808 Liked 2,488 Times in 698 Posts	Re: Optima Battery Hum..............We run exclusively red tops. All our cars including both our Superstockers and our Dragster run functional Alternators! I do run a Yellow Top on our winch. Please correct me if I am all WET = Not an electrical expert! __________________ John Irving 741 Stock 741 Super Stock

02-16-2021, 03:04 PM	#5
Jeff Stout VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: phoenix Posts: 1,489 Likes: 66 Liked 706 Times in 283 Posts	Re: Optima Battery Red Tops in Stocker and bracket car. Bracket car was 6 years old and just replaced in December. Alternator on car also. I have been using solar battery charger when time allows. It is slow but works until eliminations then I go to generator.

02-16-2021, 03:09 PM	#6
GUMP VIP Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Shelby, NC Posts: 1,823 Likes: 2,174 Liked 2,354 Times in 554 Posts	Re: Optima Battery I have red tops in all of my cars. They all have functioning alternators.

02-17-2021, 09:20 AM	#8
Bob Don VIP Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greater Boston Posts: 1,496 Likes: 1,135 Liked 903 Times in 192 Posts	Re: Optima Battery I had a three year old red top quit on me at the scales at Maple Grove. Had to get towed back to my pit (thanks, Adam). Wouldn't take or hold a charge. Replaced it with a NAPA Legend that lasted 6 years. __________________ Bob Don 128 SS

02-17-2021, 10:30 AM	#9
Bob F Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bucks Co Pa Posts: 74 Likes: 17 Liked 16 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Optima Battery I switched to deka batteries made in Pa after Optimas were moved to Mexico. Optima red in my truck only lasted about a year.

02-17-2021, 11:21 AM	#10
OptimaJim Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 4 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Optima Battery Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our products and wanted to offer some clarification. The advice Doug received is what we typically recommend in racing applications. When pumps and/or fans are being run in between rounds and/or there is no charging system we would recommend a YellowTop. If a vehicle has an alternator that can maintain voltage (not underdriven) and can handle the vehicle's electrical demands after starting, then a RedTop is fine. BlueTops are identical internally to their YellowTop counterparts (except the 34M, which is the marine version of the Group 34 RedTop). BlueTops offer additional threaded top post terminals for marine and RV applications, they are more expensive than YellowTops and their warranty is typically shorter (Group 31 is the same). The quality of the batteries we manufacture (and we manufacture all of our own batteries, in our own facility) has always been excellent. The batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we've ever made. No manufacturer has a 0% defect rate, but any suggestion of widespread quality issues at any point in our production are false. Our plant and our main distribution hub in Laredo, Texas were both temporarily paused as of yesterday, due to weather-related electrical outages. We also had a two-week anticipated shutdown in April of last year due to COVID-19, but had a 90-day inventory stockpiled at that point. Other manufacturers were not so fortunate. 1uke, did you get warranty service on the RedTop you had in your truck? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries