Steven C.

If your car sits for long periods the Optima yellow is the best. I have one in the race car that is nearly 8 years old, goes dead between races, run it dead at the races (no alternator) and it just keeps going. More $ than the red but well worth it

Tom W

Jos: The Optima fits and needs no additional hold-down.

One thing about Optima's - they need a strong charger if they get depleted. A trickle charger will not recharge a red top that has been drained. I also second the recommednation to go with a yellow top if the car sits for a week or two between use.

flat_six

I'm also using the Odyssey 925. Its about 26lbs. A parked 964 has a goodly amount of current draw, so I keep it on the charger if I won't be driving for a couple weeks. The RedTop is a larger battery with more capacity, and maybe better for parking long-term, but I figured if I can drop some weight with the Odyssey, I have an obligation to do so.

I replaced my WRX's batt with the Odyssey PC680 (16lbs) two years ago. Never not started in the Colorado winter. The stock batt was 38lbs, so I dropped over 20lbs at one of the corners. Struts on this car, so I'll have to get coilovers, so I can corner balance to compensate for the change

Got them from Portable Power Systems.
Description: Hawker (Enersys) Odyssey (0765-2020 PC925T) 12 Volt/27 Amp Hour Dry Cell SLA Battery - SAE Automotive Terminals

PWW

Again a vote for the optima although they do still go flat if you leave the car parked for a long period so also invest in a good three stage regulated charger.(I use a DMS Technologies 8Amp three stage charger)

Dwane

Just find an Optima red top, group35, and BUY IT!!!!
I spent all weekend trying to fit batteries and the BEST fit is the Optima.
Picked mine up at Walmart.

parsecnc4

I agree and I picked mine up at Costco. The Walmart near my area does not have Optima.

BaysideC4

Is ther any issue keeping a Gel type battery (optima) on a trickle charger? Also, the Optima site doesnt list Porsche, does anyone know exactly what pat number I need to order?


Thanks in advance -

Marc Shaw

I keep my red-top on a trickle charger with no issues.

Unlike Tom, I have also forgotten to charge it so it was completely flat but my trickle charger brought it back over night.

Marc

Indycam

If you look real close at Marc's optima , you will see 35/75 . Thats the size / type .

And nice neg battery cable .
And a real nice photo .

amfp

Steve,

When your car sits for long periods (months?) - do you use a trickle charger with the yellow top ? TIA.

ianellison

I'm in line for a replacement battery and like the recommendations for the Optima Red Top. However my cabrio battery replacement is supposed to be 75 amp hours.

I've looked at the Optima site and as far as I can see the highest rated battery is only 50 amp hours.

What is the model no of the Optima which is the same size as the old battery? Is it available at 75 amp hours?

Indycam

That rating is for a "wet" lead acid battery .
The optima is not a wet battery .
I think a yellow top with a lower amp hour rating has more usable amp hours before the need for a recharge than the wet battery .
The fact that the optima recharges at a higher rate means you are less likely to need a bigger battery .
It gets fuller faster so on short trips , its less likely to be drained by repeated restarts / top up downs .
If I ever need to replace the red top in my car , I will go for the yellow .

And then lastly , the rating for the wet battery is for the coldest place the car might be driven .
If you live in a place where it never goes into a deep freeze for months , you can live very happily with a smaller battery .

cwrm4

When this thread was originally started I recommended the Yellow Top. I'd like to revise my statement to say RED Top.

Here's why...the Yellow Top only has a ONE YEAR full warranty (plus a year pro-rated)...Guess when mine got an internal short? At 15 months! I bought it off a an eBay reseller, who has now disappeared. So, I was screwed even in trying to claim 9 months of pro-rated warranty left.

The RED Top has a 3 year full warranty plus 3 years pro-rated. That's what I have now, and I bought it from a reputable shop. I haven't seen any difference in performance in RED Top vs. YELLOW Top...and I sometimes go up to 3 weeks without driving the car.

Indycam

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/warranty.asp

The Optima warranty is honored at Optima dealers nationwide.

cwrm4

In theory, yes. In reality, I tried twice, and failed. Once at Sears, who said no, they wouldn't do it, but yes, they sell Optima batteries. Then at a local Optima dealer & truck accessories place, who gave me the "we don't want to mess with" pricing on the replacement.

Some online places would do it, but you have to ship it back, at my expense (not cheap). By then, I only had six months pro-rated left and said the hell with it.