Optima red top.
Optima red top.
Author
Discussion

high52kojak

Original Poster:

505 posts

226 months

Monday 22nd February 2010
quotequote all
Well my battery is dead ( again) so I am told so i may get the red top which I believe is a far superior battery.
Which one do i need and where is the best place to buy one from? As I am not in the country I cannot measure mine, and the search option is not working at the minute.
Cheers, Ric.

Adrenochrome

1,860 posts

242 months

Monday 22nd February 2010
quotequote all
RTS 4.2 is what I bought £145.90 delivered from Griffin batteries 0845 331 3311 www.griffinbatterycentres.co.uk

anonymous-user

83 months

Monday 22nd February 2010
quotequote all
Adrenochrome said:
RTS 4.2 is what I bought £145.90 delivered from Griffin batteries 0845 331 3311 www.griffinbatterycentres.co.uk
I have the same - got it off a supplier via e-bay for about £10 less than above.
Its a great battery - no more struggling to turn the car over !

dean_ratpac

1,582 posts

307 months

Monday 22nd February 2010
quotequote all
I have a red top, from griffin. Delivered to my work place and had to carry home on commute through London, dam it's heavy.

I've since learnt the yellow top is better - deep cycle

red top is amazing though

Far Eastender

1,362 posts

247 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
Do the Optima batteries fit an S6 Cerb?

morebeanz

3,283 posts

265 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
dean_ratpac said:
I have a red top, from griffin. Delivered to my work place and had to carry home on commute through London, dam it's heavy.

I've since learnt the yellow top is better - deep cycle

red top is amazing though
Dean

I understood that the yellow type, while better for deep cycle, wasn't as good for short, peak power outputs (like cranking the engine) - the red specialised in that. They tend to use yellow tops for endurance type applications, I thought.

Quentin1

468 posts

273 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
Far Eastender said:
Do the Optima batteries fit an S6 Cerb?
Yes, Sir.

Cannot see the point why they shouldn´t. Battery compartment in the Cerbera is really comfortable compared to the Tuscan.

I am going to buy one as well.

Regards,
Björn.

jammy_basturd

29,778 posts

241 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
I'll take one too if. I wonder if we can get a group buy going to get the price south of £130 (which seems to be the going price on eBay).

high52kojak

Original Poster:

505 posts

226 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
Group buy might be good, so its the RTS 4.2 that we need then, correct?

Adrenochrome

1,860 posts

242 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
high52kojak said:
Group buy might be good, so its the RTS 4.2 that we need then, correct?
yes

Gazzab

21,638 posts

311 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
they do more than one model of that battery I think ie the pos and negs either way round?

stuthemong

2,532 posts

246 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
I'll break with tradition here. Often I think you find 'trends' on forums where someone buys something and it becomes the next best thing, I think the redtops have a little of that vibe about them on here.

I bought a new battery about 1 month ago and was wanting a red top (as everyone does) but I'd spent a lot on the cerb recently and sat and thought about it:

This is what I went for:
http://www.tayna.co.uk/Type-027-Varta-Silver-Dynam...

It was a perfect fit to the tray, no messing around.

Comparing it to the redtop, Varta first, redtop second
...........Varta .... Redtop
Peak amps: 610 815
Capacity: 63Ah 50Ah
Warranty: 5year 2year
Price: 75.62 152.33

So you are paying twice the money for less warranty (big deal IMO on a £150 battery!), less capacity (it's the capacity which means a cerb is dead when you come back to it after 2 weeks, NOT peak amps) and 1/3 more amps.

So the question is do you need 1/3 more amps?

The Varta I have turns over & starts my car ABSOLUTELY fine.

I just don't get why spending twice the money, for less capacity & warranty is the correct play guys, the extra current isn't needed to start the car, but all the other stuff is definitely beneficial, all IMO etc.etc..





HarryW

16,028 posts

298 months

Tuesday 23rd February 2010
quotequote all
stuthemong said:
I'll break with tradition here. Often I think you find 'trends' on forums where someone buys something and it becomes the next best thing, I think the redtops have a little of that vibe about them on here.

I bought a new battery about 1 month ago and was wanting a red top (as everyone does) but I'd spent a lot on the cerb recently and sat and thought about it:

This is what I went for:
http://www.tayna.co.uk/Type-027-Varta-Silver-Dynam...

It was a perfect fit to the tray, no messing around.

Comparing it to the redtop, Varta first, redtop second
...........Varta .... Redtop
Peak amps: 610 815
Capacity: 63Ah 50Ah
Warranty: 5year 2year
Price: 75.62 152.33

So you are paying twice the money for less warranty (big deal IMO on a £150 battery!), less capacity (it's the capacity which means a cerb is dead when you come back to it after 2 weeks, NOT peak amps) and 1/3 more amps.

So the question is do you need 1/3 more amps?

The Varta I have turns over & starts my car ABSOLUTELY fine.

I just don't get why spending twice the money, for less capacity & warranty is the correct play guys, the extra current isn't needed to start the car, but all the other stuff is definitely beneficial, all IMO etc.etc..
Liking the logic, never flinch at spending money but do if its for teh sake of it. Does the 027 have the terminals the right 'wrong' way round or is the positive now hidden confused

Been toying in getting a 096R which has the terminals the right wrong way around but the length at 278mm sort of worries me but with 74ah and 680cc @ £78 it top trumps the 027, anyone fitted that confused

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Type-096R-Varta-Blue-Dynami...

Edited by HarryW on Tuesday 23 February 21:12

dean_ratpac

1,582 posts

307 months

Wednesday 24th February 2010
quotequote all
I've seen many of the yellow tops in muscle cars and hot rods that was all

Byker28i

91,522 posts

246 months

Wednesday 24th February 2010
quotequote all
stuthemong said:
...So you are paying twice the money for less warranty (big deal IMO on a £150 battery!), less capacity (it's the capacity which means a cerb is dead when you come back to it after 2 weeks, NOT peak amps) and 1/3 more amps.
Well, I'd have thought a battery optimiser was a standard item to buy rather than leave the battery draining
Good find on the battery though.

morebeanz

3,283 posts

265 months

Wednesday 24th February 2010
quotequote all
That battery in that configuration is a recent addition, as far as I can tell. It looks like a great option but wasn't available when I was looking otherwise I would have happily used one of those.

Red Tops have legendary status because they have been around a long time and do a great job - doesn't mean for a second that this may not be better/cheaper/etc.

Good spot!

I used Tayna to buy mine at the time too...

Steve_T

6,356 posts

301 months

Thursday 25th February 2010
quotequote all
Just looked at the dimensions and I think you'll have fun getting that to fit. I have an Odyssey PC1500 which is a similar size (only a few mm shorter) and it's a very close fit.

high52kojak

Original Poster:

505 posts

226 months

Thursday 25th February 2010
quotequote all
So the Varta battery above could be a tight squeeze?

The red top is fine for size is it not?

Adrenochrome

1,860 posts

242 months

Thursday 25th February 2010
quotequote all
high52kojak said:
So the Varta battery above could be a tight squeeze?

The red top is fine for size is it not?
Red top is much smaller than the 1 I replaced it with.

JensenA

5,671 posts

259 months

Thursday 25th February 2010
quotequote all
As far as I can see Stuthemong has fitted the battery and it's working fine.