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80 Battery.

frank rabbets

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What, if any, are the name of long life batteries for my 80? My usual batteries last 3 years but as 3 years now flies by I'd like something better.

I have a watch with 10 year battery life and even they seam to fly by now.
 
Might be worth a look on this shortish thread running again now Frank.
https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/good-price-on-optima-yellow-top.140777/

I seem to remember Chris saying the Optimas were not as good as they used to be.
I would say that my punipart ones didn't last their guarantee period and were replaced FOC so I got around 5 years out of two lots of them. I've now got a pair of Bosch ones on them, purely because they are from a local dealer. Varta ones seem well respected.
Can't really report more than that as the Bosch ones have not been on there a year yet.
 
Ask several owners and get several different answers. Mine is Varta. 9 years (at least) out of my last pair so it was a no brainer for me come replacement time.

I'm a Varta fan, they last ages on our trucks, Cruisers, bikes and anything else in the automotive field. That said the Odyssey batteries have a good reputation but a hefty price tag.
 
Noooo noooo nooo, I'd didn't say that Yellow tops weren't as good as they used to be, I said that most people who fitted them were ignorant of their charging needs and therefore after a very short time were cursing them saying they were rubbish. There is absolutely no advantage to fitting Opti yellow AGMs in the starting battery locations of a standard road going Cruiser. None. They do not charge well from std alternator output.

Just stick some regular off the shelf batteries in there at the best price you can find for something branded.
 
"What, if any, are the name of long life batteries for my 80? My usual batteries last 3 years but as 3 years now flies by I'd like something better.

I have a watch with 10 year battery life and even they seam to fly by now."

Frank.....just face it...we're all just getting older ....nothing you can do about it....;-)
Remember when the 6 weeks summer school holidays used to feel like months
Buy a Varta it might just slow time a bit for you....or if you've a Halfords trade card then they do some good long life battery's
 
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That's OK Rich. And Dave could be right. Optimas may well be falling out of favour, but that's not quite the same as saying they are not as good. It could be that they have become popular through reputation but in the wrong applications - as I said. I have 2 red and three yellow and I've been amazed by not only their performance but their capacity to hold a very good charge for months just sitting doing nothing. The only issue I have had with one yellow was when I didn't charge it at the higher voltage. Now, it seems that not all AGMs require this, but the Optimas do seem to need it according to the stuff I've read from them. You have to admit they are a very different battery with their spiral wound cells. So I'm not surprised they might need a different charging regime.

I'd really expect though to get more than 3 years out of a pair of regular batteries. As others have said, they've had nearly 10 years out of theirs.
 
Without digging out all the info again on my Land Rover (quiet at the back there!), but I had two yellow tops, started on one and paralleled the two when winching. the yellow tops will charge fine with a standard alternator as long as it is working correctly, BTDT. In fact IIRC the specs of all the Optima range allow them to be charged from a regular charging source? I think the failures were brought about by some people who expected too much of the batteries, leaving them flat for extended periods of time for example.

The move of the production plant to Mexico resulted in a lowering of quality control, and then the well documented failures. Many batteries from the original production plants are outliving the new versions from Mexico. The two speed electric engine cooling fan on my 80 was originally manufactured in Canada and extremely reliable alas, it seems the new replacements are from Mexico, it appears that Mexico has become America's China.

Something else which occurred to me is about the capacity of the Optima's. Because they were spiral and gel made them different, now the typical rectangular battery cases can be had in gel form then the capacity should be higher. Just thinking aloud and unsure if I can make a clear point but, size for size of battery cases, you can get more lead with flat plates in a 'normal' battery case than you can round plates.

Enter Dave's 'Paint' demo.

Paint 1.png


Back to Franks OP, I chose a pair of marine batteries five years ago, and then last year one started to fail so of course replaced the pair again with the same design although the brand names are similar. They were such a good price I decided that if I replaced on a four yearly basis, I would still be ahead of the big name brands.

I do agree with Chris's thoughts and would go with a basic known brand and be happy to replace in perhaps four to five years?

Varta have a great name here as do Bosch and Odyssey but very pricy.

regards

Dave
 
I've concluded that 4-5 years good life is what should be expected, there will always be the sad or happy stories of something less or more, with off the shelf normal batteries.

The price and availability of Varta 95Ah (1/3 that of Odessey) clinched it for me and the fact that a guy fitted them and tested for leaks for me when it was -11C for a fiver... :?

Chris hits the nail on the head IMO with using the correct battery for the work you want it to do.
 
If you look after it it will serve you well you mean? Charge well and don't over discharge and long life it should have.

Interesting re the optimas. I'm considering a leisure battery soon but not shire I need to go the optima route. Also looking at the Ctek dual and smart pass (thread jack apology here) if I wanted to also charge from the mains it looks like I also need a third box in a Ctek charger. I may do this in stages to keep costs below the radar if you know what I mean.
 
I've concluded that 4-5 years good life is what should be expected, there will always be the sad or happy stories of something less or more, with off the shelf normal batteries.

The price and availability of Varta 95Ah (1/3 that of Odessey) clinched it for me and the fact that a guy fitted them and tested for leaks for me when it was -11C for a fiver... :?

Chris hits the nail on the head IMO with using the correct battery for the work you want it to do.
Same as, ive never got more than four years out of a battery on my cruiser. My last two sets were varta. Ive had ten years out of car batteries..
 
Same as, ive never got more than four years out of a battery on my cruiser. My last two sets were varta. Ive had ten years out of car batteries..
I wonder if this is due to the parallel battery setup?
 
I've concluded that 4-5 years good life is what should be expected, there will always be the sad or happy stories of something less or more, with off the shelf normal batteries.

You normally get an idea of your new battery life when the spotty kid behind the counter comes in and slams your new battery down onto the counter, the frameworks under the cells fractures and your battery's life is now predetermined.

I remember years ago when someone would come in for a battery, the shop owner showed them the battery and were about to take their money, the customer would ask how much warranty there was. The shop owner would reply two years, if the customer wanted a battery with a three year warranty it would be another £10.00. The customer would ask for the three year warranty version, the shop owner took the battery out back and returned with the same battery a minute or two later! Hmmmm, who on here has done that........come on, put your hands up. :icon-redface: :icon-biggrin:

Those in the know expect a typical battery to reach the minimum of three years, with an average of four, as per Clive's thoughts above, you may be unlucky and get the 'spotty kid' version or hit five years or more, you pays your money and takes your choice.

regards

Dave
 
I wonder if this is due to the parallel battery setup?

I agree, I think the starting from dual batteries will help, the load being shared, the battery not being pulled down so far. There are other things that can affect battery life for example upsizing a battery. IME you will get longer life from a small (but sufficiently rated) fully charged battery, than a bigger battery that never gets to reach it's full potential.

I think you really need to choose a battery with care if it is to be used in a dual capacity, and trying to charge to different batteries with different capacities/technologies always has it's pitfalls. For the last couple of years I see good and bad comments about CTEK chargers, but have personally never found a need for one.

regards

Dave
 
I had a pair of Optima red tops on the Chevy Tahoe which were on when I bought it. They certainly werent new when I bought the truck and although they had plenty of work to do cranking a 6.5L diesel ( which didn't start like an 80) they never needed a helping hand even when stood for up to 10 months or however cold it was.
They went with the Chevy when I sold it as they were for a specific fitment (terminals on the side, American style) but the point is, that in my experience the Optima red tops will out perform normal batteries by the ratio of their price difference.
BTW I had it for 6 years .
 
IMO the Optima yellow tops gave sterling service as per @AndycruiserguyLomas experience with red tops, but mine on the LR were manufactured at the original Johnson Controls factory pre Mexico, it was when looking for replacements for the 80 around 2011 that the quality control issues came to light. I have not touched one since then, but guess they (JC) would have had to do something with QC, IMO Johnson Control rode on the back of the great reputation the Optima's had earned them, and then like most big companies looking for a wider profit margin already found that their market was dwindling and higher prices were no longer going to be tolerated, so the next move is to lower the manufacturing cost, it came back and bit their arse.

Given that the 'normal' rectangle gel batteries are matching and even exceeding Optima's output for the same case size at a lower consumer price, then perhaps the Optima price will come down, I doubt I will ever purchase one again though unless it is for a particular application that needs a battery with side mounted terminals, which I think was an excellent idea.

regards

Dave
 
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I'm told side terminals are ok unless you want to jump start when it gets a bit tricky.
 
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