My Optima Red Top is on its way out. Has anyone seen any good Labor Day sales for Optima or other AGM deep cycle batteries? Was checking out Advance Auto but gosh the prices have gone up.


My car puts out high electrical demands in the form of a high amp electrical fan that kicks on at idle a lot as well as my 4Runner doubling as my portable boombox. Last night after a few hours of tunes, it died. Noticing that when it sits for 2-3 days it's also low on juice to crank the engine over so it's time to replace. I only got 4 1/2 years out of it (my alternator slowly died in the middle of that too) so I think too many deep cycles took its toll.

This might be worth looking into:

2001 Toyota 4Runner V6 3.4L 585CCA Car and Truck Batteries at Batteries Plus Bulbs

Specs are very close to Optima YT and the X2 has a full 5 year replacement warranty.

"CDP13175" will get you 15% off for in-store pickup and there is a $20 rebate so your final price is $280. This is for a 24F.

A Group 35 battery also will fit and it might only be about $260 OTD.

Good luck,



Eddie

I'm also curious about this. I've had my red top since 12/14 and doesn't seem to stayed charged like it used to. Was thinking of waiting until black friday for any deals. I like to be more proactive with changing before it becomes a major issue so now would be good.

Just curious how much current are you consuming? Are you killing off all the amps and accessories when you turn the ignition off?

Maybe you alternator can't produce enough current for the demands your system. My buddy in college had a system that would stull the engine at idle when the bass would hit in his convertible ford ranger truck. Even with a high output alternator on his rig.


Have you looked into lithium batteries? They are extremely expensive but may serve you needs better... The price tag on these scare most folks off but the longevity helps offset that. look at the price tag of those :/

Dakota Lithium 170 Ah 12V Electric Vehicle & Solar Battery

I will keep my eyes out for good deep cycles for low costs but all batteries costs have been raising lately...:[ Nothing is cheap anymore.

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I have a small parasitic draw from my powered subwoofer. It has an auto-on feature that draws a bit. If the vehicle sits for a week or so it has a hard time cranking. But yeah that Lithium battery is complete overkill lol. I've bought entire running 4Runners for less than that battery. I have a CS GM alternator that puts out enough amps for my e-fan now but I had the stock alternator on there until the e-fan killed it.

I had forgotten about the X2Power batteries, those were recommended for people with show quality audio systems since they can put out some real juice and still start & charge well. I might wait and see if a deal shows up for them.

The search continues.

You know that that'll kill---or hasten the death of---your next battery, unless you fix it, right?

Optima quality not what it used to be. Company was sold. Production moved to low quality facility. Company sold again in late 2018.

My old Yellow top was awesome. Accidentally killed it (my fault). Have since had short life span batteries. My next battery will not be Optima.


What is your amp draw? Alternator output? Is your alternator hot rated or cold rated? Most alternators are barely adequate for stock vehicles. It sounds like your power draw could use a quality alternator upgrade and dual batteries with a proper battery isolation system.

Most OEM alternators are cold rated at max alternator rpm. As they warm up the output decreases. The max power only happens when the engine is really moving. Hot rated alternator is measured at operating temperature.

I went from the stock 75 amp DENSO unit to a 140 amp CS 144 alternator: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3035823-post137.html. It's good at powering the fan but I've noticed when the fan kicks on the amp spike will cause the car's voltage to drop from 13+ to 12.6 for a bit until the alternator cranks it back up. That constant shock (and the fact that I ran the stock alternator for months which would drop into the 11's) was what killed my battery I think, it never had the same capacity after I put in the electric fan.

Was told that deep cycle batteries handle accessories better, both when the engine is on or off. That's what I'm after this time around. I think my Red Top can limp on for a few more month though, I have a quality AGM battery charger so I can keep it happy until then.

Have you checked the amp draw of the vehicle with/without electric fan running? Is the electric fan necessary? The mechanical fan is usually better under a load (towing).

Yes, when not driving your rig with how you have it setup I would charge it. Keep in mind, the newer alternators really maintain batteries and not fully charge them like the old ones do. Leaving in the North East when winter hits, I will charge my rides over night once a night as it really helps the batteries out. My rigs that are in storage I have a trickle float chargers to keep them full.

If a stock Alt would drop to 11. You are drawing some serious current on your accessories.. Great thought switching to high up one. That helps but how much are you drawing with everything on? You may be even exceeding the capacity of the high amp alternator. Along with your parasitic drain, you probably sufating the plates in your battery.

Sulfation occurs when a lead acid battery is deprived of a full charge. ... sulfate converts to a stable crystalline and deposits on the negative plates.

AGM just has the lead Acid in Gel form adsorbed by the Fiber Glass Mat. Instead of in liquid from in the battery cells.. :-(

Try a 500 farad capacitor bank to control those power surges. I bought one to put in my Cummins


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I bought an Optima yellowtop before the sale ended. Was $221 with the core charge of $22, and after a few credit card discounts ended up being $166.95 after I bring in my core. I figure that's probably the best deal I could ever get on a quality deep cycle battery. Now just have to wait for it to ship.

My Redtop died completely over the weekend so the 4Runner is garaged for now.

How easy is it to fit that big group 31 battery?


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The one I bought was a group 35, replacing a 34R. The 34's & 35's fit fine, I've not yet seen a group 31 installed.

Ok I thought the yellow was a 31. Oops, didn’t know the yellow came in different sizes.


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