I am looking to change my conventional car batteries for a red optima, what model should i go for, will the red be sufficent.
440 motor 12.5.1 comp.
Mick

Does your car have an alt? If not I would use the yellow. (that's what I have)

If it does then the red should be fine.

I run no alt, but have 2 red tops. I have made 11 passes in one day before putting a charger on it, including cooling down and cranking up at trailer and 3 or 4 times in the staging lanes. Now that I think about it, I had to swap a battery out before semi finals that nite, but I was running two classes. 1/8 mile, MSD 7AL2, line locks ect.
Brian

I run the stock dual field alternator.
Mick

You'll probably either want a bigger alternator, or if the car is mostly used on the strip, I would install a yellow top.

I run a stock alt and a single red top and if I run my fan a bunch between rounds it will kill the battery. I had to get a jump more than once in the pits last year to make it back around for the next round. I'm adding another red top or a different alternator for this season. Might even do both to be safe.

Based on my 13:1 SB, I see 2 batteries and an alternator in your future. My car likes the additional weight in the rearend anyway. One battery of any type was iffy, and without an alternator, no way.
Oddly enough though, my 10.8:1 Street Hemi gets 5-7 years out of an Optima red top with no problems.
I'm sure someone else's experience will contradict mine, but a racecar that won't start makes me livid.

You couldn't give me an Optima Battery these days....get yourself an Odyssey PC1200 I run all the electronics, fan, No Alternator, with (1) PC1200 and it's Five years old and has never let me down

565" 15-1

Rickster

Here is another bad luck with Optima lately, I finally gave up on them, have one old one that just won't quit, and I used to swear by them, but the last two years I've had nothing but trouble with two I bought, I finally gave up on them when the guy at the Parts store got tired of exchanging them every two or three months and offered to just give me cash credit toward any other battery he stocked, I took him up on that deal. I believe the quality has dropped on them in the last couple of years.

I've just bought an HHR fan and a meziere water pump, so will need something reasonable.
Rickster
Just looked at the pc1200, quite impressive.
Mick

I will add to the Oddysey statements. They are great batteries. I go for months without starting my Bee, it(the Oddysey) still turns the engine over every time. Even through the priming stage.

Red tops, like many other non deep cycle batteries will not last many cycles if used without an alternator.

Yellow tops are deep cycle batteries, and can be used without an alternator.

FYI: I have a yellow top Optima in my Coronet that is 10 years old this month and still going strong.

The quality now is not what it used to be. The last 3 red-tops I purchased lasted less than 1 year. I won't be buying any more.

2 Red top Optimas with a 140 amp GM alt, they sit in the car all winter , no issues last 4 years.

I got a 105 amp single wire alt and two bosch 65A/H sealed lead acid in the boot (trunk). They weigh a ton but do help with weight distribution

I'm not a big fan on running 2 batteries... a battery
is a storage device.... I run a single lead acid
production type battery WITH a alt(80a).... if it
isnt working then you need a better battery or a bigger
alt... if the car cant start in 5 seconds you should
fix the problem.... some of the guys are using the
added battery for weight and thats fine and dandy but
you could do the same thing with lead bars farther
back to do the same.... any ways, to each their own.
I have heard some bad things about the Optima batteries
in the last few years... at Chrysler we use to use
them as a production battery and changed due to a
high warranty on them

I run a Yellow top in my Challenger with no alt. Charge in between rounds and run two classes. I run electric everything. Have had this battery for a season and a half.

I sell batteries and have seen a huge reduction in the Optima warranties over the last year or two. I think it has to do with a new plant they built just recently.

There is an Optima internet relations guy that I am surprised hasn't stopped in here yet. He appeared on a jeep forum I am on when there was a thread bashing them. He had some good answers and was very profesional. I guess he monitors google for optima bashing maybe

I have had a red top in my Jeep for 3 years now with no trouble. I will be going with a yellow top in my Barracuda.

I've got a total of 7 Optima batteries. Two red in the racecar (8 yrs old), two in boat one yellow one blue), and three in the motor home. The only one I've had trouble with was a red top that I used for the MH engine. It only lasted a year but got replacement for free. New one doing fine.