What Battery to get

[wimp]

The Battery in my '99 Disco II is almost dead. It is old; I tested it; it won't start the car if I have been plaing the radio for 20 minutes.

The question:

What battery should I put in?

Should I put in a normal heavy duty battery from WalMart?
Should I put in one of those Optima batteries?

What benefit do I have from putting in a "good" battery?

Someone please explain the difference and please recommend.

Thanks

[wimp]

By the way:

I read a few previous posts regarding using dual batteries and using the larger marine Blue top Optima.

I am interested in simply putting a new battery in place of the old one and hooking up the the existing cables (maybe cleaning them up a bit).

Do any of the Optima batteries fit the stock tray?
Do the optimas last twice as long?

What is the difference between the Yellow and the red?

Also, which model of yellow or red is the replacement for the '99 Disco II?

Thanks again!

[rmuller]

Optimas have been hit or miss for a lot of people.. a lot of people have said that they stop holding charge.. I have 2 yellow tops in mine, I actually had to return one when I first got them b/c it was leaking gases... I've heard good things about Odysseys.

[Funrover]

OPTIMA.... I love mine... Both my parents had I have red tops in our rangies.. I also have a yellow top in my mercedes.

red - basic(for optima) gel cel, no corrosion like normal batteries, can take a beating, have great charge, will get you home if your alternator dies(personal experiance)

yellow - If you drain your battery down often this is great. They are designed to take large hits and recharge to full, that is why my diesel has one, it takes a bit to crank over in the cold.

blue - deep cycle/marine great if you have winches, tons of lights, etc etc.. unless you are extremely hard on the battery this may not be right for you!

They will all fit right in the Disco( I have friends w/ dI and dII that run them also) the P38 may take a little lift for the clamp to be secure, but that comes with the battery!!!!

[Muddy Oval]

yellow and blue are the same- just different terminals. I'll never own another optima, ever... ever... ever...

[p76rangie]

Optima are NOT GEL CELLS. They contain acid like any other battery. They tend to take longer to recharge compared to other batteries and mostly do not hold much power. That is, their amp hour rating is pretty low compared to most deep cycle batteries. They also hate the heat.

I have found Exide batteries good. Even though they do not sell my battery in the states, they do sell batteries with similar features to the Optimas, just a bit better than Optima.

http://www.exideworld.com/pdf/orbita...d_features.pdf

[Rovin4life]

we use interstate.

by the way you need 590 CCA AT LEAST.

Unless your in extreme cold climates then dont bother like alaska.

the factory battery rating will suit your needs fine.

even running some extra lights wont kill it.

[TsiArt]

I have a yellow top . i had to make a 2" high spacer to bring up the batt up .

My dad has the red top and couple times his would not start . He cused a lot and craked it over a lot for 45 min. It cranked over that 3.5l V6 with semi high compretion , and it did start ( i dono what was his problem ) .

My bro has a yello top in his Heep Cherokie and we go that used from my friend that he had it in his car for two years ( we go it for $30 ).

I have not had any problems with any of the optimas or any other batteries , eccept when they were 6 or 8 years old .

[rmuller]

Here is the big consideration this week with Optimas:

http://discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=31129

That is why Muddy Oval above said "I'll never own another optima, ever... ever... ever..." ... Keep in mind though, there is no conclusive proof yet that it was the optimas.

[rmuller]

Originally Posted by Rovin4life

we use interstate.

by the way you need 590 CCA AT LEAST.

Unless your in extreme cold climates then dont bother like alaska.

the factory battery rating will suit your needs fine.

even running some extra lights wont kill it.

Stock battery with a winch, refrigerator, 6 offroad lights, on board air system, etc... ? Things add up, it's always nice to have a battery that can handle everything.

[Muddy Oval]

Yeah- not conclusive except for the fire investigator and insurance investigator.
They are satisfied enough and I should be getting a check for the truck so I can replace it later this week.

[rmuller]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

Yeah- not conclusive except for the fire investigator and insurance investigator.
They are satisfied enough and I should be getting a check for the truck so I can replace it later this week.

Ahh, so they did say it was definitely the battery then? Last I saw in the threads you were waiting for the official word.

[Muddy Oval]

That's as official as it's gonna get, I think. The insurance company is satisfied, as is the Fire Dept. We went through all the wiring with a fine tooth comb looking for the cause and didn't find any faults in the wiring. The 'hot spot' of the fire is directly on the corner cell where the negative terminal is. There weren't any positive cables in that area.

[wimp]

Thanks for all the input.

Sounds like if you are dumb enough to put an battery in your vehicle that, at very best, lasts just as long as another "normal" battery, cost twice the amount, and might explode or give you trouble, then you are just asking for trouble.

Thanks for all the responses. I don't have a winch or any abnormal accessories (just some extra lighting). I live in the NOrtheast where it is seasonally cold (zero F sometimes). Sounds like a normal heavy duty batter from Napa would be fine.

[rmuller]

One of my friends picked up a battery from costcos, I believe it had 750CCA [same as a yellow top] for around $50 .. plus they have a 2 year no questions asked return warranty... he ended up bringing back a red top optima that was 1.5 years old that completely died and got full money back for it.