Optima Yellow Top?

[phn]

I want to change the battery in my C5 sometime in the near future and was thinking of an Optima Yellow Top.

My C5 only gets used once every week or two (at the moment) and the voltage tends to drop to 11.3V or below if left for a week without drivinig it.

I do try to trickle charge the battery with my CTEK charger but as the car lives outside I cannot leave it hooked up all the time, so it gets charged when weather permits, usually every week if I can.

I was thinking that the Optima Yellow top might give me a bit more time before having to charge the battery, and may also take being drained a bit better than a conventional battery.

Does anyone have any experience of the Yellow Top fitted to a C5 - how did it perform?

Many thanks!

Philip.

 

[teamzr1]

Optima company was bought up some time ago and the quality of their batteries are not the best now
Really in your case is going with a vehicle solar battery charger that is waterproof so can be left plugged in all the time
Charging even in indirect light, so outputs even in cloudy weather

I have tested one for 1 year now and has had no issues with days of heavy Texas rains

11.3 volts at the battery with voltage drops of the wiring means it is even lower than at the controllers which is not best for them

 

[phn]

Thanks JR, do you have any links for the solar charger you recommend, also does it have (or need) any kind of protection against overcharging?

 

[teamzr1]

Yes, the one I use has a clipper D/C function so will not output more than 13.5 volts and lower when battery is charged
This is a maintainer, so its purpose is to keep a charged up battery maintained to full charge

Read this thread as I point to the one I bought at Amazon, only $23

Solar charger ?.

Iv'e just had to order a new battery for my C5,I'm thinking of buying a solar charger to help my battery.After reading some posts i assume the cigarette lighter is live when the ignition is off,it must be or a solar charger wouldn't do anything at all.Would it.

www.corvetteclub.org.uk

Been testing and monitoring this for 1 year with a remote battery monitor through months of hot Texas temps to colder weather to
many cloudy days and even when my old 1993 Caddy is not used for a couple of weeks, when I do go to drive it the engine cranks quickly
and battery State of Charge and State of Health is good.

It can be set inside the windshield or as I do with suction cups to the hood of the car.

 

[Nassau65]

My dad used a solar/sunlight charger for years on cars that were left outside. Leave it on the dashboard
Plugs into the cigarette lighter, away you go. He never had battery problems.

 

[monkaw14]

I want to change the battery in my C5 sometime in the near future and was thinking of an Optima Yellow Top.

My C5 only gets used once every week or two (at the moment) and the voltage tends to drop to 11.3V or below if left for a week without drivinig it.

I do try to trickle charge the battery with my CTEK charger but as the car lives outside I cannot leave it hooked up all the time, so it gets charged when weather permits, usually every week if I can.

I was thinking that the Optima Yellow top might give me a bit more time before having to charge the battery, and may also take being drained a bit better than a conventional battery.

Does anyone have any experience of the Yellow Top fitted to a C5 - how did it perform?

Many thanks!

Philip.


Not so long ago I found a cool and high-quality site where you can play slot machines and win real money online! This site is https://slоtscity.ua/ and I really like this site because here you can play cool and high-quality slot machines for real money and win! You should try it too! Goodbye and good luck.

Hi Philip, the Optima Yellow Top is a solid choice for occasional use cars like your C5. Its deep-cycle capability handles draining better than standard batteries, and it should give you more time between charges. I’ve heard good things about its durability, especially in situations like yours. Hopefully, others with direct C5 experience can chime in!

 

[Andrew Gorrod]

I have used Optima for 30 plus years now and have never been let down by one.

 

[BobbyV8]

I want to change the battery in my C5 sometime in the near future and was thinking of an Optima Yellow Top.

My C5 only gets used once every week or two (at the moment) and the voltage tends to drop to 11.3V or below if left for a week without drivinig it.

I do try to trickle charge the battery with my CTEK charger but as the car lives outside I cannot leave it hooked up all the time, so it gets charged when weather permits, usually every week if I can.

I was thinking that the Optima Yellow top might give me a bit more time before having to charge the battery, and may also take being drained a bit better than a conventional battery.

Does anyone have any experience of the Yellow Top fitted to a C5 - how did it perform?

Many thanks!

Philip.

Not used an Optima on my C5 but used on the race car with no charging system for 20 odd years and never let us down. Always plenty of cranking power, we just put it on trickle charge between rounds. The only thing I would say is don't let it discharge completely as they can be difficult to get back up again but that was only after a long period being discharged. I doubt that would be a problem on the C5.

 

[phild]

Cant comment about Optima batteries but this is the solar charger we use. Its been used to keep the battery on our horsebox topped up as its not used regularly and too big for a garage. We've had it for three or fur years and its worked well and is left on the dashboard facing the sun. We connect it to the USB port but it comes with connectors to the cigarette lighter or direct to the battery terminals.

AA 4.8W XL 12V Car Van Caravan Solar Panel Trickle Battery Charger Power Supply

The AA Car Battery Solar Charger is designed to maintain the vehicle battery by converting light energy from the sun into electricity. The charger provides peace of mind that your vehicle will start if it has been left unused over a period of time. This product should not be left in place whilst...

ukcampingandleisure.co.uk

 

[Blackzed]

Had 3 on various Corvettes, the yellow top is a deep cycle battery, it will need to be kept charged in some way.
They used to have a 5 year warranty, now it's 12 months, tells me all I need to know.
Now have a Yuasa from Halfords with a 5 year warranty, have claimed on it, due to the mother in law switching off the maintainer. He tested it and said it was knackered and went and got another. Had the E-receipt on my phone.
No more Optimas for me, ever.

 

[Roscobbc]

Just can't see the point in using a more expensive alternative (like Optima) versus a conventional good quality lead acid battery. This (if correctly looked after) will last 6, 7 years, perhaps more, usually at a cost below £100......whereas 'alternatives', (generally more expensive), don't always seem to last significantly longer. A conventional lead acid battery in good order once fully charged will retain its charge for many months......providing there isn't any 'parasitic' drain from the cars electrical system. Question has to be.....will an Optima type battery maintain it's charge (when subjected to the drain from a cars security systems) any better/longer than a standard lead acid battery without risk of deep discharge issues?

 

[teamzr1]

This Optima fad all came about as GM moving Delco to china and of course quality took a crap

The china vendor making the battery for C5s decided for higher profits to not install a flat washer on the back side of the positive post
Hence, acid leaked out & down and eats wiring, vacuum hoses and even flowed on to the PCM causing damage
Someone on a Corvette forum started the BS fad to only use the Optima brand

Problem is china has bought up almost all American battery makers, including Optima and its quality also took a crap
These do no do well in cold winter months and found most cases if voltage goes low enough that cells
can degrade and never fully hold a charge

Consider how long of time shipping batteries by boat to the USA and how long sitting not being charged until sold