Optima Red Top owners?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Horseshoe Bend ID
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
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From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Don't have an Optima battery but I always keep my C5 battery on a tender I use a Deltran Battery Tender Junior; I wired in the cable to the "B" positive post on the fuse block and a good ground. The cable has a connector that can be disconnected quickly when I want to drive the car. C5's do tend to cause batteries to go dead after 3-4 weeks because of the small constant current drain.
With the Optima battery, you should look for a maintainer that works with that particular battery brand. Deltran and CTEK both will work..
With the Optima battery, you should look for a maintainer that works with that particular battery brand. Deltran and CTEK both will work..
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Fort Wayne IN
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
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I always have kept my Red Tops on those Schumaker float chargers (it's just what I happened to own). Current one is several years old and still plugging along. Had a couple others last in the 8-9 year range this way.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2016
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You say 8-9 years is that the battery or charger your talking about?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Leesburg Fl
2018 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '14,'18
The motors need to be run regularly. Just saw an '03 on the lift getting new fuel pumps with just 30k miles. Tech said it's because of the ethanol and Stabil won't help that. Just run the motor until it warms at least every 2 weeks.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,045
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From: Wichita Falls Texas
I don't drive my 03 very everyday so when I pull it in the garage I hook up my tender. Takes about a minute. I can see the lights on the tender start flashing when the the battery is full and being maintained.
My Red Top is about 3 years old.
Never have to worry about it.
My Red Top is about 3 years old.
Never have to worry about it.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: BEST Corn-Nation
2015 C5 of the Year Winner
I have a yellow top in my Vette and a red top in my truck. Yellow top is about 4 years old and my red top is approximately 10 years old. I have a CTech on the Vette and a Battery Tender on the truck. I plug them in maybe once a month over a weekend just because. My truck gets driven less then the Vette. I'm really surprised my truck battery has lasted that long down here in the Arizona heat.
Last edited by mstromquist; Aug 23, 2018 at 12:44 PM.
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Racer
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Instructor
Joined: Jul 2017
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From: Marietta Ga
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Boca Raton FL
My dad and I have our C5s hooked up to a using a Y-cable. It can handle up to 8 batteries at once.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Fort Wayne IN
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Both! I've had the Schumaker float charger since about......probably 2007. I had two Red Tops at the time that were purchased in 2002 and finally died in 2010 and 2011 respectively, and it was honestly my fault because I wasn't float charging them enough (I.E. letting them go dead from time to time).
Last edited by Fastbird; Aug 22, 2018 at 04:53 PM.
Race Director
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From: Hickory NC
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St. Jude Donor '17 thru '26
My red top is about 2 years old. If I know it's going to be more than a week between driving I hook it to the charger. Use the Optima Digital 400 (our son is an Optima dealer so I got a good price on it 
).
).
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,280
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From: Pittsburgh PA
My red top is going on 2 years in the car. Just sat a month and started right up. My car never sits with a tender and in 20 years no matter how long it sits. Only twice it did not start. And that was on 5 year old batteries. In my opinion it is not the batteries fault but the cars if it does not start after periods of sitting. During the winter months my car sits for two three months at a time.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Western NY
I don't drive my '01 C-5 on a daily basis, but I do get it out and fully warmed up, at least twice a week, during the summer. It's had an Optima Red Top in it since '02, due to the battery issues that were going on, back then. I usually keep a red top in the 'Vette for 4 years, then move it on to what I'm driving in the winter, and put a new one in the 'Vette. However, I have an Optima charger, and put it on the 'Vette one a week, during the winter....usually when I'm out running the snow blower around.
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