Which Batteries are Best for a Lowrider?

OPTIMA has been in the battery game for a very long time, which in itself is a relevant consideration when trying to figure out which batteries are the best option for a lowrider. OPTIMA is more than a brand, we are a manufacturer. That means we have engineers on staff and our own test labs, where they work to improve our products. As good as they already are, the focus on continual product improvement never ends.

Battery brands that just buy their products from a third-party manufacturer may not know anything about how batteries are made or what makes one battery better than another. Their purchase decision as a brand may be driven by their cost and the profit they hope to make selling batteries to you, regardless of the quality of the product. Will they be around if you need warranty service? It's an expensive question you hope you don't have to answer.

Batteries for lowriders and car audio applications are particularly expensive investments, because it usually involves purchasing multiple batteries. Whenever two or more batteries are run in series or parallel applications, they need to be identical in age, size and type. Deviate from that formula and the performance and lifespan of all the batteries will suffer as a result. The hard truth is that if you have a bank of six batteries and one goes bad, you need to replace all six. That doesn't mean the other five aren't any good, but that they shouldn't be used in a mis-matched application with a single brand-new battery, even if it's the exact same brand.

As batteries age, their internal resistance increases, which makes it harder for them to accept and deliver current. Add a newer battery into a mix of older batteries and it will get discharged faster, more deeply and will get overcharged while the others are still getting back to a full state of charge. We also recommend any batteries wired in groups of three or more be rotated in their wiring order periodically, like you would rotate your tires. The thought process behind that is that the quality of your connections may not be as consistent as you'd like, so some batteries may not be getting charged or discharged at the same rate as others. Rotating them periodically helps mitigate that concern and keep the entire bank more balanced.

Peukert's Law for lead-acid batteries also states the more deeply a lead-acid battery is discharged, the fewer cycles it will deliver. That means you should try to get the largest batteries with the most reserve capacity (don't worry about cranking amps for deep-cycle applications) that you can fit in your application. In the video above, you'll notice Jim points out the larger capacity of the DH7 YELLOWTOP over the Group 31 YELLOWTOP. Not only does the DH7 have more capacity, but as of this writing, it comes with a significantly lower price tag than the D31A. 

We know not everyone has the same budget when it comes to batteries, so we'll take a closer look at the three technologies used in the vast majority of lowriders and explain the pros and cons of each.

Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries

Flooded lead-acid batteries are typically the least-expensive option, but they will also tend to have the shortest lifespan and worst performance. They may also be more vulnerable to damage and/or leaking from vibration than other options. If you'll just never have the budget for any other battery or you are selling your lowrider and just need to get your system working, these would be a viable option. In every other instance, we'd recommend you save your money to buy AGM batteries, even if it's just the least-expensive house brand of AGM batteries.

AGM Batteries

AGM batteries, including OPTIMA YELLOWTOPs and BLUETOPs (we don't recommend or warranty REDTOPs for deep-cycle applications) are still lead-acid batteries, but instead of the electrolyte sloshing in between the plates, it is absorbed into fiberglass matting. Generally speaking, AGM batteries are less prone to damage from vibration and will perform better and last longer than flooded batteries, but they come in at a higher price point. Some AGM batteries also use recycled lead and weaker tombstone welds to connect cells and they may not perform as well or last as long as AGM batteries that use 99.99% pure virgin lead and have thick cast straps that connect cells, as you'd find in OPTIMA BLUETOPs and YELLOWTOPs. AGM batteries with pure lead and cast straps connecting cells do tend to be more expensive than AGM batteries that use recycled lead and tombstone welds.

Lithium Batteries

Just as not all AGM batteries are created equally, the same is definitely true for lithium batteries. There are many lithium brands trying to carve out a corner of the market, but the quality of the batteries being sold varies wildly. Some have lower quality or mis-matched cells, some lack a battery management system (BMS) or other important features, like integrated protection from alternator "load dump," if the BMS becomes disconnected. The best lithium batteries, like the OPTIMA ORANGETOP will have the best quality cells all these important features and more, but also command a significant price over AGM batteries. With that higher price comes the expectation of significantly longer lifespan and improved performance in a lighter package, even if it's physically the same size battery. 

If you have the budget for quality lithium batteries, they will be the best choice for lowriders, car audio or other deep-cycle applications, but you'll want to make sure you choose a battery brand you can trust. We'll tell you the sign of a trustworthy battery brand here.