6Volt---parallel wiring ??????

I just replaced an Optima in my 1941 Cadillac that I had in the car for 14 years - and it was still going strong (and I never had a charger on it - ever). And, I have an Optima in the 1935 851 Phaeton and again have never had a charger on it either. And, I generally have a new Optima in everything I sell in 1930's cars. And, I generally always carry a spare with me.

For those that are not familiar with Optima - they have good cold cranking power and they are small and lightweight (you can easily hold in one hand).

When I discharge an Optima (which is rare, though I have done in process of getting fresh engines to run and getting carb's set up and .....) I generally take the battery to a battery specialist who sells Optima to recharge.

By the way - I buy them through Amazon - best pricing I have found.

My experience with two batteries in a car: Two = twice the probability of a dead battery, and when the two are hooked together (parallel or series) the bad one will discharge the good. Try hooking the two with a cut-off switch so you use the pair only for starting, then when the car starts turn off the redundant one. You must of course keep both charged.

I have had results different from Chad with using a Battery Tender Plus to keeping my Optima battery charged . I leave mine hooked up when the car is not running. In over five years the battery has kept it's charge and I have had no failure in starting the car.

looking back at the original question-
YES, you can put 2 batteries in parallel. this will provide you with more cold cranking amps for starting.

now, the two batteries might not charge exactly the same, but that is an entirely different discussion.
I am guessing that getting the car started is your main concern.

my experience with Optima batteries, you cannot use a standard trickle charger. Battery tenders do not work on them and shorten the life span. do the research and buy a charger designed for the gel cell batteries. If you are going to spend the extra on the battery go all in and get the right charger. I ran one of mine completely dead and was able to bring it back with the right charger ( took 2 days ) and it is working fine.

Those trickle chargers can sometimes overcharge the battery
I had one regular lead acid battery cooked by one if these

As for optima 6 v those generally work great , I have them in all my 5 classic cars but stay away from trickle chargers

All you need to do is to disconnect the ground when the car isn't used and give it a charge up to 6.2 v every two to 3 months if the car isn't used at all

Which takes less than 5 min with a 5 ampere charging unit

Don't overcharge it

I've used Optima batteries for years, and have had no problems. I make sure they are always fully charged using a regular battery charger. If I'm not running the Cord for more than a week, I remove the battery; before installing the battery again, I put it on the charger for about 15 minutes, or until showing fully charged. When I'm on a road trip with the Cord, I carry an extra battery and the charger...just in case.

I have heard this knock on Optima batteries for years. I have had the same one attached to my Westchester for six+ years. No problem, but I do keep a charger hook to it at all times the car isn't running. My battery charger is not what you would call a trickle charger. I have been told that a trickle charger is not the way to go. Mine keeps a light charge on the battery at all times. It is called "Battery Tender Plus", made by Deltran Corp of Deland FL. It is 6 V 1.25 A.

I have heard this knock on Optima batteries for years. I have had the same one attached to my Westchester for six+ years. No problem, but I do keep a charger hook to it at all times the car isn't running. My battery charger is not what you would call a trickle charger. I have been told that a trickle charger is not the way to go. Mine keeps a light charge on the battery at all times. It is called "Battery Tender Plus", made by Deltran Corp of Deland FL. It is 6 V 1.25 A.

Optima batteries are junk. They [i:r6yquona]used[/i:r6yquona] to be good units until the company was bought by Johnson controls.I had one in my rock buggy about 2005. It lasted until about 2008 and I bought another (12volt) it did not last 6 months, played games getting it warrantied until auto zone said " no more". The best use I had for it was holding down the tarp covering my firewood.( the handle is great,and the weight " just right") as far as being a battery, they are junk.

www.pirate4x4.com/forum/electric ... tives.html
here you can read all about them.
My suggestion is to buy an odyssey battery if you think that you need a gel cell type.[/url][/i]

I have a 6 Volt Optima battery that wears down surprisingly quickly despite using a trickle charger. Would it be a good idea to obtain a second Optima and wire the two batteries in parallel? Thanks, MA