Yellow top or red top?
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10 Second Club
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Champaign Il
Yellow top or red top? Which Optima battery should I get and why? The yellow top is more $$$ and according to Optimas website has less power. Weird. I don't DD the car, but I do alot of short trip in town stuff. I'm getting it because my alternator can't keep up at idle and stuff.
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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Red Top here, lasted many years. Don't run down & it will last long time.
If I remember right isn't the yellow a deep cycle, less power, but will not be damaged if you run it down.
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Red Top here, lasted many years. Don't run down & it will last long time.
If I remember right isn't the yellow a deep cycle, less power, but will not be damaged if you run it down.
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Teching In
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 46
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From: Lady Lake FL
i've got a yellow top. its not a true deep cycle like the blue top but it not a true automotive batter like the red top. i love it though. i can sit with the fans on the whole time i'm at the track and i'll just bump the key and it will start.
Red tops are great but do not run them down or you will be sorry.
Had 2 of them go south real quick by running them down and recharging them.
I learned my lesson after the second.
Had 2 of them go south real quick by running them down and recharging them.
I learned my lesson after the second.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2007
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all optimas are great batteries so you cant go wrong either way..
its a matter of weight vs functionality
if you want a battery with lots of reserve its going to be heavier. The g31 yellow or blue (same battery with different posts) will do you there.
if you dont need a ton of reserve id go with a d34 yellow or blue. Deep cycle batteries are your friend.
its a matter of weight vs functionality
if you want a battery with lots of reserve its going to be heavier. The g31 yellow or blue (same battery with different posts) will do you there.
if you dont need a ton of reserve id go with a d34 yellow or blue. Deep cycle batteries are your friend.
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10 Second Club
iTrader: (41)
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From: Champaign Il
One problem I have is that I don't do alot of long trips so sometimes my battery doesn't get fully charged while driving. I've been keeping my Odyssey dry cell on a battery tender so it won't die so quick (2 weeks of sitting and its dead). I killed a red top in my GN because I didn't drive it much, must have went totally dead, had to replace it.
Originally Posted by revtime
Red tops are great but do not run them down or you will be sorry.
Had 2 of them go south real quick by running them down and recharging them.
I learned my lesson after the second.
Had 2 of them go south real quick by running them down and recharging them.
I learned my lesson after the second.
+1 I had no luck at all with Optimas. Run an optima down once and it will have to be replaced because it will bnever hold a charge right again.
6 & 8 Second Club
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,284
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From: Illinois, RT 66 dragway area
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I have run a red top down to zero several times, it still worked fine for a few years.
When I used one in my '89 WS-6 I forgot to un hook and it drained over the winter,
I recharged and away I went.
It did not die after one time. It did eventually die and another one I never ran down is still working after 8-10 years. 90% of my buddy's used optima for years, before most of us switched to 16V stuff. I personally never heard of anything bad happening, unless it was user error, like mine. Good luck.
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I have run a red top down to zero several times, it still worked fine for a few years.
When I used one in my '89 WS-6 I forgot to un hook and it drained over the winter,
I recharged and away I went.
It did not die after one time. It did eventually die and another one I never ran down is still working after 8-10 years. 90% of my buddy's used optima for years, before most of us switched to 16V stuff. I personally never heard of anything bad happening, unless it was user error, like mine. Good luck.
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7 Second Club
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From: Gainesville, Florida # of drag strips runs: ?!?!?
I've got a red top going on 5+ years of service in my Nova, and it sits sometimes for a week or 2 before seeing action, and starts right up.
As mentioned above, IMHO you can't go wrong with the Optima batteries.
Derek
As mentioned above, IMHO you can't go wrong with the Optima batteries.
Derek
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Posts: n/a
I have a red top and like it.
A buddy of mine has two yellow tops and this cars sit A LOT, rarley get driven and he just hooks the batteries back up and the cars fire right up.
If its driven I would just get a red top. If its a car that spends most of the year in the garage (like 11.5 monhts of the year) then yellow top.
A buddy of mine has two yellow tops and this cars sit A LOT, rarley get driven and he just hooks the batteries back up and the cars fire right up.
If its driven I would just get a red top. If its a car that spends most of the year in the garage (like 11.5 monhts of the year) then yellow top.
