OPTIMA: Yellow top or Red top???
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From: Valley Village, CA
OPTIMA: Yellow top or Red top??? My car's stereo simply consists of an in-dash DVD player, a JL Audio 10" sub in stealthbox and a BOSS 400watt amp...
Is a yellow top really neccessary? I would think the red top would be fine... The yellow just looks retarded on a blue car with red accents (under the hood is satin black, chrome accents and red valve covers) to me...
Is a yellow top really neccessary? I would think the red top would be fine... The yellow just looks retarded on a blue car with red accents (under the hood is satin black, chrome accents and red valve covers) to me...
better safe than sorry if you like to sit around and listen to your tunes. with the added parts i would think about the yellow top as its a deep cycle battery. i have one and i cant get the thing to die. if the color yellow bothers you a battery cover may be in your future. just my opinion.
You can get covers that snap on top but they're color keyed to the battery but it's nothing you can't fix with some spray paint. I'd go with yellow if your car sits for long periods between driving. They pretty much recommend the yellow top for ANY kind of system. Someone had posted the specs for when to use red vs yellow on another thread. I have a red top in my truck with a very mild system and it's been fine for the past year. I take the yellow out of my Camaro for the winter and it just sits in the basement with no charger on it. Every spring I drop it in and it fires right up.
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: Colonie NY
i would recommend a kinetik power cell. Optima's are good but they aren't made for audio.
www.kinetikaudio.com I believe they are blue cases with red labels.
I run kinetik batteries in my audio show car, for a thousand watts. Just one batt, no caps never dims, voltage never drops below 12.8 volts. My team mate jeff fredericks from team image dynamics has a ls1 camaro and runs kinetik batteries with more than 3000 watts, no dimming.
www.kinetikaudio.com I believe they are blue cases with red labels.
I run kinetik batteries in my audio show car, for a thousand watts. Just one batt, no caps never dims, voltage never drops below 12.8 volts. My team mate jeff fredericks from team image dynamics has a ls1 camaro and runs kinetik batteries with more than 3000 watts, no dimming.
i just switched from a yellow top to a red top. optima replaced it free under warrenty. even though yellow is a deep cycle its only rated for 24months and the red top is much longer (60 months i think). i had to replace mine because it wouldnt hold a charge and it only had 15-18k miles on it. as i was talkin with the guy he was telling me that they tend to have more problems with the yellow tops than the red tops thats why i exchanged mine for a red and its $40 less.
i have high compression (11.1) ls1 with an alpine head unit MB Quart components all the way around and a 12' jl sub and two amps with totall of 1100 watts i dont drive the car that much but after sitting for the winter the battery just wouldnt take and hold a charge anymore.
i have high compression (11.1) ls1 with an alpine head unit MB Quart components all the way around and a 12' jl sub and two amps with totall of 1100 watts i dont drive the car that much but after sitting for the winter the battery just wouldnt take and hold a charge anymore.
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Well, I bought both 
!
I got a great deal on a month old yellow top from a board member ($100
)... works great but something he said stuck in my head, "the yellow top is great but the redtop has more cranking amps."
SO, I said screw it, went down to Auto Zone, put the ridiculous (just under) $190 on the credit card and now have a redtop (which looks better) with an @ss load of cranking power
!
The yellow top is going in the wife's Focus (which needs a new battery anyways) and if I ever have to switch back I can
Problem solved
! I got a great deal on a month old yellow top from a board member ($100
)... works great but something he said stuck in my head, "the yellow top is great but the redtop has more cranking amps."SO, I said screw it, went down to Auto Zone, put the ridiculous (just under) $190 on the credit card and now have a redtop (which looks better) with an @ss load of cranking power
!The yellow top is going in the wife's Focus (which needs a new battery anyways) and if I ever have to switch back I can
Problem solved
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dont waste your time with yellow or red, neither is really supposed to be used for deep cycling... get a blue top, its a marine battery and made to be deep cycled and for starting...
yellow and blue are the exact same battery. Just with different colored tops. Blue is marketed for marine, but internally, the yellow and blue are identical.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,293
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From: Fredericksburg Va
Originally Posted by Mike @ FbodyAudio
yellow and blue are the exact same battery. Just with different colored tops. Blue is marketed for marine, but internally, the yellow and blue are identical.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by Mike @ FbodyAudio
yellow and blue are the exact same battery. Just with different colored tops. Blue is marketed for marine, but internally, the yellow and blue are identical.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
red is not meant for deep cycling at all. yellow and blue are.
blue and yellow = different warranties...
I grouped red and yellow together because I didnt really feel like explaining about the warranty
I would suggest a red top if you want a better battery, but for starting your car, and do not have a big system, and do not play your stereo with the engine off for more then a few minutes at a time.
If you have a medium to large sound system, and especially if you have your car at shows or whatever playing the system with the engine off, that's when you want a yellow.
If you have a medium to large sound system, and especially if you have your car at shows or whatever playing the system with the engine off, that's when you want a yellow.
Originally Posted by DEMONBIRD
Well, the redtop I got has 800 CCA and 980 CA...
The yellow top had CCA 650 CA 810...
For some reason the yellow top turned it over quicker though
The yellow top had CCA 650 CA 810...
For some reason the yellow top turned it over quicker though
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From: Valley Village, CA
Originally Posted by spy2520
yellow top should be 750/870. they actually dont make one that is supposed to fit in f-bodies, but the closest would be the 34/78 which has almost the same cranking power as the red top that is supposed to go in our cars...
really? thats good to know blown383. i have a yellow top, and no problems ever. it came in the car tho, and so far im impressed. doesnt mis a beat in this freezing chicago weather at 7 in the morning.