which optima battery to get yellow or red

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elmore4030

Member - Posts: 21

Joined: March 02, 2008

Location: Texas, United States

Posted: March 05, 2008 at 5:13 PM / IP Logged

I been hearing goods things about these Optima Batteries ,Are they as good as they are claimed to be.Which one is the best to get the Red top has a 7 year warranty and has more CCA,but the Yellow Top is a deep cycle and just has a two year warranty and suppose to be better for stuff like car amps,they both sound good but they are high.Are they worth the extra money .Is it just as good to have a High amp alternator and a good battery ,or is the Yellow top that much better then the Red Top with a high amp alternator.Some people tell me just get yourself a good 25f cap and put on there .but I don't see how the cap can help that much if the battery is not tough enough.Some one tell me about these Optima Batteries and are they worth it.

Pioneer DEH-P960MP+Multi-CD Player Rockfordfosgate 225.2

Rockfordfosgate T8004 Rockfordfosgate 2 T110D2 InFinity Reference Components 2 sets of 6000cs 2 sets 6800cs

whiterob

Copper - Posts: 351

Joined: July 22, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: March 05, 2008 at 6:25 PM / IP Logged

Get the red top. I know many of the guys here will agree with that. Haem has a great explanation of the differences somewhere in this forum. He recommends the red top as well.

greenbroncoguy

Copper - Posts: 299

Joined: March 27, 2003

Location: Florida, United States

Posted: March 05, 2008 at 7:10 PM / IP Logged

whiterob wrote:

Get the red top. I know many of the guys here will agree with that. Haem has a great explanation of the differences somewhere in this forum. He recommends the red top as well.

I will have to agree on getting the Red Top. There will be others (maybe another, as it were which optima battery to get yellow or red -- posted image. ...) that will tell you to get the Yellow Top, but honestly, after having owned both, I will recommend the Red.

-Matt

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audiocableguy

Copper - Posts: 630

Joined: January 27, 2003

Location: Idaho, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 12:23 AM / IP Logged

Warranty?

Red Top:

Abusive service / Deep Cycle Applications / Car Audio. Not covered!

Yellow Top:

Car Audio. 12 months replacement, 12 months prorate.

sedate

Silver - Posts: 1,173

Joined: July 03, 2004

Location: Colorado, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 12:49 AM / IP Logged

elmore wrote:

I been hearing goods things about these Optima Batteries ,Are they as good as they are claimed to be.Which one is the best to get

These are great batteries. I've been using them for years.

The argument is somewhat prolific - but ultimately either are certainly far superior to a stock solution.

However - have to tell ya - audiophiles and elitists have some bizarre devotion to these Red Tops that is real, real misplaced. I don't really know *why* people think Red Tops are better - they aren't.

The advice to buy a Red Top was probably some of the worst and most expensive adviceI've ever recieved. Ever.

Read the argument:

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~101949~KW~sedate~PN~0~TPN~2

Anyway - the basic idea is that the Red Top provides more current - but the argument is just wrong - the idea is something like "my system needs 150 amps, so I need the battery that provides 600 instead of 500" or whatever - it's just wrong. Anyway - what is important is a battery designed to be deep cycled, designed to take constant, overpowering current demands - something the Red Top is simply not designed to do.

There is a reason Optima says Yellows are for car audio - they built the thing after all.

"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

haemphyst

Platinum - Posts: 5,054

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Joined: January 19, 2003

Location: Michigan, Bouvet Island

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 1:02 AM / IP Logged

Save the money... Buy a red-top. According to all of the arguments, it's "just as good", so if that is INDEED the case, save the money, right?

Still, I will continue to maintain that the red-top is better in every way than a yellow top, for car audio.

sedate makes decent arguments, but in the end those arguments shoot himself in the foot! If it is just as good, why not spend less? (Sorry, James! which optima battery to get yellow or red -- posted image.

which optima battery to get yellow or red -- posted image.

)

I have owned both, and from EVERY experience, the red has performed better, lasted longer, and cost me less. Those are good enough reasons for me to stick with MY arguments, as well as recommend them.

It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

sedate

Silver - Posts: 1,173

Joined: July 03, 2004

Location: Colorado, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 1:36 AM / IP Logged

haemph wrote:

According to all of the arguments, it's "just as good", so if that is INDEED the case, save the money, right

::::grumblegrumble::::

Napa/Autozone SLI < Red Top < Yellow Top

. . .but no point go around this track again . . .

"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

elmore4030

Member - Posts: 21

Joined: March 02, 2008

Location: Texas, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 3:36 AM / IP Logged

They both look like they will get the job done ,I kept hearing if it was for audio amps then the Yellow Top was the one I should go with because it as a deep cycle ,but I was looking at prices and the Red Top was $149.99 and the Yellow Top was $199.99,So I dicided to get the Red Top because it was cheaper ,but I checked out and the guy went and got it from the back room and carried it out to my car ,I was'nt paying attention because I was looking at something else in the store that I needed ,So when I got home and took it out they had giveing me the D34-78 Yellow Top instead of the D75-25 Red Top I bought .So I now have the Yellow Top .I thought it might not fit ,but it just about 1/2 inch wider then the other one so it fit perfect.I know I should take it back but I did'nt make the mistake and besides AutoZone probbaly still made money on it .Now that I got ever thing includeing my 160 High Amp alternator,maybe I can get all the power out of my amp.I just got to upgrade my positive wire on my alternator and upgrade my ground wire .and run my 1/0 Super Flex "BLACK" Copper Welding Cable from my battery to my amps,have'nt made up my mind if I am going to use my 5f cap or not ,I keep hearing they are not worth the trouble.

Pioneer DEH-P960MP+Multi-CD Player Rockfordfosgate 225.2

Rockfordfosgate T8004 Rockfordfosgate 2 T110D2 InFinity Reference Components 2 sets of 6000cs 2 sets 6800cs

audiocableguy

Copper - Posts: 630

Joined: January 27, 2003

Location: Idaho, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 9:28 AM / IP Logged

The good news, no one has recommended the Blue Top, yet.

I went with an Odyssey 1500/34. They have a seven year warranty no matter what the application. Cost was a few dollars more than a Yellow Top. It only comes in one color, it just happens to be red.

elmore4030

Member - Posts: 21

Joined: March 02, 2008

Location: Texas, United States

Posted: March 06, 2008 at 6:48 PM / IP Logged

This Yellow Top Optima has to be better then the batteries I have been useing ,because I would buy a 72month with the highest CCA and if it went competely dead twice that was it ,it would never be no good after that ,sure I took it back three times because it was under warranty but the fouth time they refuse to honor the warranty because they said I was not properly useing it ,because of my amps and stuff.So I went to another place and bought one and it did the same thing but they just exchanged it once because he seen my big read wire with a 200 amp fuze to the battery and told me I was not useing it as it was recomende to be use.So This is my first time to actually get a battery that is for stereo and heavy use,so it has got to be better then what I have been useing.I fineally look up and seen what different batteries are made for ,and for what I needed was a deep cycle since they are made for slow drains and able to recharge them when they go down back to the same power ,at least a lot more times then a regular starter battery.I read that a starting batery has a larger number of thin plates so they have more suface area so the electolyte can react quicker to give you a lot of power ,but for a shorter time.Where as a deep cycle battery has less plates but they are thicker and more durable and when the electrolytes react with them ,they put out the power for a longer period of time ,so the discharge is slower and last longer.Deep cycle bateries can be recharged back to full power a lot more times them a starter batery can.Or something like that ,I understand now how important getting the right battery is,instead of just looking at the 1100CCA .I should have done more studing on the eletrical parts instead of just worrying about getting the cleaner amps and head units that put out what they claim and woofers that hit good and handle the power they claim and a corectly built box ,which all is important ,but i could have saved a lot of money by buying the right battery and a high output alternator,instead of haveing to replace my alternator ever year and a new battery .I thought you just got the one that had the most years warranty and the highest CCA on one.Now maybe i can put my sytem together and get the full power out of my amps,I got my 1 /0 welding wire to run from my battery to my amps instead of my two 4 gauge.

Pioneer DEH-P960MP+Multi-CD Player Rockfordfosgate 225.2

Rockfordfosgate T8004 Rockfordfosgate 2 T110D2 InFinity Reference Components 2 sets of 6000cs 2 sets 6800cs

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