So much for my Yellow Top

[The Architect]

This thing will NOT start in the cold.

Ive used Yellow Tops in Vegas & In Florida and Georgia without a problem but once I brought it to CT where it gets cold....cant even start my car in the mornings.

At first I could get it to start with a jump from a hand held power supply with jumper cables but not even that can start it now.

Pretty disappointed really.

[kou]

sorry to hear.i have never had a problem with the red top.

[ChinoCharles]

Well, good to know man. Sorry it had to come at your expense.

[pixiedixie862]

haven't had a problem with my red top. but yet again i live in Cali. So it kinda doesn't count since it never get lower than 45 degrees.

[ZING]

Yellow top? Red top? What?

[djgoodonya]

Anyone else livng in the north east have any problems starting the car with a yellow or red top?

[kou]

the red top works fine in the north east.

[kou]

Yellow top? Red top? What?

optima battery/red top,yellow top,blue top.

[ZING]

optima battery/red top,yellow top,blue top.


My knowledge on anything car related is pitiful. That's what you get for living in a country where mechanics charge you 5$ an hr.



EDIT: And thanks :)

[CTScott]

I haven't used Optima batteries myself. I really like Powersonic's AGM batteries. They are quite a bit cheaper than the Optima batteries, and I think they perform as well or better.

[The Architect]

yea I dont know that the red tops are deep cycle. Anyone?

[CTScott]

yea I dont know that the red tops are deep cycle. Anyone?

Yellows are rated for deep cycle, reds are not.

As a side not though, use in a car is not considered deep cycle use (unless you leave your lights on with the engine off on a regular basis)

[The Architect]

well I just got back from Advanced Auto using their AGM Charger and the battery failed its charging and diagnostics test.

GO OPTIMA!

anyways they swapped it out with one of their own even though I didnt buy it from them for a small fee of $12.82 and I now have a BRAND NEW YELLOW TOP.

I will now invest in a load tester and AGM charger to keep my new baby properly maintained and charged.

Go Advanced Auto..... WOO!

Im done.

[nemelek]

What is the CCA for these batteries?

[The Architect]

The one I have now is 620, the one I had an hour ago was 650. I think Ill be ok though.

[The Architect]

because Ive got a fairly large system that theoretically demands a bit more. Also the yellow tops are designed for car audio intensive vehicles.

[IllusionX]

Yellows are rated for deep cycle, reds are not.

As a side not though, use in a car is not considered deep cycle use (unless you leave your lights on with the engine off on a regular basis)



exactly, You need a red top if you want to start up your car properly. cold or warm. please.. the 300amps the start tries to pull each time is going to kill your yellow top.

[The Architect]

well I basically got this one for free so If it happens again then Ill be going the route of the red top.

[Spades]

lol...gimmic. sorry, but i have had dozens of customers come into my shop with optima batteries that have failed before a typical les shwaub battery(west coast chain store brand name) and those things are sh-t.

I have found there are only a couple of suppliers on the west coast with batteries that will actually last 5 years here, and where i live is very mild climate ussually.

i have been running the factory battery with no problems for two years with a aftermarket head unit and over 1000watts of audio gear for trips back and forth across town...start up, drive 5 minutes or less and shut the car off...then start it back up and go somewhere else.

look..."pretty" batteries are like so much of the bling in the aftermarket for autos. they might look cool and all the ricer fan boys are using them, but, in reality, its still a overpriced turd.

wanna know something really sad? general motors AC Delco brand batteries last longer than the aftermarket junk I have seen...SUV's with 150k miles on them and subwoofers in the back...still cranking over on a 10 year old battery.

just my 2 cents...

[talnlnky]

i had a blue top for about 4 years in my 626... that thing started up perfectly fine in the cold... coldest I ever started it was -20F.

They be spensive.... but I think they are quality... Course... if you don't have the alternator to keep it charged, even a deep cycle will eventually lose its power over repeated uses of discharge-partial recharge-discharge.

[talnlnky]

lol...gimmic. sorry, but i have had dozens of customers come into my shop with optima batteries that have failed before a typical les shwaub battery(west coast chain store brand name) and those things are sh-t.

I have found there are only a couple of suppliers on the west coast with batteries that will actually last 5 years here, and where i live is very mild climate ussually.

i have been running the factory battery with no problems for two years with a aftermarket head unit and over 1000watts of audio gear for trips back and forth across town...start up, drive 5 minutes or less and shut the car off...then start it back up and go somewhere else.

look..."pretty" batteries are like so much of the bling in the aftermarket for autos. they might look cool and all the ricer fan boys are using them, but, in reality, its still a overpriced turd.

wanna know something really sad? general motors AC Delco brand batteries last longer than the aftermarket junk I have seen...SUV's with 150k miles on them and subwoofers in the back...still cranking over on a 10 year old battery.

just my 2 cents...

SUV's usually come with alternators in the 80-100amp range, lil rice like cars come with 60-80amp.

Having an alternator that can actually charge your bat is the biggest factor in battery life if you happen to be a person with lots of amp draining electronics.

the biggest mistake most people make when it comes to stereo is to crank it as soon as they get in the car, and to keep it cranked until the car is shut off.

Wait a minute before cranking the car, and turn the stereo off 1 min before you turn your car off... this will give the car a head start on charging, and a one last shot at the end.

people generally don't understand anything about electric concepts (i'm not implying you fit in with this) and thus they abuse their electrical systems instead of upgrading them.

[YarisSedan]

Yellow tops are not really meant for a main car battery. But as a supplement. Usually for cars that have high powered stereo systems in need of a deep cycle battery. True a yellow top is a cheap way to avoid costly high amp altenators or capacitors. But depending on the temperature it may not be able to start your car like in your case. It just dosnt have the cranking amperage. For a good all in one battery thats main design as a main car battery the red top would be a good choice. While still having simular properties to the yellow top.

[Spades]

i dont take offence to that, i agree with you talnlnky...but I have seen the delco batteries last just as long in other cars...one of my first cars was a cavalier w/ stock charging system that i abused the hell out of with audio goodies.

my point is this, for the average person, they WONT be deep cycle charging their battery or even shutting off electronics prior to a engine off in their econoboxes
unless its turbo'd with a turbo timer.

so a deep cycle battery with a name on it is just stupid if you are running a vehicle under normal circumstances. I have yet to see one of their batteries last in a car, truck, or SUV under real world conditions. my boss (shop owner) has gone through multiple deep cycle optimas on his trailer over the last 8 months, and he is using them as they were intended.

at the end of the day, you all have paid how much in optima batteries for style or so called performance, and have even had them fail for some people, and i am still running my toyota battery. there is really no noticable differance between the two other than my car starts in sub 30 degree weather...

BTW, I abuse the hell out of the battery...everything talnlnky said not to do...i do on a daily bassis...and amazingly enough, 2 and a half years later the battery passes the factory load test rating...i suppose when i actually start blowing through batteries i will look for a new battery and a alternator upgrade...till then...i will save the optima money for more stereo goodies...

[POORSHA]

I used a red top in my civic for 7 years in new england, no problem.

[The Architect]

Id like to hear from someone with a yaris with whatever battery they're using and at least 1200 watts worth of car audio in it that they use when driving a lot.

[ChinoCharles]

I've got 1400 watts, stock battery, no cap or anything. Works fine. Cranking the sub makes my headlights dim quite a bit, and if I listen to the radio with the car off forget about it. 2 minutes and the battery is dead, but past that no problems.

[The Architect]

Hm, I get no dimming at all no matter how High i crank it up with sub going crazy and the speakers deafening.

Good to know though.

[ChinoCharles]

You have a cap. :smile: I need one.

[The Architect]

Seeing as how everyone bashes them I pretty much ended up thinking of my cap as a big placebo'd Volt meter.

[ChinoCharles]

Nope. Its like skip protection for your electrical system. You really ought to have one if you have a powerful system in a tiny car.

[YarisSedan]

Just get a interstate battery. They are warrentied nationwide and are a good quality battery.

[The Architect]

do you have one, and if you do, do you have and use a high powered car audio system daily?

[Spades]

well, if this helps, my shops carried interstate batteries for several years before we switched suppliers, and had a VERY low warranty rate with them. the only reason we switched is the local branch we were getting supplied from switched over to a company called batteries northwest.

I have had good luck with both of those suppliers. at any rate, i abuse the hell out of my stock battery, 1500w of amps, and a 2 farad cap. no dimming headlights ect no matter how high its cranked. i am just very warry of alot of these aftermarket batteries cause they have always been returned when we tried to use them.

[sportin83]

i am running 1700 watts rms in my sub amp and prolly round 75x4 in my 4 channel. still have stock battery so far with a 20 farad tsunami cap. i wana add a red top. i have a red top in my silverado and it ran all this equipment for 2 years on it and always started the truck. truck battery died the other day had a cell go bad but truck was hit by lightning bout 4 months ago coming home from work. fried pcm bcm and tach module and several other parts, they said battery was ok but i think thats what killed it. but they have 3 year over counter swap at advance auto. got new red top and pair 0.

[talnlnky]

honestly.... whichever brand you get... go with a deepcycle... and make sure its sealed. Having a sealed battery ALONE is worth it... never have to worry about fluid levels, or maintenance. I remember I didn't have any corrosion or anything on my bluetop.. this stock battery has blue crusty foam like residue on the positive post. Not a big fan of that.

When my stock battery dies... I'll probably look to get the lightest battery I can with a good CCA/CA rating on it... and is maintenance free.

[ZING]

You got hit by lightning? weird

[Black Yaris]

I love this thread..... yellow tops are not made for everyday use.... they are meant as a back up battery, not to start a car on a daily basis

[The Architect]

So far the new yellow top is drastically better on all fronts.

The old one was giving 12.1-12.4 volts with the car turned off whereas the new one is a solid 13 volts.

I got an alternator and battery tester and will be buying an agm charger soon to keep it at its tip top.

[talnlnky]

So far the new yellow top is drastically better on all fronts.

The old one was giving 12.1-12.4 volts with the car turned off whereas the new one is a solid 13 volts.

I got an alternator and battery tester and will be buying an agm charger soon to keep it at its tip top.

my blue top rested at 13.2-13.4 without using a trickle charger. Its all about having a good alternator... I was running a 160amp alt.

[The Architect]

if only a HO alt could be made, I thought we had a person on YW who got a 180amp made for like 500 bucks but i contacted one of the high profile custom alternator makers and he said that a HO alt isnt available for our cars yet because our alternators use a sort of square pin wiring inside or something like that as opposed to the traditional round wiring.

[talnlnky]

if only a HO alt could be made, I thought we had a person on YW who got a 180amp made for like 500 bucks but i contacted one of the high profile custom alternator makers and he said that a HO alt isnt available for our cars yet because our alternators use a sort of square pin wiring inside or something like that as opposed to the traditional round wiring.

go to an alternator shop, and see if you can talk to the guy who does alt re-builds... Try and see if he can build a new alt using the stock casing. Tell him you want a high output alt, NOT A REWOUND alt. Something that can do say 120amps or more at 2000rpms. yeah it'll cost ya... I paid $400 installed on mine for my mazda back in like 03.

[mo_feezy]

It might just be going bad. I had a yellow top for 5 years and when it was time to go, it was time to go. How old is it?

[goku87]

so about these blue tops. i knot they are classified as "marine" but what does that really mean. what's the difference between a blue deep cycle and a yellow deep cycle. if it's cold temperature tolerance that would be wicked awesome. ak gets a tad cold every now and then.

[IllusionX]

get a red top to use with the car starter, deep cycle batteries are not made to start up..

[Spades]

so about these blue tops. i knot they are classified as "marine" but what does that really mean. what's the difference between a blue deep cycle and a yellow deep cycle. if it's cold temperature tolerance that would be wicked awesome. ak gets a tad cold every now and then.

deep cycle is deep cycle. its meant to sit in active and hold a charge for a long period, then get hit with a powerfull alternator or charger and not blow up.

sorry, but most car owners with audio systems have over 1000 watts of amplifiers sucking the ever living life out of their battery and forcing the alternator to do as much as it can to keep the battery charged up. a car battery needs to be able to handle the draw of daily starts, and never have to be hooked to a battery charger, and still power the audio system.

a deep cycle battery may work for the job, but its not a good move to use one in a car, because the sucker will die long before it would in a boat or RV.

if you wanna use two batteries, with the deep cycle stashed in the trunk and wired to your normal battery and charging system for those days when you want to pound the crap out of your subs and not have to worry about frying your alternator, good for you.

if you wanna toss a yellowtop in a car with a stock charging system, stereo gear, HID headlamps, and a underdrive pully...well, expect the battery to fail.

simple as that. anything else beyond this is just hashing the same crap thats been said in the last 3 pages of this post.