does anyone have any experience with aftermarket batteries? what should i look for and what brands would you suggest? any help would be appreciated

 

optima, all you need to know.

 

I'd get an optima yellow top

 

for normal use, the red top is ideal.

 

liquid_x:
Optima is actually way overrated. I used to think they were the best too. There are quite a few better brands out there...my favorite being Hawker. I'll see if I can find a list for ya...it's not on this computer with me...

Austin519

 

um, anyway the optima is a great battery. i have had them in several vehicles. they perform as stated.

 

It looks like he has a nice system in his car so maybe the yellow top would be better. For those times when you just want to have your system booming away

Yeah optima's a really good batteries..I think austin just meant that they aren't the best like everyone says they are. Like they say, There's always going to be something better.

 

yea the system is kinda powerful so i dont want anything dimming on me but sounds like people like optima the most

 

Why are those optima batteries "good"? And where would be a good place to purchase those batteries? What kind of price are we looking at here? Thanks!

 

optima's are designed to be used in high performance applications, like large audio systems, race cars/trucks etc. they are a spiral cell sealed battery, which means they can be mounted in almost any position, including upside down.

they last up to 3 times longer than a conventional battery, they can sit unused 3 times longer than a conventional battery. plus an optima is 15 times more resistant to vibration, which makes it ideal for lowered applications, etc.

you should be able to get one from a good car audio shop, autoparts store or 4x4 shop. i think the red tops are about $125 or so and the yellows are more.

learn more at www.optimabatteries.com

 

tw1112:
Yeah I didn't mean they were bad. Definitely not. Much better than stock. But because of their popularity their price has steadily gone up...and there are batteries out there that perform better and are a good bit cheaper.

liquid_x:
A battery won't help your lights dimming unless you look at something like a Hawker XP. Batteries normally won't put out enough current to keep the amps going and the lights from dimming...too high of an internal resistance limiting current...plus you're relying on a chemical reaction. Get a capacitor (assuming you're not drawing more than is put out)...something like a 1F LA cap. That's what I use. Nothing beats the output of an electric field breaking down...

D73:
You like to see a high amperage/hr...as well as low internal resistance. Specialty batteries like the ones I use are specifically made for high power applications far greater than puny stereo stuff (hanz and franz accent). Hawkers are what we use on the solar car...where you're talking 96V 100A charging currents and at times thousands of amps of draw.

mattg:
Dead on man, dead on.

Austin519