I've done some searches, and determined that a Red-top Optima will do fine for me.

What I wasen't able to figure out though, is once I get my radio code, what do I do to reprogram the radio??

Also where would I get the appropriate tie-downs and cover for the battery being that the stock one's apparently dont fit.

Thanks for the help...

 

You can remove the battery cover and bottom part then just ask Optima to send u a peice that you can either put on top or on the bottom of the battery to raise it to the correct height. They will send it for free. Once raised you will be able to use the stock tie-down

When the stock headunit says CODE then just punch in the code 1-6 for 5 digits i believe for example

54321, just hit 5 then 4 then 3 then 2 then 1

 

my optima came with teh spacer to raise it (got it from sears) and the factory tiedown works with the redtop.

as for teh code Bxscig is correct. (its also in your manual)

 

I don't understand I put an optima yellow top in my car about 2 weeks ago and other than not fitting the box 100% I had no problem with tie down, oh, btw I have the Comptech billet tie down with the stock rods and imho the battery looks better without the top cover

Jeff

 

I took out that box and it looks better. The yellowtop was a little too low for the stock connectors to reach for a tight fit. Pepboys didnt have the spacer for me so Optima sent one to me in 2 or 3 days.

 

i been thinkin about upgrading my battery due to high energy usage from my stereo, etc also, which would be the best, red top is better than yellow top, right?

 

I think they say heavy duty stuff use the yellow top, if just regular stuff the red is fine.

 

really?? i thought the red top had more juice than the yellow thanx bxscig, anyone else know about this stuff?

 

more juice for cranking i believe, its on the optima site.

 

the red top is more than adiquit for most stereos. unless you are draining alot of power(large stereos) the red top is recomended. the yellow top has less CCA than the red

 

okay, if i hav a high-drain stereo plus blue LEDs in my headlights and taillights that blink all night long when my alarm is armed with autostart and pager alarm, auto window/sunroof open/close, etc, which is recommended? red or yellow? thanx ahead

 

blinking lights, leds and alarm doesnt take much current even the stock battery is good. if you are planning on running the your high drain stereo while the car is off for a while then get the yellow.

 

actually it does matter, the car has a total of 8 blinking LEDs (including the stock LEDs) all night long and if i dont drive it for about 24-30 hours it usually needs a jump to start it up so thats why i been thinkin bout a better battery. LOL running the stereo without the car running only lasts about 5 minutes before the battery dies!

 

...so... yellow has more?

 

That is exactly why I had to get a new battery. I cant even fill half a tank up with gas without my stock radio on and headlights and fogs without a jump start. It happened at 2am in the morning!!

Otherwise the yellow top works fine for me. I can have the radio playing for hours but I think the red top would of done the same. I dont have crazy stuff in the car.

 

i feel ya bro, i actually jus leave it runnin as i fill up now. okay, so if there's no exact answer on what the difference is, which one is more expensive?

 

either will work. ive never had a issue with large stereos with the red top in the past. (i even left my 85 watt piaa fogs on all night once and was able to start the truck up in the am with out a problem) 1 more thing to consider is what climate your in, (you wont have a problem) but cold climates may opt for teh red top just due to the larger CCA

 

call me a , but what's CCA again?

 

Cold Cranking Amps

 

ah, thanx sleeper! now, that sounds like it only has to do with starting it then, not running it? anyone know which is more expensive?

 

Yes - that measurement has only to do with starting. As far as the difference between the yellow and red top, the yellow top is more expensive. It's a deep cycle battery, which - unless you're familiar with trolling motors for fishing boats (or some other similar high drain application) probably doesn't mean much to you.

A deep cycle battery (like a yellow top) can handle repeated discharges better than a standard battery. The normal lead-acid battery is not designed to be discharged. It can actually hurt it and shorten its life if you discharge it.

Yellow tops are recommended where you will have circumstances where you are running a car stereo without the car on, or other low charge situations (perhaps a car with underdrive pulleys and a high wattage system). They are more forgiving and long-lasting in those situations.

 

yeah, my bro had a massive sound system in his 78 blazer. 2000w i think, anyways he had to go w/the yellow top, larger alternator etc.

 

If you have a high power audio system get the yellowtop. The redtop wasnt made for that application. It will just kill it.

 

Okay Bxscig and all, thanks for the info. But I just want to make sure - by "stock head unit" you mean the radio, right?

 

Yup, the radio... the one the original one that comes with the car. Just get the little add-on stand. You just push those buttons for the differetn presets or cds.

 

actually the red top came first and was designed for that purpose. it can handle repeated drain charge instances. then they came out with the deapcycle (which for all intent and purposes) is better for "big" stereos due to its design.

i had a red top for 6 years (still running fine) with a 2500 watt stereo and it never hurt it.

 

The term "deep cycle" comes from the fact they go from topped off, to a deep cycle drain down to about 5-7 VDC, and will recover on the next recharge. Standard car batteries or starter batteries as they are known do not recover from this very well.

the yellow top battery as was said before cost more and is considered a dual purpose battery... deep cycle and starter. It is heavier than the red-top battery to pick up and the reason for that is that it contains more lead ... which in the end allows it to hold more total power or Henrys of energy if i remember the terms correctly.

you can look at electricity like water in a hose... volts are how much pressure is on the water, amps (as in CCA) is a measure of the amount of water that is flowing and watts are the measure of amount of electricity that flows for at a certain time. you could up the pressure... volts.. and leave the amps the same and get more wattage or vive versa since volts X amps = watts.

now that the different terms are hopefully more clear it should be said that the two batteries are each better in their own ways. Because of the make of the red top it can offer more CCA (cold cranking amps). Over the long run it will run out of power if not recharged faster than the yellow top and will not recover from the discharge as well. If you live in a very cold place it takes more juice to turn things over on a cold day howeever and the CCA may be what you are looking for. (honestly we only have a medium sized six cylinder and either should be plenty). The yellow top offers dual functionality, meaning it is both a starter and a dual cycle battery, which means it will handle long parked sessions better with the radio playing and you and your wife/girlfriend making out. It cost more however....

To each their own. i would get the red top if you are determined to get one or the other but the warranty is only 3 years and the batteries cost a lot more than a regular one. Optima claims that their batteries last 2 times as long as a normal battery and then put half the warranty on them that you can get on a standard battery. I am seriously contimplating just getting a regular battery and saving the money as I dont see it would make much difference in the end.

 

Ive got about 8 years on my red top (6 of those years are with a big stereo) and its still running strong in my dads S10.
i have one in teh TL now for over a year and expect it to last well into my next car forsure. teh red top is well worth the $$ considering the oem battery only lasted 3 1/2 years or so for me

 

see and recommendations like that are why i will end up spending the extra $45 or so dollars on the red top... thanks a lot fsttyms1!!! *smiles*

 

No Problem.

 

thanx guys! sorry soundscape for ing ur thread
yeah we do it-I MEAN make out-with the car runnin anyway
now all i need is to find out how much each battery would cost
haha, gman reminded me of my electronics teacher back in high school with that waterhose theory
seriously though guys thanx a lot
any clues on prices?

 

120.00 - 140.00 for the red
160.00 - 180.00 for the yellow

 

well that dont seem too bad

 

Just called my local Advance Auto Parts and here is what I found....

Autocraft silver - 2yr warranty - 585 CCA - $49.94
Autocraft Titanium - 3 yr warranty - 700 CCA - $64.94
Optima Red Top - 3 yr warranty - 800 CCA - $109.88
Optima Yellow Top - (forgot to ask warranty) - 750 CCA - $159.88

 

looking on optima's web site it looks like the yellow top has a 1 year warranty.

 

which model # for the yellow top for our application?

 

D34/78

 

thnx alot

 

According to this thread you bought an Optima on March 5, 2005.

 

haha i ended up returnin it, got my battery tested another place and they said it would last a few more months

now its actually to the point where if i play my stereo for a few minutes with it off, i gotta jump start it.