Had the car in the shop this week for some EGR issues and they told me my battery is dead cuz they had to jump it. Now, im assuming that they unplugged the battery when servicing the EGR and i have a rather large capacitor in the trunk (3.5 Farads, yes FULL Farads). Im thinking what probably happened is when they went to hook up the battery they were greeted with a huge shower of sparks and resulted in killing my battery.

The battery is old in the car (over 4 years old) and im pretty sure it is nearing the end of its life anyway... so my question is should i shell out the extra cash and get a optima yellow top or just go with a cheaper battery? assuming that when i give my battery a full test it is no good.

Anyone have one of these? Any bad experiences? thanks, you input would help a lot.

 

I think you should definitely get a yellow top.

 

Can't go wrong with the yellow top

 

i love mine. over 1000 cca, tested when sold to me. plus you have a system as well. thats the way to go

 

Im probably the ONLY one on here who has a problem with Optima. I had a redtop and it lasted only a few months. The shop I bought it from is a small local battery only buisness. They had a HUGE pile of junk Optimas in the back. The owner told me they have more issues with Optima and try not to sell them. Of course I really wanted one even though they did originally try and talk me out of it. Never again will I buy one, even if I got the only lemon off the line. Nothing sucks more than a dead battery. I bought a regular battery and not a single issue since.

It did LOOK cool, but cool doesnt get you home.

 

damn how long ago was this? i heard a few years ago they had a LOT of recalled ones. but this was in like 2003 i think.

i got mine from a small shop too called batteries plus. i paid more but needed a battery asap.

 

so getting in the car today, my system didnt turn on... after checking all the wiring it all looks good. i recently got a flat and had it in the shop and i think they yanked **** loose when they were ****ing around in the trunk. i really dont have time to go over it and figure out exactly what they pulled off where. great.

 

maybe they disconnected your ground wire on the amp or another wire got disconnected from the amp.

 

ya the amp was completely disconnected and i hooked it back up. i noticed there is a loose wire on the capacitor so im thinking that is where the issue is. its a real pain to try and put one of those huge rings back one, i can never get them to hold good. the amp turns on but nothing to the speakers, and the capacitor is not taking a charge. is it possible the the amp i pulling enough power to turn the "on" led on through the switch wire? thats the only thing i can think

 

re charge your cap. you can charge it at the fuse holder by the battery. test at your amp for 12v. make sure those connections are good and snug at your cap. are the speaker wires and rca's still connected to the amp? maybe the shop ****ed something up or loosened a wire and it looks connected.

 

my yellow top went dead after one year in my truck,but the nice thing is the three year full replacement. so imho you cant go wrong with them

 

Yeah I hear the optimas are over rated. You can fit a bigger battery than whats normally in there (not sure on the exact size) but thats what I did, its a bit taller and has more CCA. I always go with interstate batteries and I've never had any problems, but honestly I hear the ones from costco are just as good.

I think the only reason people go with optimas is because they have great branding/marketing and obviously because they're yellow and they stand out but I don't think they're worth the money. A lot of people also pretend that they need the 1000 CCA and the ability to use the battery upside down which is BS because I'd say only 1% of people actually mount their batteries sideways.

Save your money and just go to costco, comes with a warranty so you can't go wrong.

 

^ you obviously dont know the purpose of a yellow top battery, do you. educate yourself before you try to sound smart.

 

Optimas are greaqt batteries, especially since their sealed and can be mounted however.
But they do not like to sit around and are really only ideal for a DD unless you have them on a battery tender.
Once they drop a charge below a certain point, they have a hard time coming back

 

Not trying to sound smart buddy, deep cycle blah blah blah, how many people actually completely drain their battery using their sound systems? How the hell would they get home if they did?

If you didn't tell people they had a yellow top battery they'd never know the difference. Competition use is different, but that's just my opinion.

 

Thats my next purchase after I buy my system in the next few wks

 

Get the yellow top...I was basically running on my optima yellow for 3 days (alternator went out) and I ran it until it started to die, so I parked it. Called a friend and I went home, and the next day I went back and put my stock alternator back in since I was running an Excessive Amperage alternator, and crossed my fingers when I cranked the engine, fired right up. and this was 2 months ago or so...NO PROBLEMS SINCE.

 

i have. numerous times. its not unheard of. it probably unfortunately happens way too often. i got towed home due to dead alternator due to a discharged battery. 8 times in 1 year a few cars ago, before upgrading my battery. thats with the big 3 upgrade and additional ground points.

to the avg person with no mods to the car, a battery is a battery. to the OP, with a 3.5 farad cap, people with minivans and sliding doors with overheads, systems, etc, this is highly recommended. and im talking about for daily use, not competition.

all from "what you've heard". why post "what you've heard" like its something you know and mention about whatever big *** xl battery hanging lopsided in ur battery tray when you obv dont know the purpose of one? regardless of how its mounted...hell, it can be inside out and upside down...it serves its purpose. they also manufacture red and blue tops too. but thats just for color and show. wait. do more research on that while your at it.

 

yeah and when they go, they gooooo. lol

 

you can re install your upgraded amp alternator now.

 

Thats good for you, you're probably 0.1% of people who aren't smart enough to turn down their systems before a battery dies, or get supporting upgrades to make sure that your system doesn't kill your car. If you really had that many problems with your system then you should've put in a second battery with an isolator before having killed it 8 times.

People talk about Optimas like they're a battery from god or something, I did do my research and my research is exactly what prompted me not to buy one. 90% of the hype on these batteries is pure marketing and branding and thats what you don't understand, but that doesn't matter because you're the type of person that keeps them in business so good for them.

This topic has been beaten to death all over the internet and its all personal preference and brand loyalty. I'm not saying Optimas are bad, I'm just saying theres nothing special about them. They're also made by the same company that makes Interstate batteries (Johnson Controls) which also makes it clear that they created a subdivision to target the tuner crowd. To put this into perspective for you non business folks, its the same reason Unilever makes Dove products and Axe products, two completely different markets. Have they succeeded with the Optima batteries? Ofcourse they have, people who haven't had them break down swear by them. Others prefer other things, and theres no clear hard evidence that shows that an Optima battery is significantly better than any other battery.

Do some more research and you'll see how this battery doesn't quite meet the high expectations that people had for it.

 

i went with the red top

 

On a side note....
Capacitors are not needed when the wiring is correct.

 

You're not alone. My first Optima battery was awesome and treated me well for many years. After that, I have had nothing but problems with Optima batteries (and on different cars too). Never again will I buy them. Overpriced, overhyped, and way too heavy.

 

As for your first point, yes they are sealed which is great, but there are plenty of other/better sealed batteries out there from my experience.

I agree with your second point 100%.

 

Yeah, I've heard the new ones do not have the quality of the old ones. Mine is still running strong after 6+ years luckily.

 

So what is a good alternative to the Optima's for people with system's? Sometimes I like to listen to music with my car off, like when im detailing the interior, but Im afraid of draining my regular battery that i got from walmart lol. I thought the Optima battery is built to prevent that. Are there any batteries that are able to withstand something like that?

 

Yup. That's exactly how I feel too and should have directly mentioned that in my original post. Optima's quality is not what it used to be. Don't let your current Optima battery drain down, that might be the last of it!

 

as stated from a previous post i made, i have supporting upgrades. i would still not want to have a lead second battery in my trunk.

im not only talking about optimas im referring to any cell battery. i have had a stinger battery as well. and kinetic. still did the job more effectively than a lead battery alone.

 

I'm not sure that this is true. A capacitor acts as a reserve for your system. you can only pull power from a battery at a certain amount of charge per unit time. A capacitor can dump all of its charge extremely rapidly, so when you hit that loud low note you need the extra boost of power that can be delivered from the cap. I noticed a difference when i installed mine. capacitors arent for providing constant power, they're for providing extra power when needed in a short amount of time.

 

Many places sell Optimas batteries beyond there dated shelf life. Sitting on a shelf for an extended amount of time allows them to drop in charge. As stated before, once an Optima drops below a certain point they are very hard to bring back to a full charge.

 

Odyssey batteries are supposed to be very good, however Ive never owned one.

 

+1 for Odyssey batteries, they also have very lightweight batteries for track cars.

 

Interesting thread...

I too believe Optimas are overrated. Case in point, I researched top rated batteries and both walmart brand and Autozone brand were top 5 with optima. But the optima is AT LEAST twice as much whether u go with the yellow or red.

I went with a Duralast (autozone) yellow top. It only had like 50 less cca than the yellow Optima but was half the price and does a HELL of a job. I recommend this battery to anyone with a system or jus want a darn good battery.

As for the discussion about draining the battery when listening to the radio with the car off...whoever sd that u cant drain the battery obviously doesnt have a system. OF COURSE YOU CAN DRAIN THE BATTERY, especially if u running over 200 watts rms in the trunk lol. U can even drain it with the stock radio if u leave it on too long, jus like with headlights.

I installed a rocker switch inline with the remote on for the amp so i can the sub off and on without turning off the radio. I mounted on the lil empty panel next to the dimmer. Whenever im listening to the radio with car off, i turn off the sub with the switch. Whenever i want want to show off, i flip a switch and the BASS goes BOOM lol.

Oh and 3.5 Farad cap is CRAZY lol. Rule of thumb is like 1 Farad per 1000 watts rms. or something like that. Caps are only good for supplying power to the amp. Thats it. They are still a drain on the car electrical system and serve as an intermediate between the battery and amp. They are "good" cuz they provide power to amp more quickly and dont immediately pull power from the battery therefore causing power loss from other critical components like headlight. However, the cap still pulls power from the battery so its not a cure all but it "helps". Honestly the real fix is a moderate stereo system and a good battery with lots of reserve amperage. 150 to 250 watts rms is plenty power

 

Get the yellow top, best battery i've ever owned

 

i lived by my red top optima when I had my maxima (it only cost me 110 bucks when they first started getting popular.) The battery died a little over a year later. I traded it in and got a normal battery.

All in all, it seemed to do the trick but it didn't last as long as I expected it to.

 

I know what a capacitor is.
Caps are band-aids for car stereos. They cover up the real issue(s).

You need a high output alti, good battery, correct gauge wiring, and the big three.

 

Yellow and Blue tops are deep cycle, which the battery does not get damaged from a full discharge cycle.

I have a Blue top in my Hardbody and had several discharged cycles in it with no problems after recharging.

 

In theory, yes I agree with you.

But in practice, I've gone through multiple yellow tops and multiple blue tops and have had nothing but bad experiences when they get drained down unfortunately.

 

When running a powerful system (as i am) you can not pull enough power from any type of battery at appropriate speeds to feed the amp on loud low notes. You need something that can provide large amounts of power almost instantly.