Optima Red Top or Yellow top?

[Meh! 10+ year member]

Which should I get and why? It will be the only battery in my truck and I have a new 140amp alt on the way to compliment it. It looks like I SHOULD get the yellow but the red is the same size with more cranking power and the like? It says red is for starting only but does it matter?

Which color and why?

Click to read more...

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

It says red is for starting only but does it matter?

Yes, it does. The Red and Yellow Tops are completely different designs.

Red - starting/cranking battery. Thin, porous plates and a loose electrolyte designed for sending huge amounts of current for a very, very short amount of time. Does not like to have a constant load for a long time, as the plates will simply oxidize away; they're not built to handle that sort of job. Has very little tolerance to overdischarge/low voltage conditions.

Yellow - deep cycle battery. Thick plates designed for a very slow and continuous current flow. Will not crank as many amps as the Red Top will over a short amount of time, but will tolerate "deep cycling", or being severely discharged and brought back up to float voltage.

I've used a Yellow for my primary battery for a few years now, and have never had trouble starting...but YMMV. Also, I bought a YT because I was lazy and that's what Autozone had in stock - buying a deep cycle direct from the OEM (like Hawker, Odyssey, or Rolls) might save you money.

 

[digital mint 10+ year member]

Whats "YMMV" ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hide.gif.2d479cfd917eedfe201353b91522ceab.gif

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

Your mileage may vary... n00b.

 

[digital mint 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/banghead.gif.8606515f668c74f6de0281deb475b6fd.gif

 

[Nikuk 5,000+ posts]

get the hot new green tops... those shits are teh b0mbzOrs.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I get a Green Top if I spill coolant fluid when I'm topping it off...

 

[Meh! 10+ year member]

So should I just get the biggest yellowtop that I can fit in alloted space,a nd or the biggest I can afford? Someone else mentioned getting one from http://www.svrbatteries.com/audio_line.html What about those?

 

[954runner 10+ year member]

those look like they are meant to be used as a second battery, namely for stereos..

i just got a red top. i too was lazy, as it was the only thing costco had in stock. yes costco... $99. works great for me

 

[02envoy 10+ year member]

Check out http://www.kinetikaudio.com