As you may see, I am from NYC. It's been rather cold here for the past few weeks, with temps in the low 30s. My current battery can't seem to handle that. I was set on getting the Optima Red (or Yellow???) Top, but while scouring the net I ran across Stinger Power2 battery. My setup is all stock except for the 100w 8" Bazooka EL amplified sub in the trunk. I usually drive once every 2-3 days for 10-40 mins each way. I allow my car to warm up for 2.5-5 mins when the engine is cold.

Could someone please shed some light on these three batteries? I understand that for my setup I should go with Optima Red Top, but I could use somebody else's opinion. If you guys also know about the warranty for Optima's that'd be great. I just want a durable, reliable battery that could withstand cold weather. I do not have a garage.

Please advise.


Ed

 

Diehard batteries are probably a better bet. The Gold Series South has worked well for me here in Mexico, and they do have a version for the North, too.

 

Ed - Of the 3 U listed, the Optima Red Top is probably the best for your application. The Yellow Top & Stinger batteries are the deep cycling type designed for heavy current draws like those in big stereo systems or heavy duty auxillary lighting. The YT has the same cold cranking amps as the RT but U'll pay more for the deep cycling feature ( that it doesn't seem U really need ). Another option would be an Interstate battery. I've run Optima YT's for years but just recently had a problem that left my GS dead ( thank God for the trunk mounted stereo battery! ). Still haven't gotten any word from Optima yet ( been 2+ months ) but I have my concerns about the Optimas now.

 

Optima only has a 1 year warrantee.. I've had an Optima Orange top in a Acura legend for over 4 years no problems yet. I got mine directly from optima ( since orange top was not available at retailers back then ) for wholesale price. Not so sure I'll get a redtop for the lexus as I don't plan to remote mount the lexus battery in the trunk. Optima is nice in that you can mount the battery in any location and any angle. ( the legend battery is remote mounted ) not so sure it's worth retail price though.

 

Thanks for your replies.

The same week I started the thread, I went to PepBoyz and got myself an Optima Red Top for $110. It came with a 2 year free replacement warranty. So far, so good. Mounted it with a booster tray that came with it just fine.

Mean Gene: What kind of problem did you have with your Optima and which Optima was it?


Ed

 

Ed - I changed the engine battery to a Yellow Top @ the same time that I fabricated my stereo system/trunk battery so that the judges would see continuity at both ends of the car. This was over 2 years ago & while the trunk YT's still going strong, somehow the engine YT managed to short itself out ( this is a guess because I sent the battery back to Optima for analysis ) but after playing with it ( & discovering that it wouldn't hold ANY kind of a charge ), I reasoned that two or more of the spiral cores had come in contact with each other & shorted the battery out. My wife was driving the GS & says that she had no indications of problems - she parked the car, went into the store & when she came back out, the battery was dead. I managed to get her jumped off but the car was running badly ( lights flickering, engine surging, etc ) so I removed the battery connections from the engine YT as well as bypassing the battery isolator & the car ran perfectly on the system dedicated YT in the trunk!:eek: Since I've "retired" from USACi & IASCA competitions, I had some concerns about going back to a YT so I bought an Interstate battery for the underhood application. The local battery shop told me that they'd had a bad batch of YT's come in but none demonstrated my problems. We sent the damaged YT back to Optima & are still awaiting word from them as to exactly what happened. I'll post the info if/when I get it.
FWIW - I had an original Red Top in my competition S-10 running 4 RF amps ( 3 of the Punch 200 waffle-iron style on (12) 10" woofers ) for almost 2 years & the battery lasted another 6 years AFTER I removed the audio equipment & used the truck for a work vehicle! I HIGHLY endorse the Red Top for non-audio applications!!

 

Thanks, Mean Gene

 

i also have the optima orange top(same as red top but reverse terminals) and its great. the only problem was that it was a full 1.5 inch too short so I had to cut some 2x4's underneath

 

I'm also a big fan of Interstate batteries. However, when I went to get one for my SC I found that they don't make their best battery in a size that fits. The battery dealer suggested that I shim up and center the one he had in the cover. He thought I was crazy when I refused to consider that for appearance reasons. "Either you have one that fits and looks right or you don't sell me a battery". Afer he talked to the distributer, he found an Interstate "workaholic" that fits right. Its not huge CC amps like the green and white one but we dont really get that bone chilling cold in Virginia. Its been in six trouble free months.

 

I had a red top in a 1964 impala for about 2 years then parked the car for about 4 months in a garage. When I went to start the car the battery was dead so I tried to charge and it would never hold a charge The store I bought it from would not do anything for be (I lost the reciept:eek: ) So I did not have a good experiance with them but everyone I know loves them. I am going die hard or interstate they in my opinion are the best.

 

Deka is the best manufacturer in the world for batteries they are so powerful they dont even have to advertise

 

How does the Deka battery compare to Optima performance wise, reliability & CCA?

 

Now that's what I call Dead Thread Resurrection!

 

I have AC Delco battery. 660cc. Very good battery available at Pepboys

 

Lmao! I didn't even realize.