need a car battery. help me choose.

[jeremy]

I'd opt for the Optima Red or Yellow, depending on which better suits your needs

[pwmin]

when i worked for advance, most everyone there knew what they were doing pretty well, some were actually really good, but none are left except one that works on the weekends. theres a couple decent people there right now. i came on as a commercial driver but got thrown onto the front counter. i hated sales, but i eventually knew how to find everything even stuff that wasnt in the books. it's not that hard to learn (esp. if you actually know something about cars ) we would do free battery installs, but not in w-bodies

 

anyway, i did see some optimas come back for warranty, but i've had my yellow top for 5 years in 3 different cars. it's been through 3 or 4 alternator failures in my grand prix's.

[Nick1234]

i apologize for not really knowing this answer, but with being in wisconsin, lots of cold starts after sitting in the cold weather in a parking lot for 11+hours. And subs and Amp. And the cars sits once in a while with the radio on. Red being a starting battery? is yellow still a good battery for those cold starts?

[19Cutlass94]

Yellow is a deep cycle battery. Only time you need that is lets say your listening to your stereo for many many hours. Unless you do that kinda stuff, your gonna want a red top.

[greencutlassdrvr]

since the majority of you here live in cold weather... whats the avarage battery life out there... here in vegas it ranges ive seen some batteries last up to 6-7 years and some others just 1 or2

[1990lumina]

The original AC Delco battery in my Lumina lasted 12 years before it completely packed it on one day on my grandma.

 

The second AC Delco battery lasted 3-4 years, then one night it lost one of the cells and completely died.

 

I bought a Kirkland Signature (Costco) battery and it works perfect, even on cold -50 degree starts.

[GP1138]

I say Red Top or similar because it's just handy to have a battery that can take abuse. I've only ever had it die on me when I mis-wired my auto-dimming mirror to the battery rather than switched ignition wire and left it on for three or so days while I drove the Z around. The fact that it didn't die overnight ever makes it worth the investment to me.

[pwmin]

Yellow is a deep cycle battery. Only time you need that is lets say your listening to your stereo for many many hours. Unless you do that kinda stuff, your gonna want a red top.

that and if you have a 3.4x so when the alternator goes out a billion times, you'll have more reserve capacity to drive to a good spot or even home.

[Regal_GS_1989]

since the majority of you here live in cold weather... whats the avarage battery life out there... here in vegas it ranges ive seen some batteries last up to 6-7 years and some others just 1 or2

All of ours usually around 7 - 8 years. That is as long as they didnt freeze. Once they froze, they were done.

[Chancho]

I live in florida, so i dont know what freezing for more then 2 hours feels like but i can tell you that a battery on any of my cars from the 2 luminas to a nissan sentra to a big ass dodge van last no more then 3 to 4 years and its time for a new one

[19Cutlass94]

Yellow is a deep cycle battery. Only time you need that is lets say your listening to your stereo for many many hours. Unless you do that kinda stuff' date=' your gonna want a red top.

[/quote']that and if you have a 3.4x so when the alternator goes out a billion times, you'll have more reserve capacity to drive to a good spot or even home.

 

Thats a good one! never thought of it like that before!

[1990lumina]

Heat isn't good for a battery either...

[BXX]

Batteries are actually designed different for the different climates... Up north we get higher CCA's, whereas down south, longer life from heat is the primary goal, therfore larger plates among other things are used

[White93z34]

ken just do what you always do, find a battery in a junkyard car that is "good enough".

[Andrew]

Yellow is a deep cycle battery. Only time you need that is lets say your listening to your stereo for many many hours. Unless you do that kinda stuff, your gonna want a red top.

i go to the drive in and watch 2 movies, all the while using my system to listen to the movie. so 4 hours or so draining the battery and it starts up perfectly each time! (i just have an pioneer HU and 1 relatively small amp powering my subs).

RedTop FTW !!

[greencutlassdrvr]

Heat isn't good for a battery either...

yea i think heat takes a bigger tole in batteries out here cause they never seem to last very long

[Crazy K]

ken just do what you always do, find a battery in a junkyard car that is "good enough".

I've done that. I need more batteries! besides, this is thread was to inquire what people think, and the battery to be bought is not for my car.

 

just to note, all the batteries I've bought used were AZ RED or GOLD tops. I have no complaints with those, and I would buy nothing less.