Optima Batteries

[mugeneration]

Hey guys, just down at the battery shop today, and the guy tells me that Optima Yellowtops won't physically fit in my EK civic? Is this true? Coz I think I've heard of a lot of guys on here having one in their cars?

Cheers

[mj3610]

why dont u put it in ur battery tray and see if it fits or not?

[Q_ball]

it will man, they smaller than normal batts!!!
ive got one, and they were a lot smaller than the one that was in me teg thats for sure!

[vividjazz]

If it fits in a Jazz you should have not probs in a Civic bay.

[notorious_ahmie]

dw about what they say ive got one in my car...u can get diff sizes anyways..mines the yellow top as well

[bigteethygrin]

yeah they have the full size yellow top which prob wont fit.. but they also make half size which are smaller than your avg car battery

[mugeneration]

Yeah thats what i thought, but I didnt wanna argue, he was giving me a free battery and alternator test after all :D lol. Thanks for that guys, but I'm hopin I wont need one ne ways, findin out on wednesday.

[mj3610]

im just curious how much are these yellow tops?

[iced]

Optima D51 will fit
costs about 270$

[aaronng]

I was thinking of the yellowtop D51 as well. But I will wait for my current one to wear itself out. I'll have to live with the dimming interior and headlights though.

[mj3610]

I was thinking of the yellowtop D51 as well. But I will wait for my current one to wear itself out. I'll have to live with the dimming interior and headlights though.
$270 for a battery isnt a wise choice IMO
i recently got the century ULTRA for $90 from autobarn and they last long but my lights were still dimming abit, i bought a decent capacitor for $80 and now everythings good my sub doesnt clip any more i've put the gains up heeps more without any distortion or dimming of any kind :)
dont upgrade ur battery for better power just get a capacitor (nothing fancy) and ur system will benifit alot more.

[Q_ball]

if u running a hi powered sound system set up, they well worth it imo
plus the batt charges automatically when the car is switched off.
in my case i feel its 270 well spent :)

[mr_mojo02]

lol gball u gronk.. u got the smaller model.. theres like 4 different sizes

[mj3610]

if u running a hi powered sound system set up, they well worth it imo
plus the batt charges automatically when the car is switched off.
in my case i feel its 270 well spent :)
if u got a hi-powered system then u will NEEED a capacitor i doubt an optima battery can provide ur amp with 14V.
if ur right then yeah i guess the onli good thing about the optima IMO is that it charges when the car is off.

[mr_mojo02]

they hold more charge and they charge up when flatt.. thats why they are good for car audio

[aaronng]

$270 for a battery isnt a wise choice IMO
i recently got the century ULTRA for $90 from autobarn and they last long but my lights were still dimming abit, i bought a decent capacitor for $80 and now everythings good my sub doesnt clip any more i've put the gains up heeps more without any distortion or dimming of any kind :)
dont upgrade ur battery for better power just get a capacitor (nothing fancy) and ur system will benifit alot more.
I wonder if the cap will kill the battery quicker if used while the alternator is not running. Because with each thump of the sub, the cap is drained slightly and the battery gives a sharp output to top it up. Keep us updated on your battery life. But I'll look at the cap too. $120... hmm, the ground cables that come with it should be a nice upgrade as well.

For me, Optima yellowtops are interesting because they are gel-acid-electrolyte. I prefer those over liquid acid.

[aaronng]

Optima batteries don't charge when your car is off!!!!!!! Your alternator is not running.

[bigteethygrin]

i chose optima because i got sick of cleaning out the corrosion caused by my old battery..

[notorious_ahmie]

use gold terminals as well

[Per10d]

caps are shit IMO, they don't do much for system at all. In most situation you will benefit from a larger, higher capacity deep cycle battery. i bought a d51 optima for my civic and it performaced so much better the the ussual cheap batteries.

light dimmnig was greatly reduced, voltage drops were less with the optima and better starting too...

[mj3610]

hey i think i need to change my battery terminals too, but if i change them i think i need to change the cables that hold them too cause i'll have to cut the cables and they'll be too short, the - is pretty easy its ground, but the + is a pain in da a** its connected to several places including the fuse box, does anyone know on how about i would go in doing this? i wanted to get the gold plated terminals.
p.s are they normal 4gauge power cables? cause i can see several other cables inside of them all seperate...

[SPL77Civic]

dont upgrade ur battery for better power just get a capacitor (nothing fancy) and ur system will benifit alot more.

:rolleyes: No, you will find that a deep cycle battery will do a WHOLE lot more for your system than any capacitor in the same price range.


if u got a hi-powered system then u will NEEED a capacitor

:rolleyes: No, you wont if you upgrade to a decent battery and use suitable gauge power and earth cable.


i doubt an optima battery can provide ur amp with 14V

:rolleyes: No normal car battery(deep cycle or not) will provide an amp with a true 14v even with the car running :rolleyes:


onli good thing about the optima IMO is that it charges when the car is off.

:rolleyes: ummm......no they dont. :rolleyes:


$270 for a battery isnt a wise choice IMO

but $300+ for a cap is? I know where I'd be spending my cash and it wouldn't be on a cap. ;)

Deep Cycle batteries are a VERY wise choice for car audio, they have a much longer life span than a normal lead acid battery, can be run flat many times without dramatically reducing the performance of the battery and will allow for a longer engine off running time for your stereo system and still alow you to start the car after it.


caps are shit IMO,

very well said. :thumbsup:

[SPL77Civic]

hey i think i need to change my battery terminals too, but if i change them i think i need to change the cables that hold them too cause i'll have to cut the cables and they'll be too short, the - is pretty easy its ground, but the + is a pain in da a** its connected to several places including the fuse box, does anyone know on how about i would go in doing this? i wanted to get the gold plated terminals.
p.s are they normal 4gauge power cables? cause i can see several other cables inside of them all seperate...

go buy yourself 1 r 2 Aeropro distrobution blocks with 4x8g inputs.

then wire the factory + cables to these and run fresh 8g cable from the distros to the battery, effectively lengthening the factory cables ;)

[mj3610]

No, you wont if you upgrade to a decent battery and use suitable gauge power and earth cable.
not always the case


No normal car battery(deep cycle or not) will provide an amp with a true 14v even with the car running
yeah thats what i said too :rolleyes: a cap will help, afterall thats what they're designed to do :rolleyes:


ummm......no they dont.
i didnt say yellow tops charge when the car is off qball said it, read the sentence right and get ur facts straight before posting, i said "if q_ball is right and it does charge when the car is off then thats a good thing" and i was wondering how it would charge without the alternator running...


but $300+ for a cap is? I know where I'd be spending my cash and it wouldn't be on a cap.
u can get a good cap without displays for <$100


caps are shit IMO
i spent $90 on a century battery, $80 on a cap thts $170 all up and $100 cheaper than just a battery, it seemed to work for me.
i think yellow tops are a great way to go if u got the money but it seems i got the same results with a cheaper alternative... the biggest difference i noticed was my sub, gains are running higher with no distorion and dimming is still there a lil bit but greatly improved considering gains are alot higher...

[SPL77Civic]

i didnt say yellow tops charge when the car is off qball said it, read the sentence right and get ur facts straight before posting,

wasnt aimed at you buddy, just correcting that statement. :)

Because if you read the responses I provided, nothing that I posted was aimed at cutting anyone down, I was simply correcting false statements that seem to pop up on every forum not just this one.



No normal car battery(deep cycle or not) and with or without a cap will provide an amp with a true 14v even with the car running

Forgot to add that bit, caps dont up your voltage, read this thread to understand why so many people dont have time for capacitors.

its great that it worked for you, but alot of the time capacitors are nothing more than a bandaid solution.

http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42742

[m0nk3y]

ive got an optima D51 in my car as well providing all the juice for my audio system etc

$270ish is well worth it, considering it will outlast other brand batteries out there like century etc, and it would fit and work fine in future cars as well.

[SPL77Civic]

should probably add that I also use a Optima d34 in my barina, which up until Brisbane Autosalon was running a pair of amps that make 6000rms (before accounting for voltage drop, impedance rise and heat causing power loss) and hitting high 146s with just one of them hooked up on a pair of 10" subs(high 148s with the pair prior to a strapping issue)

and I dont suffer from any dimming lights or other issues that people seem to have with much less powerful set ups.

[mj3610]

wasnt aimed at you buddy, just correcting that statement. :)

Because if you read the responses I provided, nothing that I posted was aimed at cutting anyone down, I was simply correcting false statements that seem to pop up on every forum not just this one.

they're not false statements theyre different opinions...

[monoxide]

Capacitors were desgined for a reason, they're not just a cylinder you put in your boot, I beleive for a system to be complete you will need a decent battery and a capacitor if your amplifiers are to have access to voltage they require. IMO

[SPL77Civic]

Capacitors were desgined for a reason, they're not just a cylinder you put in your boot, I beleive for a system to be complete you will need a decent battery and a capacitor if your amplifiers are to have access to voltage they require. IMO

and dont forget adequate cabling for power and earths, no point having all that juice and too small/not enough cable.


they're not false statements theyre different opinions...

I'll reword it, misinformed opinions.

Yes, opinions are fair enough, but when they are opinions that contain incorrect info thats a different matter.

Examples, in your opinion people NEED a cap, this is not true in all cases.

People stating that batteries charge with the car off, that was a statement and it was incorrect.


dont upgrade ur battery for better power just get a capacitor (nothing fancy) and ur system will benifit alot more.

If this is your opinion, say so and word it to reflect an opinion, as it reads it is a statement and again not true, as what will work in one car wont neccessarily work in another.

[mj3610]

what will work in one car wont neccessarily work in another.
there u go, case closed, ur statement goes for u too...

[Calvo]

whats the best battery out there for audio systems? any others besides optima?
im runnin a new setup which ive been told will drain alot of power, and even worse is that its on permanent power as ive "lost" accessories power...
so far havent had probs, but i dont wanna have probs...

[vividjazz]

whats the best battery out there for audio systems? any others besides optima?
im runnin a new setup which ive been told will drain alot of power, and even worse is that its on permanent power as ive "lost" accessories power...
so far havent had probs, but i dont wanna have probs...

Stinger and Odyssey are Optima competitors.

[poid]

get the Optima Calvo, they are excellent batteries...Odysseys sometimes fail for no apparent reason.

Caps are not needed in ANY system IMO...any decent amp uses internal capacitors for its needs. If your lights are dimming, you can use a cap as a bandaid solution instead of upgrading battery/cables/alternator.

[vtek]

Ive got a optima and eventhough it cost abit more its well worth it. there are so many benfits of a dry cell over normal lead acid batterys.
One is that they do not emit fumes, so this would benifit people with pods etc in the engine bay as its not sucked back inot the engine.
they last alot longer (about 3 times) as a lead acid.
More CCA(cold cranking amps)
thats to just list a few.


$270 for a battery isnt a wise choice IMO
i recently got the century ULTRA for $90 from autobarn and they last long but my lights were still dimming abit, i bought a decent capacitor for $80 and now everythings good my sub doesnt clip any more i've put the gains up heeps more without any distortion or dimming of any kind :)
dont upgrade ur battery for better power just get a capacitor (nothing fancy) and ur system will benifit alot more.

[Fhrx]

mj3610 (member.php?u=3428), can I ask where you're getting your information about batteries and caps from dude?

Like aftermarket FD batteries, power caps are a remedy for a larger power storage problem. Many aftermarket batteries (Optima, Stinger, Odyssey , Lightning Audio etc) and audio capacitors are all fast discharging energy reservoirs that store the necessary power your amplifier will need to punch those big bass notes while limiting clipping. They store power during intervals when it is not required (which is most of the time) and release it when a short term transient demand exceeds what is available from the car's power system. An aftermarket battery or stiffening capacitor for your amp is the simplest way to be sure your system always gets every bit of immediate current it needs. From the smallest 0.5 farad cap (or Optima D51) to monsters like the 35 farad Stinger cap (or Optima D31), you're guaranteed to find a battery or capacitor suitable for your installation. Not all systems NEED a cap or aftermarket battery but they are nice.


By the way, for those who have been asking, here is the D51 we do in the Civic:

http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.com/temp/fhrxstudios/images/interest_64.jpg

[Fhrx]

get the Optima Calvo, they are excellent batteries...Odysseys sometimes fail for no apparent reason.

This is another myth that must be put to rest. We've sold literally thousands of Optimas and Odysseys over the years and to date we've only ever had two Optima and one Odyssey develop problems.

Nothing fails because of no apparent reason. Lack of care is why they die. They are heavy duty batteries but they are still batteries. They must be charged, not run down to 8-10 volts (which many people get to when they run the car's system for hours without starting it) and it must be re-charged on a bench every 12 months. I've had a Optima and an Odyssey in my own car for nine years now without issue.

[mj3610]

An aftermarket battery or stiffening capacitor for your amp is the simplest way to be sure your system always gets every bit of immediate current it needs. From the smallest 0.5 farad cap (or Optima D51) to monsters like the 35 farad Stinger cap (or Optima D31), you're guaranteed to find a battery or capacitor suitable for your installation. Not all systems NEED a cap or aftermarket battery but they are nice.


:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :)

[Calvo]

must be re-charged on a bench every 12 months
how do u go about doing this?

[rtsnoz]

For anyone in Canberra, i bought my optimas from T4. T4 seem to sell them slightly cheaper than everyone else. The number is 0428311533.

[Fhrx]

how do u go about doing this?

We do this for customers free. Just bring it back here every 12 months and we de-charge them and re-charge them for you. I've had mine for 9 years now without issue...