Cal26Stang

what is the main difference between the optima red and yellow tops

OptimaJim

Hello, I noticed your conversation and wanted to offer some assistance. Cal26Stang, hiltsy845 is correct about RedTops being designed for SLI (starting/lighting/ignition) applications. When people start adding significant electrical accessories, like larger stereos and aftermarket alarms, we recommend an appropriately-sized YellowTop.

I have come across quite a few Mustang owners with battery problems, who run underdrive pulleys, particularly those who have also modified their stereo systems. Pulley manufacturers will even indicate that such factors can impact the ability of an alternator to maintain a battery’s voltage. This doesn’t always happen overnight and a new battery can mask this situation for a period of time.

A parasitic draw can also slowly discharge a battery over time. This video explains some basic battery diagnostics, including how to check for a parasitic draw- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPlx4MBNRU

The key to long battery life is always maintaining at least 12.4 volts whenever possible. When batteries are discharged below this level and allowed to sit, sulfation begins to diminish both performance and longevity. That makes a quality battery tender or maintainer an excellent investment for any vehicle that is not driven daily. If anyone has any other questions about our batteries, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

Alec

I've determined that my battery issues are caused by the mobile blackberry charger I've been using recently. I noticed when I use it, the car either takes a little longer to crank or won't at all. Stopped using it and haven't had any problems since

157dB

Its the Yellow Top thats the problem.
Thats a Marine Battery. Its designed to be fully discharged
then recharged with a steady low amperage draw of like
a trolling motor.
What you need is the RED TOP OPTIMA for vehicle starting.
Its designed for the heavy intermittant draws of amperage
like vehicle starting.
Remember, the battery is just a STORAGE DEVICE, not a
current provider. Thats the ALTERNATORS job.

Mobile Blackberry Chargers dont pull enough amps to kill
a battery in under a month. They draw milliAmps...
A 110 Amp Hour battery can provide 110 Amps for 1 hour or
1 Amp for 110 hours. Or any combination of the two.

Battery date code stickers are on the side of the battery
and not part of the manufacturers labeling.
Its stuck on there when the acid is first introduced into
the new battery.
B9 would be Feb 09 or Feb 99 or Feb 89.

Alec

I was just trying to find a correlation, they were saying it could be a parasitic draw, and I figured it must be that. Especially considering it started happening right when I started using it

157dB

No, its just a co-winky-dink....

OptimaJim

We designate our BlueTops as marine batteries and we consider YellowTops to be dual-purpose batteries, providing enough cranking amps for most starting applications, while providing additional reserve capacity for deep-cycle applications. As I mentioned before, the RedTops are SLI batteries, which offer plenty of cranking amps for most standard applications. You can treat and charge RedTops and YellowTops just like ordinary lead-acid batteries in most situations.

I know 157dB used a 100-amp battery as an example, but a typical automotive battery is about half that amount, like our Group 34/78 YellowTops, which are rated at 55 amps. His example also assumes a battery is fully-charged when a vehicle is parked, although many are not. I would be inclined to include a Mustang with an underdrive pulley in that group. While the Blackberry charger itself should not discharge a fully-charged battery in under a month, regular use in such an application could be enough to deplete a battery that is already partially-discharged from other factors.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

Alec

157dB

OWNED

Alec

hahaha