Battery Options

Drowsy09
Drowsy09 Posts: 28
edited November 2007 in Car Audio & Electronics
OK, I know after going all out on a stereo and other misc. lighting and electrical nonsense, I will need a better battery. I was wondering, I see the Optima batterys that push about 900 cold cranking amps. I was wondering, could I just use a big truck battery(like an 18wheeler?) I know the push around 900, would putting this in make a difference? Optima battery's are close to 200$ where a truck battery is about 80$.
Post edited by Drowsy09 on
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Comments

  • surefire
    surefire Posts: 25
    edited November 2007
    I'm a big believe in you get what you pay for. Optima's aren't cheap because they use technology that is proven and works. They will far outlast a truck battery.
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  • 1996blackmax
    1996blackmax Posts: 2,436
    edited November 2007
    I've been using the Sears Rangehandler in my car for years, it was the one above the Die Hard Gold battery. They are now called Die Hard SUV, Truck and Van battery. They have worked out nicely for me. I sometimes take my kids to the drive-ins and I've never needed a jump with this battery.
    Alpine: CDA-7949
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    Alpine: CHA-S624, KCA-420i, KCA-410C
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    ARC Audio: 4150-XXK / 1500v1-XXK
    JL Audio: 10W6v2 (x2)
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited November 2007
    I've worked for 13 years at Delco Battery (sold to JCI) as a process engineer.
    Any battery by JCI, Optima, or Douglas Battery will be good.
    I personally go out of my way to avoid purchasing a battery from Exide because of quality concerns. Exide owns 80% of the aftermarket battery business and sells to few OEMS. That should tell you something about their quality control.

    All batteries are pretty much the same (within a manufacturer). The difference is the number of plates and the thickness of plates. The higher the cranking amp, the larger number of plates (surface area). The higher the reserve capacity, the more "active material" inside a battery (i.e. plate thickness).

    The worst thing you can do to a battery is deep-discharge it. Keep your OEM battery at 85+% state of charge, and it will last 7 years (or more).
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  • Manilaboy
    Manilaboy Posts: 49
    edited November 2007
    7 years!? All along I thought it was normal to change batteries every two years coz they always seemed to die at around that time. Great tip! How would one be able to determine the % state of charge of the battery? :)
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  • black magic
    black magic Posts: 669
    edited November 2007
    I just changed my 96 civic's battery for the first time in August. :)
    » Λнмєd «
    "Wtf is juice? I want some grape drink, baby"

    polkaudio FTW!
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited November 2007
    black magic wrote: »
    I just changed my 96 civic's battery for the first time in August. :)

    Wow, from my experience car batteries usually last 4-5 years on average.
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    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • JoshParsons84
    JoshParsons84 Posts: 565
    edited November 2007
    Optima Yellow Top with the highest cranking amps. Can you use the blue top Marine in a car?
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  • cabolton13
    cabolton13 Posts: 72
    edited November 2007
    i have a optima yellow top for my system and i have not had any problems can anyone tell me what they think of the sears platinum edition?
    MY SYSTEM

    RT3000P
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    FX1000
    Sony ST-SA50ES
    Sony TA-E9000ES
    Sony TA-N9000ES (2)
    Sony BDP-S570
    Sony LCD 46"
    Technics SL-QD2
    Monster HTPS7000
    Directv HDTIVO
    PS3
    Xbox360
    Wii
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  • muddyoval
    muddyoval Posts: 3
    edited November 2007
    One version of the Sears batteries is really an Odyssey- which is better than Optima by FAR. In cold climates, the newer Optimas fail very quickly. I had one explode and cost my insurance company $26K. Look to Odyssey...
    BTW the Optima blue and yellow are the same, just the terminals differ.
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  • Greg Peters
    Greg Peters Posts: 605
    edited November 2007
    cabolton13 wrote: »
    i have a optima yellow top for my system and i have not had any problems can anyone tell me what they think of the sears platinum edition?

    I had a Sears Die Hard for over ten years that just wouldn't die (back in the early 80s) and I only had to replace it when it was stolen...damned external hood release :mad:. I then bought two Die Hard "Gold" batteries for both my cars at the time, and they each went belly up after 2 1/2 years of service- I went back and b*tched at Sears, and when I added up the pro-rated cost of a "warranty replacements" (near full price), I declined to ever get another Sears battery. Overall, Sears battery quality is not what it once was years ago, and you can do better going with almost any JCI product. Research who manufactures the different batteries Sears offers and you may find a good product.
    muddyoval wrote: »
    One version of the Sears batteries is really an Odyssey- which is better than Optima by FAR. In cold climates, the newer Optimas fail very quickly. I had one explode and cost my insurance company $26K. Look to Odyssey...
    BTW the Optima blue and yellow are the same, just the terminals differ.

    I've used an Optima Red-Top, going strong (with some abuse) for the last 2+ years so far in colder weather...thankfully no explosions :eek:. I've parked the car for extended periods in the winter, with the battery mostly powering my pager alarm system with no problems to date. The Red-Tops don't take kindly to being run down below 11V, so if you need a lot of key-off listening time from a designated battery that's also used to start the car, a deep cycle would be a good choice. The Yellow- and Blue-Top Optimas are decent for this purpose, but are pretty pricey. If you don't need a lot of key-off listening time, just get the strongest (CCA and reserve), largest traditional battery you can find with a decent warranty and a good reputation...only a few companies make the majority of what's on the market, so a little "Google" action should tell you who makes what.
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  • surefire
    surefire Posts: 25
    edited November 2007
    JoshParsons84 wrote: »
    Optima Yellow Top with the highest cranking amps. Can you use the blue top Marine in a car?

    Yeah, I run a bluetop in my Mazda 3, no dramas at all with it.
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  • DemonAstroth
    DemonAstroth Posts: 131
    edited November 2007
    This guy sold me an optima yellow top a few years ago for 20 dollars. I had to drive a while to get it and he didn't even want to charge me for it. It was just sitting in his garage with no car to go to....

    Anyway, it was slightly used, and I've had it in cold weather (chicago) and in the bay for about 3 years with no problems.

    Demon
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  • black magic
    black magic Posts: 669
    edited November 2007
    DemonAstroth wrote: »
    This guy sold me an optima yellow top a few years ago for 20 dollars. I had to drive a while to get it and he didn't even want to charge me for it. It was just sitting in his garage with no car to go to....

    Anyway, it was slightly used, and I've had it in cold weather (chicago) and in the bay for about 3 years with no problems.

    Demon


    that right there is a good deal!
    » Λнмєd «
    "Wtf is juice? I want some grape drink, baby"

    polkaudio FTW!
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