Yellow Top or Red Top, your help please

The battery on my 2008 Tacoma Pre-Runner double cab finally went to the grave. So I want to go with a good battery and I've heard good things about Optima.

So do I choose the yellow top or red top? I live in Arizona and cold weather is not an issue. I do however have a sound system installed and a car alarm.

Thanks guys for your input.

 

I like red.

 

how big is your sound system/alternator

 

I also prefer the Red Top. There is a local guy on CL selling them for 100 buck..

 

I have the yellow top and a stereo with about 1500 watt RMS and a alarm/remote start. If you have a stereo I would suggest getting the yellow top as its designed for vehicles with stereos. I have two amps and a capacitor for my stereo and no matter how loud I play it the headlights don't dim. Its worth spending the extra money and getting a good battery, just my 2cents!

 

There is no need to waste your money on an an Optima battery especially if you don't have a stereo system with amps and whatnot. Also I don't know if you were aware but Optima was having some quality issues with their batteries not too long ago.

Duralast and Interstate are the most reliable and durable batteries on the market.

 

Yellow for stereo but ^^ why spend extra money on a colorful battery?

 

I'm not sure on the size of the alternator but my truck is the TRD pre-runner and I believe it has a tow package.

For my stereo I have two kicker amp, one for the two subs and one for all the door speakers. Thanks for the help. And now this is the first time I heard that Optima was having quality issues @ Yamaha Dave

 

can't go wrong with a yellow top, i have it because of my winch and eventually stereo, i think the "stories" of issues with optima's are just like any other battery, i hear issues with even the cheap batteries> you basically get what you pay for. if your running a big time stereo, definetly get a deep cycle.

 

I have no experience with the Optima batteries, but when I was looking for a battery I did a lot of reading and from the best I can tell the Duralast batteries are probably the best bang for your buck. Made by Johnson Controls and you can get em at any Autozone. I bought the Duralast Gold for my 05 Taco at just a little over $100 and I had zero issues with it while I had that truck. If you were running your sound system and alarm off the stock battery I see no need to spend twice as much on an Optima. But ultimately get whatever is going to give you the most peace of mind which sounds like you may want the Optima YellowTop given that it is designed to support multiple accessories.

From Optima site:
RedTop: High-CCA starting battery. Provides engine cranking power for vehicles with stock or average electrical loads.

YellowTop: Dual-purpose starting and deep cycle battery. Provides engine starting power plus deep cycle capacity to support multiple accessories , demanding electrical systems , and vehicles without alternators.

 

Thanks this information is very helpful. Now unfortunately i'm out of the country and I'm not due back for another two months so I'm trying to get my family to change out the battery. Will it hurt the truck to have the battery disconnected for a long period of time? I know my Mom has had issues with her 2000 Toyota Tundra in the past where the truck ran rough after the battery was replaced. My Uncle said it was because the computer reset itself. Does any of this make sense?

 

^ maybe but it fixes itself fast.

 

Good info. By the way the autozone website says that the yellow (or red) optima "check for hood clearance, requires a height clearance adapter". What are they talking about? I don't have the sport hood with the scoop, did you have any issues with height or clearance?

 

Im running a yellow top, Got 1200 watt amp with 2F Capacitor and two twelve's with remote start and alarm system!

 

I didn't have any clearance issues with my 06 trd offroad package, the only thing you have to do is use the plastic top piece that comes with the battery. It doubles as a lifter bracket and it allows you to use your factory battery tie down. When I bought my battery I went onto advance auto parts website and bought it cause I saved 20% and then drove there and picked it up. I think I payed about $165 out the door for the yellow top which I felt was a good deal.

 

yelow top

 

JGUT, before you purchase any battery, I would encourage you to check your parasitic draw. While many aftermarket stereo and alarms systems never cause any problems, some will have significant key-off loads, which can shorten the life of any battery. This video explains how to measure your parasitic draw.

Given the potential electrical demands of your vehicle, I would recommend a YellowTop battery over a RedTop. Yamaha Dave, I work for Optima and while I frequently hear of folks who are having battery and/or electrical issues blamed on their battery, I'm not aware of any quality issues on our end. In fact, many of the “bad” batteries returned to us now are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly recharged.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Fully-charged, our YellowTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts, but when any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit, suflation begins to diminish both capacity and lifespan. JGUT, if your vehicle regularly sees extended periods of non-use, a quality battery maintainer would be a good investment, with a cheaper alternative being to disconnect a fully-charged battery when you leave.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

I'm deciding on which battery to get now, too. I'm thinking yellow top, since I use my inverter with 400W-all-the-time mod rather frequently.

 

i have never heard anything bad about optimas till now. i like them they can be mounted how ever the eff you want to put it. id go yellow top because it recharges faster than the red. the red top is for bigger engines that need the juce just to start. not the constant power you would need for a sterio. so yellow all the way man

 

Just installed yesterday.....cool thing is the mounting brackets you can get make for a nice install