420A Need a new battery, suggestions please

[DiamondStarMotors]

I took my baby in for a new alternator and the guy said the battery also failed the "test." So I said I could take care of the battery.
What kind of numbers should i be looking for when I go shopping? I'm going name brand, the one that is in there is some cheapo brand, im not surprised that it is dead.
If this makes any difference, I have a 400 watt amp, and two 10 inch subs.
This is also my daily driver.

 

[KewlWinter]

Main things with getting a battery are make sure you get a good warranty and that the cranking amps and reserve time are sufficient for you climate and load.

You can get an Optima RedTop with 720 cold cranking amps (910 cranking amps) and 90 minute reserve for under $200. Or go with a top-end OEM type battery with 640 cold cranking amps (800 cranking amps) and 105 minute reserve around $130. Or go low-end around $100. I would never go low-end simply because it sucks to get stranded when the difference might have been that little extra cranking power or reserve. Most good stores will give you at least a 3yr warranty.

 

[DiamondStarMotors]

man that was a quality post. Thanks for your help. When you say reserve time, what does that mean?

 

[Ozone302]

I've had good luck with duralast gold batteries. 3 year warranty and can always handle my sound systems. Pretty cheap too. Right around $100. I don't believe in spending twice that for a battery. Generally batteries crap out under 3 years with heavy usage.

 

[KewlWinter]

As defined on Wikipedia:

Reserve capacity minutes (RCM), also referred to as reserve capacity (RC), is a battery's ability to sustain a minimum stated electrical load; it is defined as the time (in minutes) that a lead-acid battery at 80 °F (27 °C) will continuously deliver 25 amperes before its voltage drops below 10.5 volts.

 

[muddfisher85]

Optima Red Top. Thats what I use. Expensive but well worth it if you have a subwoofer and amp. I left my car on for 6 hours one night at a party with it turned way up and was not started. I thought for sure I would need a jump but went to leave and she fired right up just like it had been shut off all night. Even I was impressed! So I will continue to buy their batteries and recomend them to all. 4 years on the same one so far!

 

[Ozone302]

Optima Red Top. Thats what I use. Expensive but well worth it if you have a subwoofer and amp. I left my car on for 6 hours one night at a party with it turned way up and was not started. I thought for sure I would need a jump but went to leave and she fired right up just like it had been shut off all night. Even I was impressed! So I will continue to buy their batteries and recomend them to all. 4 years on the same one so far!

Wow that's impressive!

 

[rcarbajal4]

Optima yellow top. They're recommended for people with electronics in their car.

 

[DiamondStarMotors]

Sounds like Optima is the way to go!

 

[KewlWinter]

The Optima Yellow Top that is dimensionally the same is the Group D75/25 (part# 8042-218). However the specs arent as good at 650 cold cranking amps (810 cranking amps) and 98 minute reserve. That is why most automotive stores wont list this battery, though it would make a great second battery for your electronics if running a 2 battery system.

 

[99EclipseGS-Turbo]

I would definitely go with the optima red top. With an amp and subs the lights can dim when the bass hits hard. It gets annoying. Especially if you ever think about upgrading your system. The red top is a little pricey but worth the little wxtra spent in comparison.

 

[DiamondStarMotors]

i was thinking about going yellow top

 

[TSiAWD666]

If you get an Optima yellow/red, and foresee ever needing to charge your battery, make sure to get a battery charger that supports AGM-type batteries (which is what the optimas are). A non-agm supporting charger will throw trouble lights and stop charging due to the increased current into the battery that is actually ok for an AGM battery, but not ok for other types of batteries.

 

[DiamondStarMotors]

when you say charger, do you mean alternator?

 

[TSiAWD666]

No, I mean charger. Car battery charger, like one you would plug into a wall outlet to charge your car's battery.

 

[ktgurl87]

The optimas don't charge the "same" as a standard automotive battery. We've been through a red top already... we've got the autocraft gold battery in the gst, and a silver in my gs. Matter of fact, I've got an autocraft silver in my dodge truck, and we're all still moving right along. Autocraft is the brand for Advance btw. I <3 employee discounts

 

[dsmspick]

I have had great luck with my Optima red top. I have my battery relocated to the trunk and run a bigger battery. It has like 1000 CC amps I believe. Great for those wonderful Midwest winters!

 

[JosephMiranda]

My headlights used to dim when my subwoofers would hit until i installed my optima yellow top battery! Its been 3 years and i run it hard with no problems and no problem in cold winters like some batteries i have had in the past. Thats what i reccomend you get!

 

[Lil' Shaun]

I will never buy a nother optima. I had one pop and fill my trunk with acid last spring.

 

[sek_phok]

My Duralast Gold has never failed me.

 

[chinola69]

Bringing this back, I've read the quality of the optima is not what it use to be. What are recommendations for a good quality battery? or is optima still the preferred?

 

[Sniffbooger]

Get an Odyssey battery