Hi,

I did some reading on replacing the battery and I was confused on which one I should use. I read some people use the Yellow Top D35 or D34/78 but the Optima Website and Amazon recommends the Red Top 25 battery.

Which one should I use? For expandability if I need more power in the near future.

Thanks

 

It all depends on what you need, if you're gonna go say 600watt amp and sub all you need is a redtop BUT if you're gonna do the sub/amp/air suspension/car show led lighting (think HIN cars) then its best you go with a yellowtop.

 

if you're going to push your electrical demand to the point where you need another battery, it should be a secondary battery in addition to your primary one anyway

 

Unless you have a sound system or you like watching DVD's when the engine is off, their is no need to get an expensive battery. I replaced my OEM battery with a $90 Duralast (Autozone) and I think it starts quicker than my OEM battery.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. If I do decide to go with the Optima Yellow Top, which model number should I get?

 

Hey man, I work in one of the JCI plants which makes the Optima and the best one out there is the red top. Here's the spec for our cars:

RedTop®; Battery; Group 25; Cold Crank Amps 720; Crank Amps 910; Reserve Capacity 90; Ampere Hour 44; Top Terminal; L-9 5/16 in.; W-6 3/4 in.; H-7 5/8 in

Good luck

 

i was running a full sound system in my '99 GS. 2 subs, 2 amps, door speakers, dd head unit, over 1300 watts RMS total. HID kits. and never worried about my oem battery having enough power. My IS had 1200 watts RMS just for the subs alone, all i did was put a capacitor in and never ran into problems again with the OEM in my '07.

 

Optima batteries suck.

Get a kinetik. Also a capacitor is useless.

 

i got a kinetik is the way to go. i picked up an 1800 when it was time for me to upgrade.

 

I went with Stinger SPP 1500D. Aren't "better" batteries because of CCA (cold cranking amps)? Also My Stinger is a deep cycle battery similar to the yellow top Optima. This means they can be drained and recharged multiple times (over 400 discharges for this model). photo by Rush 350

 

Optima batteries suck. I had a yellow top and it got messed up easy. I only have a 1000watt amp and its not even all the way up and I never heard music with the car off. I replaced my battery this weekend get a duralast gold from auto zone for 100 bucks with a 8 year warranty and call it a day. For a simple amp you don't need to get a 2nd battery unless you going to run at least 2500 watt and if that is the case you get a second kinetik battery and you would be ok.

 

Optima batteries suck indeed. If you're going to replace your battery with an aftermarket one I'd go with an ODYSSEY battery. ODYSSEY batteries are the best you can buy; period.

Here is the spec for a battery for a 2011 IS250:

Year: 2011
Make: Lexus
Model: IS250
Engine: 2.5Liters 2499 CC V6
BCI Group Size: 24

ODYSSEY MODEL: 34-PC1500T
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA): 1500
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 880
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah): 68
Reserve Capacity Minutes: 135
Weight (lbs): 49.5

DESIGN LIFE: 8-12 years (Float) @ 25˚ C (77˚ F)
SERVICE LIFE: 3 to 10 years
ELECTROLYTE: Drycell (“starved electrolyte”) no external leakage or corrosion
STORAGE LIFE: 2 years before needing charge @ 25˚C (77˚F)


Note: Information taken directly from http://www.odysseybattery.com

P.S. You should never use a capacitor in your car. It's just a "band-aid" for any problems you may be having. Better to fix the problem than use one.

 

Installed the Optima Yellow Top D34/78. Was easy and straight forward. I also used the included rasier and put the plastic battery cover back on; had the bend the positive terminal to a 120 degree instead of 90 degree. I forgot how heavy these batteries could be especially when you take them out and put them in.

I looked at the Odyssey and it was $70 more than I wanted to spend. Got the Optima Yellow Top at Autozone for around $200 OTD. Could of got it on Amazon for $20 cheaper but I didn't want to wait 2 days and they are not authorize dealer so I would have warranty problems or no warranty at all.

 

Optima sucks, period. your OEM battery will be sufficient enough.

 

Surprised to see such negative reviews/opinions on the Optima Yellow Top. I had one on one of my previous cars which was a Lancer. Had a Pioneer headunit, iPod/MP3 adapter, JL 12" sub, MB Quart interiors, and two Zapco amps. Worked like a champ... never had an issue. Car started up stronger, and lights never dimmed when I had the system bumping.

But to be honest... I then had a Duralast Gold on my MazdaSpeed Protege, which also had a similar but slightly smaller system, some upgraded HID's, and additional interior lighting. It felt to be just as dependable as the Yellow-Top. Also had the Duralast drain out after leaving my lights on since the car had a turbo timer (derp). Came back HOURS later, got a jump... and still ran like a champ until I sold it recently.

So... not sure it's worth it to pay more $$ for a battery like Optima, Kinetik, or Stinger. If you want peace-of-mind or if you plan to do a major sound system upgrade, do it. You won't regret it. If you want to save some $$ just get a Duralast Gold in my opinion.