My battery is bad because it has been getting low and was pretty dead this mornnig.
My options are
1 top it with water ( don't like that one )
get a new battery or
get an optima.
I don't have any aftermarket parts yet as I am working on maintenence first.
Do I need a yellow top ?
What benefits would I get from one ?
I will be doing this at lunch so any quik responses would be great
thanks.

 

optima are good. What do you want to spend as the optima's are pricey?

DieHard Gold are very good for the money also.

steviej

 

I would like to spend as little as possible but if the optimas are going to offer my car better performance in some aspect I would go with it I just don't know seeing as I am not running big amps or anything if it is needed ?
oh and thanks for the timely reply steviej

 

Starting my car has gotten progressively worse over the last week or so and now my battery is done. Anyway, I'm gonna buy a Die Hard Gold tomorrow, not an Optima. I am running an amp and aftermarket stereo, but it's not enough to justify an Optima. Performance has nothing to do with the battery. The main function of the battery is to start the car. If you don't have a huge stereo then you have no need for a battery that costs more than twice as much as a Die Hard.

 

Take it from me as i own a maintenance shop. Optimas are probably the best and yes they are pricey, so unless you are planning on buying an upgraded sounded system, you should buy an interstate battery.

 

this doesnt really follow the topic but i have a after market system and my factory battery died under 2 yrs of purchase (i bought my car brand new). i thought since i have an after market system it would fall out of warranty. well i went to the dealer to get my exhaust checked bc it was making a whinding noise. the service ppl said they couldnt start my car and had to jump start it to move it. they check the alternator and starter to see if that was causing the problem but i knew it was bc the dead battery. i come back 1 1/2 hr later to find out that they replaced my battery for free bc my car was still under warranty go figure.

 

I have an Optima and its a great battery, at a show once I drained it twice (running HID, stereo, Monitors with car off- damn indoor show), and it just regenerated itself after about 10-15 minutes each time! Well worth the 150 for me!! LOL

 

DGOT20s, your optima battery "regenerated" itself? so you didn't have to jump your car or charge it to get it started again? wow. if optima's do self regenerate, i'd definitely put them on the top of my list for a battery swap.

Hotboy, i run diehard golds in all my cars that have needed new batteries. they're great batteries and have never let me down *knock on wood* I think that a diehard would run well on your car, as long as you don't continually drain the battery down by running the electronics with the engine off.

consumer reports had a review on 11/2003, here are their ratings.

Best for cold weather:
DieHard $60 (75 North)
Kirkland $60 (34/78 North), CR Best Buy
Nascar $100 (34/78 national)
All deliver the best blend of life and cold-starting performance in their group sizes.

f you live where it’s warm:
DieHard $80 (75 South)
Duralast $75 (34/78 South)
EverStart $60 (34/78 South)
The DieHard (2) excelled in our life tests, while the Duralast (13) excelled in our CCA tests, handy if you sometimes drive in cold weather. The EverStart (16) offers a well-rounded choice for less money.

Top picks for other sizes
Group-size 35 (many Japanese brands):
DieHard WeatherHandler 30335 $60 (South)
Exide Nascar Select 35-84N $80 (national)

hope this helps.

 

If you don't have an aftermarket stereo/electronics to support, IMO the Optima is overkill. Save your money and get something less expensive.

If you DO have (or plan in the near future) that stuff, I'd recommend it.

 

I would go to the Toyota dealer and get an OEM Toyota battery. Toyota OEM quality without the Lexus price!

 

Thanks for that Consumer Reports info, ligflava.

Let's remember HotBoy's original request: "spend as little as possible". I'm like that too, so that's why I bought a WalMart EverStart. And my SC4 doesn't even know the difference- it starts up every morning, just as if I had an Optima in it!

Spending more on a battery would not make my car look any better, go any faster or last any longer.

 

i'm into being fiscally responsible as anyone else, but a battery that supposedly "regenerates" itself is very tempting!

but when it's all said an done, i think a good quality battery is a good quality battery, no matter what brand it may be. gotta love consumer reports for their objective analyses! hopefully the info was of some help to HotBoy in his quest for a new reliable battery.

 

It really dosn't regenirate itself it's just plain better at Deep Cycling.

Here is my info on GS w/ Yellow Top

What Optima to buy for my GS w/ aftermarket Stereo. Optima - Yellow Top
What model Number. D34 or to be exact D34/78/D750U
Where to get the cheapest price on the net. $135 http://www.batteryweb.com/optima.cfm
Where to by at a local store - PepBoys.
What Addapter was needed to match OEM hight - From the RED Top Optima about 1" snaps on 2 bottom

 

I dont know if its deep cycling or whatever, but I do know that I killed it TWICE, ie, the radio started clipping, the HID's started clipping, and the DVD turned off. When the ignition was turned, it would just click click click. Both times I just turned the switch off, closed the doors and left the car for about 10-15 minutes when I returned it cranked right up!! i never got a jump or anything like that!

Just my .02

Good luck Hotboy!

 

i have been looking at the red top. ive been told group 25, then i was told group 35 is even better but more expensive? not sure what model to get. the red top has a longer warranty, cheaper, and almost the same power for stereo as the red top, i only have onwe amp. anyone know? my brother had a yellow top, but recently got a red top also.