Latest deals on the Optima Red Top D35?

[krawzyazn]

go to costco $99

[Texas Tornado]

What Optima Red Top is recommened for a 2003 Solara SLE, Model 34/78 or 75/35?

[redkysolarase]

My oem battery got in it's last kick there about half a year ago and I went with a cheapo Wal-mart battery (yeah I know bad mistake but I didn't have much money at the time). Well it was all find and dandy until here about a few weeks ago and now my lights dim sometimes when the bass hits.. What do you guys think I should do get a new battery or just a better altenator(sp??) and if battery yellow or red top? Btw I have two 12's with a 500 watt amp. so I know it's sucking up some power.

[DatSRBoi]

So batteries dont give performance right? Thats the alternators job when the cars already on?

[Jon11582]

My oem battery got in it's last kick there about half a year ago and I went with a cheapo Wal-mart battery (yeah I know bad mistake but I didn't have much money at the time). Well it was all find and dandy until here about a few weeks ago and now my lights dim sometimes when the bass hits.. What do you guys think I should do get a new battery or just a better altenator(sp??) and if battery yellow or red top? Btw I have two 12's with a 500 watt amp. so I know it's sucking up some power.

You will need either a deep cycle battery (such as the yellow top), a capacitor, or an alternator that puts out more amps. Since your not drawing too much over the limit, I think any of these will do. A better alternator would be the best solution if you want future upgradability of anything electrical.

And neither an alternator or battery will offer better performance. Battery's main job is to start the car and keep the voltage constant. Alternator is to provide enough juice to power the car and all the stuff in it. Battery's secondary job is to "back up" the alternator if you go over its limits, but only deep cycle batteries are really built for this secondary purpose. Any battery will offer some juice up when the alternators overtaxed, but unless its deep cycle, it wont do it too well.

Red tops are built to start as reliably as possible and last a long time. THe yellow top, and other deep cycle batteries, gives some of this up to be able to offer up more juice during normal operation (or ability to cycle deeper than just typical starting)

[redkysolarase]

Ok.. I've read the few posts on here about all this and I'm still as lost as a naked white man in a snow storm but whatever. I'm thinking of trying a better battery so is it just take out my old battery and go or do I need to upgrade the cables too? I'm sorry for asking these dumb questions but I have no clue what I'm doing.

[Yanks0114]

What Optima Red Top is recommened for a 2003 Solara SLE, Model 34/78 or 75/35?

You should actually look at the orange top. The orange top = red top, except the polarity is reversed. Most japanese cars have their battery terminals reversed, and the solara is no exception. However, the battery cables aren't long enough to handle a battery whose posts are backwards. The only way to use a red top/yellow top is to extend the battery terminals.

I'm pretty sure we use a D34/78

[Yanks0114]

So batteries dont give performance right? Thats the alternators job when the cars already on?

An alternator doesn't "give performance" either.

I'm not sure if you're talking about HP, or voltage, but even though the power is drawn from the alternator, your battery will stabilize the voltage and prevent the lights from dimming

[1st Gen Sol]

Last time I had to get a battery I purchased the Red Top to later go home and find out the connections weren't long enough to connect. The positive & negative connections from the car were too short.......is there a specific model that is out there that does fit ? ? Last time I checked they discontinued the model that does fit.

Any info is appreciated.

[Yanks0114]

This should simplify it for everyone:

Yellow vs. Red
Yellow top: Deep Cycle - Lower CCA, can be fully discharged and then recharged many times. Used for cars who run off battery power a lot (competitions or shows). Also, I use it since my battery tends to go dead when I'm at school because my car is just sitting

Red/Orange Top: Starting Battery - High CCA - Long warranty - Less Expensive

Red vs. Orange

The red and orange are the same battery, except the terminals are reversed. Japanese cars have reverse polarity battery terminals. The optima batteries were designed for domestics and therefore the only way to hook up a red or yellow top is to extend the battery cables. The orange top doesn't require any modification!

Just realized that Optima has gotten rid of the name orange top (probally because of all the confusion) and is now offering a red top D35 battery. Indigosolara reported that the polarity is correct, and this is confirmed by optima's website.

34 vs 35 size

For the yellow top:
The 34 size battery is a little bit larger than the 35. 10" vs 9.3" and weight 5 lbs more - Go with the D34/78.

For the Red top:
The D34 has reversed battery terminals. The D35(which used to be referred to as the orange top) has the battery terminals on the correct side for our car.

Both batteries do need a shim raise them approximately two inches, or else the factory brackets to secure the battery won't work. This can be obtained by calling optima or made out of wood.


Hope this helps

[WTF??]

Here's a Tutorial on how to lengthen battery cables if you run into the problem:
http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=6724

[indiglosolara]

The D35 red top is a direct bolt on with no need to replace the cables or extend it. I have the red top D35 for a while now and haven't had any problems with it. The only thing i needed to do is raise the battery about 1.5" from the bottom. I took 2, 3/4" MDF wood and cut it to the size of the battery tray and painted it black. Works great...
Great choice if you dont want to do too much work.

Yanks gave a good descrption on each battery and the comparison.

I also have full system in my car along with tons of electronic accesories and have yet to have any problems.

[Yanks0114]

The D35 red top is a direct bolt on with no need to replace the cables or extend it. I have the red top D35 for a while now and haven't had any problems with it. The only thing i needed to do is raise the battery about 1.5" from the bottom. I took 2, 3/4" MDF wood and cut it to the size of the battery tray and painted it black. Works great...
Great choice if you dont want to do too much work.

Thanks for the info, I updated my post

[1st Gen Sol]

Thanx for the info guys......definately keep it in mind when I get one the next time around.

[gnaw_divad]

mm.. this is a good topic.

I have had my share of battery problems. First off, for anyone whos thinking about upgrading their battery to an optima, i would recommend the yellow top. Pay a bit more for the deep cycle. If your battery dies from drainage often, like mine did, a red top won't last too long. And if your planning to upgrade to an Optima, you should go for the yellow.

As for the Base, you can call optima (find their number from their web site) and they will send you a plastic piece that sits underneath your battery so it sits high enough. (i got mine for free so it should still be free)

As for the wires, its not too hard to extend it. However, if you cannot get one that has reveresed positive and negative, and you dont feel like you can do it yourself, you can always take ur car to any local audio store and they can do the extension for you. It shouldnt be too expensive.

Just for your to know...

Optima's warrenty seems great. However, they have their flaws. I had a yellow top that failed on me and they replaced it without much fuss. Just had to go get it checked out and made sure it was the battery and not the car.
However, the second one died on me as well. This time, optima refused to replace the battery because they said that my car had excess drainage and thats what lead to the batteries death. However, if i didnt have excess drainage i wouldnt upgrade to a yellow top would i.. . But anyways, no matter what, they wouldnt replace it a second time. Just letting you guys know, its a warrented but only to a certain extect. heh..