Quote:
Originally Posted by thejake1989
where did you hear or read that about the yellow top?
i have an optima yellow top in my truck now. starts up just fine everytime. my last battery didnt die really. it still read that it had charge that would start most vehicles yet when it tried to start my truck i wouldnt go. the test machine used to test it read good even when the truck wouldnt start.
i got the yellow top since i know i work on the truck and do other things at night and need the ability to drain it alittle without messing with the battery life. plus it has something like 880 CCA to start the truck up and run my accessories, none of which are really major
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Jake, code58 really said exactly what I was thinking when I wrote what I did. Please understand though, I was not saying you were wrong in using a yellow top battery in your truck.
I just went to Optima's website and compared the three types of batteries. What I found was that the Yellow top and Blue top are somewhat different than the normal definition of "Deep Cycle" and "Marine" batteries. If you have a heavy accessory draw that is not compensated for by the alternator, then by all means, you want the Yellow top battery. Comparing the Yellow and Red top batteries though, using the 34/78 model (which I think you may have), the Yellow top delivers 750 CCA and 870 CA, while the Red top delivers 800 CCA and 1000 CA. So, for starting, the Red top is superior. However, the Yellow top DOES have better reserve capacity: 120 minutes at 55 Ah as opposed to 100 minutes at 50 Ah for the Red top. If you powered your accessories using the battery only, they'd run longer on the Yellow top. The Yellow top has a somewhat "fussy" charge spec: It wants a 2 Amp final charge for one hour after the charging current falls below one Amp. The Red top is considered fully charged when charging current reaches one Amp.
I can't really figure why the Blue top even exists! *shrug*. In specs, it is identical to the Red top, except the dimensions are slightly different and it weighs 0.4 pounds less. It doesn't seem to have any deep cycle features at all. The weight of the Yellow top is a whopping 4.7 pounds more than the Red top, even though the dimensions are the same. I'm sure this is because of heavier, thicker plates.
So anyway, peace, brother! I'm glad the Yellow top is working well for you.
- Jack