tsev

Need a new battery for Camaro V8 5.0 RS. I heard that Optima ones are quite good however I see that they have three different versions such as yellow, blue and red. Which one to put and are there different voltages of each? Do they fit in the battery tray and are they all of same sizes? What would you recommend me? Thanks!!

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/contact-us/

tsev

Really?

Ps. Please don't post "smart" responses like this. I am asking here because people must have experience with those cars and which version is best..

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Red top is fine. It's for your average car with the usual battery needs. Radio, headlights, cold start etc.

Yellow is more for ultra high electronic stuff. If you're running 4 subs, a DVD player, 2 TV's. Or if you're drag racing without an alternator. Basically the yellow ones can be run down to near dead and brought back to life. Not useful for your average street car though.

Blue are for boats.

Personally I don't run one though. They're expensive and some people love them. Some people hate them. They're popular with the C5 crowd, because the PCM in those cars is underneath the battery. And the Optimas don't have the trouble of acid leakage like a traditional battery would.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

I would rather buy a regular battery and put the extra money saved toward some battery cables by Innovative Wiring. I run these on my GTA as well as my wife's Blazer. These gave a very noticeable increase in voltage at all times. Brighter headlights, faster turn signals. Worth the money.



These are the stock Blazer cables vs Innovative Wiring setup. The cables in the GTA are the same type of deal.

watajob

iTrader: (29)

Years ago, I paid a king's ransom when Optima's first came out for the 'formy. It died in about 12 months. Paid the pro rata for a new one which then proceeded to perform an encore. So, unless you just have to mount your battery upside down, I'd avoid them at all cost.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

I had one crap out at 2 years or so. Not really worth it to me.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Really. Make a phone call, its not hard. They don't bite, really.

A lot of people on here have bought one, two maaaaybe 3 of these batterys. Now how many people have bought 3-5 diff (or howevermany)ones that they offer???
Your going to get 50 responses and all will be a lil different. Some will claim they got 75 hp, a extra days worth of cranking power, some will like them and some will hate them.
I have bought 4 of the batterys. 1 yellow and 3 reds, they work like any other battery but they do it with a higher cost. All of mine have lasted 6-7yrs. I had a stock delco batt last 7yrs also...

Is your car stock, modded, or have a super cool bumpn' system?? Any other things that we may need to know??

If your car is stock, save your money and stick with a nice name brand replacement.

tsev

Thanks guys for responses

I am located in Europe where those cars are very rare and Optima batteries are not popular therefore no one can give me good advice. Well this is the whole point of forum to get different toughs and advantages or disadvantages from people who actually used one not from sellers who will tell me anything just to sell it, so not really worth calling.

Anyway my car is completely stock and I will be installing music with subs, amps, etc. so I would like to buy now the right battery and not throw money around replacing it again next year. Also my car is used only seasonally and I read in description of Optima battery that it is good for seasonal cars that are not used few months. Is this true? or should I go with regular battery and charger?

OptimaJim

Hi tsev, I noticed your questions and wanted to offer some assistance. As Reid indicated, RedTops are fine for most stock or near-stock applications and although you didn't specify the year of your car, I believe a Group 75/25 would probably be a direct-fit, although you can confirm that with the search tab on the right side of our website. If you are going to install more electrical accessories, I would recommend a YellowTop and Reid's advice about upgrading your wiring is outstanding. I wish that was posted in every thread about batteries.

If your car is only going to be used seasonally, I would strongly recommend some kind of battery maintenance device. Fully-charged, our RedTops will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts and our YellowTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left sitting in that state, sulfation begins to form within the battery, which reduces performance and lifespan. If you don't have electrical access where you store your car, fully-charging and disconnecting the battery when the vehicle goes into storage is also a viable option. If you have any other questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

Jcodello

I have 92 firebird and the the red top mounted fine in mine. I was running 2 12" subs and a big amp and i had no problems running them with this battery and a 90K volt ignition system. Great CCA battery. the only problem i has with it was that i kept on melting the positive terminal of the battery. I ended up using up 3 batteries before the warranty was up. I even replaces my battery cables and still had the same problem. Not sure is that was the battery or my personal setup but when i switched to a different battery (a diehard) i didn't have anymore problems. Just my experience and i know you were looking for people who tried this set up.

OptimaJim

Jcodello, were you connecting to sidepost terminals? If so, what do you think was causing the positive terminal to melt?

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.fb.com/optimabatteries

urbanhunter44

iTrader: (3)

Hey tsev..

I've heard a few problems about Optima changing the location of their manufacturing, or ownership or something, and the newer batteries not being anywhere near as good as the old ones. Not sure if this is true but it's what I've heard.

As far as battery choices go I run 2 12" subs on a 1000 watt monoblock, and 4 amped speakers from a 4-way legacy, as well as numerous other accessories and have no problem with a Duralast battery. It was cheap and I've decharged and recharged it numerous times no problem.

Jcodello

Yes I had side post terminals. I'm not exactly sure what the problem was. When I changed to a Duralast battery the problem went away.

OptimaJim

urbanhunter, there is no truth to any suggestion that the quality of our batteries has declined in any way. Jcodello, in every instance I've ever encountered (including on my '92 Silverado), side post terminals melt out because of a poor connection to the battery cable. In fact, I just swapped out one such battery on Power Tour this past summer. The guy had totally melted out his terminal on his Camaro's YellowTop, because of a loose connection. When that happens, all the current travels through the few areas that are connected to the battery, which heats up those areas and often results in the lead melting. I swapped out another one in a Chevy truck in Iowa on my way home from the Sandhills in August, that had the same issue. Both batteries are still working just fine from the top terminals, but the side terminals are permanently out of commission. It might be worthwhile to check the bolts on your battery now, just to make sure they are secure.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.fb.com/optimabatteries

Jcodello

That does make sense but I'm still skeptical on that being the only problem. Only becuase I went through 3 red tops in 1 year and replaced the battery cables. And I haven't had the problem at all since switching to a Diehard battery.