# alternators and batteries



## onecloudyday (Oct 6, 2002)

i know this subject probably has been beaten to death but i need a sure answer here. im building a system in my car, and i want to get a optima battery for power and for performance. what i need to know is does the yellow top offer the same cca amps in the cold as the red (i livein shit ass cold wheather during the winter here). I know the yellow is more deep cell and being a RV tech thats all we use for long term but we dont recommennd it for cca, but from what you guys here are saying that the yellow top is god for all applications , is this true? has anyone had problems with performance or starting? and the other question is i want to get a higher output alternator nothting crazy maybe a 100amp. can anyone suggest a good place to order and that would have the correct brackets to go along with the alternator to let it fit properly? thanks for the help.


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## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

Red top is the best for systems. I had both Red & Yellow. Red does a better job.


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## Punkrocka436 (Jul 8, 2003)

yellow IS better for systems. Red is for starting


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Exactly right, Yellow is MEANT to be deep cycled whereas a red top is not.

mechman.com made an alt. for a forum member a while back but I KNOW it was not cheap, around $500 or so and bolted in place. You cannot simply re-work our factory alt.'s either so that is really your only option.


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## PacificBlue_200sx (Sep 15, 2003)

I swear by my blue top, I believe it has more cold cranking amps, I'll have to check.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

I'm pretty sure the Yellow Top has the most cold cranking amps of them all although it isnt a huge difference from the red. I'm very happy with my Yellow Top.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

And o yea, if you are getting a new alternator, by all means rewire both your positive and negative in 4 guage...well worth the money and work. And I believe Pep Boys sells Bosch reconditions alternators.


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## Sazbot (Sep 27, 2004)

not to sound like a prick... but why not ring or email optima, and ask them which battery is better for your application


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## sentdawg (Oct 27, 2004)

im thinkin of buying an optima battery to improve my system performance also and i just bought an duralast alternator about 5 months ago...do i still need to upgrade my alternator or i'll be kool keepin da one i have..


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

sentdawg said:


> im thinkin of buying an optima battery to improve my system performance also and i just bought an duralast alternator about 5 months ago...do i still need to upgrade my alternator or i'll be kool keepin da one i have..


you wont know until you put the optima in and rewire...if your lights are still dimming, their are other things you can doo before an alt upgrade.


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## sentdawg (Oct 27, 2004)

i got an cap for my amps in my car and i got a cheap ass autozone battery in..lmaooooooooooo.."don't laugh"....so i think i shud get an optima battery..cuz my audio system stills dim my lights with da cap and my alternator is f-ing new


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Duralast alternators from AutoZone are famous for having problems. In the past I have gone through several that "checked out okay" before finding out they weren't all they could be. I understand that cash may be tight and AutoZone has some sort of warranty, but IMO I would ditch the Duralast alternator for another brand from somewhere else. Napa isn't cheap, but it ain't gonna crap on you in a month either.


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## FatBoy4 (May 12, 2002)

I used to work @ a car audio shop
and we sold all of the optima batteries.
and we would also get complaints about the red tops so we upgraded them to yellow tops and stoped selling the red tops..

We have never had a problem with the YELLOW TOPS.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=74670


Check out this info. (if the link works)


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

sentdawg said:


> i got an cap for my amps in my car and i got a cheap ass autozone battery in..lmaooooooooooo.."don't laugh"....so i think i shud get an optima battery..cuz my audio system stills dim my lights with da cap and my alternator is f-ing new


The only TRUE fix fo rthis is an higher output alternator. Caps, and batteri's do not relieve the load on the alt. while the car is running.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

wes said:


> The only TRUE fix fo rthis is an higher output alternator. Caps, and batteri's do not relieve the load on the alt. while the car is running.


Unless the alternator is bad.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

scooterbob said:


> Unless the alternator is bad.


Agree, but if the potential current draw is > than the alt rating the only true fix is a higher output alt.


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## vinnie_febs (Apr 7, 2004)

Here-------------> [email protected]
Drop them an email or call them at 813-935-0152
Thats where I got my 200 Amp and it's so so so so sweet.

http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2302


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## Punkrocka436 (Jul 8, 2003)

Yellow and blue are the same thing except for the blue has two smaller posts on top and is marketed for marine applications


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## sentdawg (Oct 27, 2004)

wes said:


> Agree, but if the potential current draw is > than the alt rating the only true fix is a higher output alt.




i agree...shit man i hate fuggin duralast...wut brands r long lastin


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## onecloudyday (Oct 6, 2002)

well if i get a yellow top ,what cca amps should i go for. Its true all the shops including autozone, sears all those stores around here say that there is no optima for the 200sx so i have to comeup with a part number or size that i need to get one. anyone got any suggestions?


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## onecloudyday (Oct 6, 2002)

hey vinnie febs, that 200amp that you got have you had any problems with the unit at all? i mean with over charging or anything like that? also if i were to rebuild my stock alternator for higher output how do you do it, is there kits available?


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## vinnie_febs (Apr 7, 2004)

onecloudyday said:


> hey vinnie febs, that 200amp that you got have you had any problems with the unit at all? i mean with over charging or anything like that? also if i were to rebuild my stock alternator for higher output how do you do it, is there kits available?


No, I have no problems with it, but then again I'm running a pretty heavy stereo. Personally I've had no experience as far as rebuilding an alternator, but I do know that you need to rewire the coils and most definitely you'll have to replace the pulley with a smaller one. But the tricky part is re-wiring the coil enough times in order to produce the required current.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

vinnie_febs said:


> No, I have no problems with it, but then again I'm running a pretty heavy stereo. Personally I've had no experience as far as rebuilding an alternator, but I do know that you need to rewire the coils and most definitely you'll have to replace the pulley with a smaller one. But the tricky part is re-wiring the coil enough times in order to produce the required current.


Good god you must have a loud system for 200 amps!!!!


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## onecloudyday (Oct 6, 2002)

yah that is a good amount for the alternator , hell i just want maybe an upgrade of 100 amps or so.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

onecloudyday said:


> yah that is a good amount for the alternator , hell i just want maybe an upgrade of 100 amps or so.


I'de try a Yellow Top first although it is likely you will need an alternaotr upgrade. The Yellow Tops lasts forever...my buddy has had one in since I believe 1993. They are not much to buy and much better than the stock battery. Even if you get a bigger alternator, a Yellow Top is still a great way to store all that power


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## vinnie_febs (Apr 7, 2004)

onecloudyday said:


> yah that is a good amount for the alternator , hell i just want maybe an upgrade of 100 amps or so.


o.k I got you, but to be honest if 100amps is all you want, then you should not worry about getting another Alt. I believe ours is about 80amps stock. I would just do the big 3, new battery (red top is fine, thats what I got. Unless you are thinking of running your stereo when your car is not running), and lastly if you still need it, a .5 or 1.0 farad cap. Depends on how much wattage your amp or amps need.


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## onecloudyday (Oct 6, 2002)

well i do have a 1 farad cap , and the apexi grounding system installed also. i am really concered with the whole battery thing and the cca of the battery. im not sure as to what size to get for and what would be a good choice here , I mean it does get cold in pa here and this winter is suppose to be brutal here also. Also im still up in arms about what size to get in the red top or the yellow top. Like i said before i work for a RV company and we use all marine batteries and i know that they dont have the cca amps of the regular matintence free ones but if the yellow tops design is diffrent from a standard marine cell i would give it a chance. 

i guess it wouldnt hurt to try it out , its only money right. lol


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

onecloudyday said:


> well i do have a 1 farad cap , and the apexi grounding system installed also. i am really concered with the whole battery thing and the cca of the battery. im not sure as to what size to get for and what would be a good choice here , I mean it does get cold in pa here and this winter is suppose to be brutal here also. Also im still up in arms about what size to get in the red top or the yellow top. Like i said before i work for a RV company and we use all marine batteries and i know that they dont have the cca amps of the regular matintence free ones but if the yellow tops design is diffrent from a standard marine cell i would give it a chance.
> 
> i guess it wouldnt hurt to try it out , its only money right. lol


Yellow top is the way to go...caps are bandaids, weak band aids at that. I had a 1 farad cap and my lights still dimmed. After a rewiring in 4 guage Monster wire in positive and negative terminals and an Optima Yellow Top, I have absolutely no dimming. And when it comes to cars, money goes into them at about the same pace of Motley Cru and cocaine.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Yellow top vs. Red top. Ok, you're building a system which battery is better? The answer is neither. The red top is pretty much just as good as the yellow top for any system app. Neither of those two are going to provide any extra power to your amps when the car is running. 

If you're sucking up more power than your Alt. can provide, the alternator is your biggest problem, not your battery. Any battery is going to suffer the same fate if you're drawing more current then the alternator can handle. A yellow top is not going to keep your lights from dimming just b/c it's deep cycle.

If you're considering a deep cycle battery, consider this. How many times have you needed a jump? How many times have you turned off the engine and left the radio on to listen to while working on your car? Are you good at leaving something on overnight? A deep cycle batter can be run down and recharged with no ill effect. On a normal battery, running it down to nothing KILLS it's life and you end up with capacity problems like I'm currently getting on my red top. 

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but the impression is that the yellow top can crank out a little extra punch in a time of need. Run both the red top and the yellow top down partially, and the yellow top will probably still start your car, although, really once you're below 11V, you're prolly going to need a jump.

As for caps, I've never used one, but from my impression, it's a complete waste of money. A cap and a battery are pretty much the same thing in a closed system. They are both partially renewable resources to provide some extra amps when needed, but they need constant charge or else they cannot be renewed. Your battery should be your cap. The battery temporarily suppliments the alternator's output.

Anyway, to sum it up. A 'system' will not benefit from a yellow top alone. If you draw alot of current while the engine is on, get a better alternator, if you draw alot of current while the car is off, get a deep cycle battery.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Benefit of a yellow top is that it can be deep cycled. Screw the CCA dn the part # buy the regular size yellow top not the smaller one designed for honda's. it's not that technical, just buy it and install it. It even fits fine in the factory bracket. And the GA16 cars have a 70 amp alt. whereas the SR20 cars have a 80 amp. alt. 

there is no easy way to rebuild our alt. as I said in an earlier post. With the design it is VERY tough to externally regulate it. mechman.com is the site to check out on this issue as they have made an alt. for another forum member a while back.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

I agree with "99". Worry for alternator first. :thumbup: ....then the battery.


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## sentdawg (Oct 27, 2004)

where can i buy a better alt that has more amps...like 100 or 200 amp or sumtin...cuz i have a serious system


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

sentdawg said:


> where can i buy a better alt that has more amps...like 100 or 200 amp or sumtin...cuz i have a serious system


I posted this in this topic twice now. try www.mechman.com or do a search for mechman alternator's.


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## velardejose (Sep 9, 2004)

Ohio generator?
Dominick?
You can get up to 300 amps alternators, but the cost is reliability...
Could you pls describe your serious system?
I use 5600 wrms for comps and 'only' run two 200 amp alts...
Plus two 150 AH deep cycle batts 
Daily driver: 1200 wrms and 'only' 120 amperes alt, performs flawlessly...


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## vinnie_febs (Apr 7, 2004)

sentdawg said:


> where can i buy a better alt that has more amps...like 100 or 200 amp or sumtin...cuz i have a serious system


or you can also just read what I post on the previous page...


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