Optima Batteries: Yellow Top VS Red Top

Optima yellow top and red top batteries have become an extremely popular choice with race cars, rally cars, hot rods, and off road vehicles. What makes the Optima so special? You'll find many detailed descriptions online, but the #1 advantage for us is safety. Because the Optima is essentially spill-proof and comes in a rugged housing, it can stand up to much more abuse than a standard off-the-shelf car battery.

The red top and yellow top batteries are distinctly different, with the red top functioning as a direct-replacement starting battery for most applications and the yellow top featuring more of a deep-cycle design for applications with larger and more frequent current draws.

Do you just want a better, more rugged battery for your car? Chances are the red top is for you. Are you running a lot of electronics, or using any accessories that draw a lot of current when the vehicle is on or off? That's where you'll benefit from the yellow top's deep-cycle capabilities.

Produced by: Team O'Neil Rally School
Supported by:
Optima Batteries
Hawk Performance Brakes
Ford Performance
Koni Shocks
Monster Energy
AMSOIL
Yokohama Tires

[chanakpugkaing]

Thanks for video. I’m a lifelong interstate battery fan. I had one last 17 years and it was in a vehicle that sat for months at a time.

[Sydsworkshop]

hello. thank you for the straight forward info without wasting our time. cheers!

[quirble]

Only minutes ago I did not know what an Optima battery was. Now I need one.

[oboutdoors]

Curious as to how the Optimas are holding up for O'Neil and others. I used to use them (15-20 years ago) and had great luck, but I've heard that the quality went to crap, and they fail regularly. Would love to hear what's happening currently. What are some good/bad experiences in the last three or four years, specifically?

[JBLewis]

In my Lead Car Forester XT, I used a RedTop with side terminals in addition to the top posts. It allowed me to have a dedicated "operate outside the car" power point for radio communications.

[BadDFWDrivers]

I would love seeing a video about batteries in parallel and possibly running only one when the car is in ACC mode and both when the car is running.

[danielminchev]

A great video. I really like the content that you are making. Keep up the good work and all the best for you and your family in these troublesome times.

[adude]

Nobody:

Wyatt: that's wonderful

[thebizwacky]

Stuck playing on the farm with a Hilux, not the worst way to be quarantined. Do you guys run lithium batteries for the race-prepped cars? Seems like shaving 15-20 lbs for ~$600 would be a no brainer but not sure if there are downsides.

[TylerLinner]

Suggestion for future videos: A lot of us are probably like me and have volunteered at rallies, often times in different capacities. But we might not know the ins and outs of what it's like to go through all the tech, time controls, transits, etc. I'm wondering if this might be a halfway interesting whiteboard type talk you could do. Stay safe!

[piecartbox]

I have both and don't notice a difference. What about the quality complaints recently?

[AndrewBrowner]

got a yellow top in my jeep, its good works great can crank the engine for not exaggerating 10 minutes.. its not great for the winch on heavvy pulls though i find myself grabbing a second battery and heavy jumper cables to help it out when im gonna be winching all day like on tree stump removals.. ideally id like a red top under the hood and a yellow tab in the cab with a cutoff switch hooked to an inverter

[DogDaze]

Do you suggest using a battery tender on the optima batteries during super cold winters?

[neonaffliction]

I hear you can run diesel without a battery (after you started it ofcourse) and if alternator is working, but you cant really run gasoline engine because of the sparkplugs, is that correct?

[steve]

wanted a yellow top for my wrangler was told i could only get a red top. two weeks later ordered a red top for my sierra and a yellow top came in they said i could only get a yellow top for the truck. life is difficult in northern Ontario

[richardsmith]

I bought a Optima red top about 3 months ago and didn't really read enough about the battery. After purchase I found the batteries are not made in the USA, but Monterrey Mexico ?? and the prices are not cheap at $265.00 . I hope I get at least 5 years out of it at which time I will probably switch to something make in the USA.

[blackout]

So will I need a red top under hood and yellow in trunk for subs?

[rangersmith]

Bought a Yellow Top for my 2019 Outback 3.6R so I can impromptu park and work ham radio for a couple of hours without the need for external batteries. There's no room under the hood for a dual-battery setup.

[FatalCorleone]

Okay so, your opinion:

In my 2000 Monte Carlo SS, I run an android head unit with GPS and wifi antennas, after aftermarket keyless entry kit, retrofitted headlights, Amp etc

So get a red top or yellow top?

[jfbeam]

Why do you see so many Optima batteries in race cars? 90% of that equation is "sponsorship". That's why we have them -- optima was a series sponsor who brought a pallet of batteries to races to hand out. (tech was supposed to fail cars without optima batteries) We don't run with those crash-happy nuts anymore. But I do still have a 7yo yellow top in the civic. (when it spends 90% of it's life disconnected, they'll last a long time.)