good to see someone doing it the proper way [img]smile.gif[/img] and not cutting corners

 

whoa who told you all this? have you used a yellow top before? Well i have a yellow top for about a year now and i love it.The yellow top actually helped out while the car was running, it stopped my dimming problems.It's not just good for when the car is off, although it may seem so because its a battery and once the car is running your altenator takes over but it helped.Also it can be used as a primary battery(starter) with no problems even in winter.I will never use another battery if i have a stereo, plus you can play your system with the car off as well and drain the yellow top many times and it'll still recharge.Scarlemthug i would purchase one if i were you, you can even get them at costco.ALthough an altenator is the primary fix for dimming i would get the yellow top.It helped me a lot plus it's easier to instal than a altenator.Do not use two batteries if you don't need to it just puts extra strain on your altenator.Get the yellow top, you won't be dissapointed

 

www.exide.com the only way to go.

 

www.exide.com the only way to go.

 

I feel there are better batteries out there than Optima Yellow/Red tops. Sure, the convenience of being able to mount them is nice, but it doesn't justify the price when you can get a Die Hard Gold for easily half the price and it does just as good or better of a job.
Why deep cycle? Deep cycle's are slow and aren't good for car audio use. There's usually plenty of reserve in regular high crank batteries as long as the battery is good.
I would agree more with having a good battery or two over a high output alternator. The battery IMO is THE most important part of the charging system.
When you buy a battery, keep this in mind. You can tell a good battery mainly by the warranty/exchange period length that a manufacturer provides. The longer the period, the more confident the manufacturer is in providing a good battery.

 

I will need atleast a 200 amp alt, what places can I look for a good one? I am installing this all on a 98 civic if that helps? Im gonna upgrade all groudn connections and alt to starter etc with some 4 gauge wiring.

So in everyone's opinion what would be the best option for me in respect to a battery?

 

Excide has alot more styles of deep cycles:More likely to fit your car without modification. It should be a $100 less then an Optima, cause Excide makes their own batteries.

 

I thought on getting a 200+amp alternator, until I was convinced different in that a better battery is more important. Nobody is going to run their systems at max, and there is no music media that puts out a constant signal. IMO you shouldn't need an alt that puts out more than 150 amps. A second non-deep cycle battery is more than enough reserve for a high power system, let's say 2kW RMS total. So I opted for a 120 amp alt and I'll have cash to spare for an extra good battery.

 

For those that are raving about Exide batteries, I have a question. They sound like a good battery, but what's the warranty/exchange period on them?