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View Full Version : Optima Yellowtop Battery for N15 SSS. Which model? Actual benefits?



Keejoo
21-01-2016, 11:26 PM
Hey Guys,

Just looking for some quick advice on whether I need to upgrade my battery or if its overkill for my car's setup.

Which Optima Yellowtop battery model(s) are suited to the N15 SSS?

Also, if running 1x500-600 and 4x100 (RMS) amplifiers, is this battery necessary if i dont plan on running stereo that long when cars not running.

What are the actual benefits to justify the cost? (from what i remember its like twice the weight ~20kg and $300-350?)

Is it worth it over a standard century ultra/high performance battery [NS40ZLSX]? (with this simple sound system)

Thanks.

Martin
22-01-2016, 02:24 PM
You would not want to be running that stereo at high volume with the car turned off
Even with the car turned on, I would be tempted to upgrade the alternator

The Optima batteries are awesome - but in years gone buy they were grossly over priced (over $500)
They are now down around $340~$400 which is justifiable
Contact a battery retailer for pricing and correct model details

dylan
22-01-2016, 03:42 PM
I use supacharge in all my cars, never had a flat yet in 10 plus years.

http://www.supercharge.com.au/match-your-vehicle

Fortnite
22-01-2016, 09:24 PM
Buy the biggest battery that will fit your tray. Upgrade your earth straps with some 0ga and use good cable for your amps, there's a lot of aluminium wire going around and it's crap.

Save your money and buy a decent branded battery with a good warranty. IMO optima went down hill a while ago.

I run a century in my sedan and it's perfectly fine.

Keejoo
23-01-2016, 08:38 AM
Thanks for the info, the more i read the more concerned i get about power required and whether my electrical system would handle it or not.

What is the most important factor/feature of a battery for sound system use? (apparently CCA doesnt mean much but is common rating between both wet/dry batteries, reserve capacity is also shared)

Some people say that Optima have gone down hill for a while, however is it just due to the overpricing or the quality too? Say if an Optima D34 Yellowtop was $200 would you buy it or still go with some other brand/model instead?

So for this total 1000W RMS system, would the stock alternator be sufficient? Is the factory N15 SSS alternator 70A or 80A?

Would 4Ga wire do the job for big 3 upgrade? (already have some lying around)

Also, for the big 3 upgrade, do you replace factory wiring or add the 4/0Ga wire in addition to factory wiring?

sorry for all the questions, but the loss of the old PGA site makes research a whole lot harder... the good old days :D

Boosted VLAD
24-01-2016, 06:24 PM
First of all:

You would not want to be running that stereo at high volume with the car turned off
This, Unless you have a very big battery.
Your system will drain a battery pretty quickly if the car is off


Second:

This is such a big topic where to be 100% correct id have to explain everything in detail and I'd have sooooo much to type its not even funny, so all the examples are rough and there is a lot more to each answer than it seems and all the numbers are just rough


Here it goes:



1. What is the most important factor/feature of a battery for sound system use? (apparently CCA doesnt mean much but is common rating between both wet/dry batteries, reserve capacity is also shared)

2. So for this total 1000W RMS system, would the stock alternator be sufficient? Is the factory N15 SSS alternator 70A or 80A?

3. Would 4Ga wire do the job for big 3 upgrade? (already have some lying around)

4. Also, for the big 3 upgrade, do you replace factory wiring or add the 4/0Ga wire in addition to factory wiring?

5. sorry for all the questions, but the loss of the old PGA site makes research a whole lot harder... the good old days :D


1. What you want to look at is the AH rating (Amp Hours) which tells you how long (in time) your battery can draw X amount of amps before the voltage drops too low

2. As far as I know it's 80Amp, As long as the alternator is working good (and I mean good) (and you've done the wire upgrade) and the system is not at 100% volume all the time, yes (but when at 100% it will be diving into your battery a little) because your alternator suplies 80amps X 13.5v(lets say)= 1080watts, and the car itself needs power too so your cutting it close with 1000wrms but only when you're pushing the sound system,
And that's 1000wrms output, even more goes into the amplifiers to put out 1000wrms
Don't let that scare you though, that is what a battery is for
But this is why you should also upgrade the battery to the biggest possible battery because you will kill a small battery in no time doing this,
The bigger it is the less you will discharge it everytime this happens

3. 4 Guage is what you want to run to the Amps, you want 2 Guage for the cable upgraded 3 cables if possible

4. Remove factory wires, instal the big cables

5. The more questions the better, we hope to fill the forum back up with as many questions and answers as possible :)

Fortnite
24-01-2016, 06:39 PM
OP IMO I think you're looking in to it a little too much, it's good to do the best you can but for 1K RMS you'll be fine without going over the top.

Don't buy an optima, their quality has dropped from what they were say 8 years ago and I wouldn't run the risk of getting stuck somewhere because I gave it a chance.

This is what I'd do/have done, Good cable to amp (kicker comes to mind). Big 3 upgrade (4GA will be fine) and I've also added a battery (-) to engine strap. I've removed the factory earth strap from the neg post as it didn't fit my terminals and replaced it with 0GA but I've left most of the factory earths in place and added my cables on top, same with the batt to alt cable. The way I see it they are my "backup" just in case a join goes bad or a crimp decides to **** itself also in this case the more cable the better.

I also run a century NS60L on an N1 battery tray, I'm not sure if it'll fit a SSS tray? It was powering some thirsty A class amps with the stock alternator, sure lights would dim but it was expected and didn't bother me.