Seeking battery advice Options

[SwissFerdi]

My crud Costco battery is slowly dying, so I'm looking for a good replacement. I run an amp on low power and my commute is really short, 2-3 miles to work or school. Needless to say, the battery takes some abuse and doesn't get charged much, although I don't run accessories on battery power that often. I've heard good things about Optima batteries, and I can get a yellow top locally for $120. Thoughts?

[jordisonjr]

If you have a sound system, you should use a deep cycle battery?
I don't drive in cold weather so CCA is not a big deal

[Hanyo]

If you have a sound system, you should use a deep cycle battery?
I don't drive in cold weather so CCA is not a big deal

Its not about driving in the cold. Its about longevity.

Its a fact, a battery will slowly lose CCA as it ages; with less cranking amps the battery is force to work harder to start the car every time. Working the battery harder will wear out the battery faster which means decreased crank amps. The cycle then feeds on itself and one day the car will have so little CCA that it wont start leaving you stranded. You end up buying new batteries every 2 years, which cost 10x more then buying a proper battery that will last much longer and give you better performance.



With everything car related, there is never a perfect set up. If you have a sound system, you are better off with a deep cycle hands down. The main reason is because people will listen to the radio as they clean their cars. Draining a regular starting battery will cause a deep discharge and decrease its CCA. A deep cycle battery will tolerate this kind of abuse with less damage. So even if you have a minor sound system deep cycle is the way to go.

As we all know, a battery has little to do with how good a sound system sounds. If you want to make a dramatic improvement to your beats, dyno mat, high amp alternators, ground kits, filters, and capacitors will give you way better return on your investment.