JConn2299

The original battery in my '95 RX-7 is just now beginning to show it's first sign of weakness. My car was built in Apr. '95 (I'm the original owner) and it has never failed to start the car strongly.
Just last night, the car turned over a bit slow, so it may be new battery time......after 10 effing years! I'm used to batteries lasting 4 or 5 years. Anyone else had one go this long?

There was just a very little bit of acid on the negative post, so I cleaned it off completely and gave it a good drive today to charge things up. We'll see what happens after I let it sit for a few days.

For all the criticism the stock battery gets.....it's heavy, etc......I must say I can't complain about this battery's reliability. There's a little air inlet duct that cools the battery box, and I always open the hood when I put the car in the garage, so these may have helped prolong the battery's life.

I'd buy the same thing again, but I don't think it's available. The local Mazda dealer stocks a Mazda label replacement battery, but it's really an Interstate and I don't think it's as good as what I've got.

So here's a question.......................




I'm thinking of getting one of the 51R batteries. I know about turbojeff's custom aluminum trays,
BUT, is there any reason why the stock battery box and metal hold down clamp won't work with a 51R? I know the front to back measurement goes from the 6 1/2 inches of the stock battery to about 4 1/2 in. with a 51R, but won't putting the stock clamp over the top of it be enough to keep the battery from tipping over in a high - g turn, or otherwise moving around?

rynberg

I have a Mazda-labeled batt I thought was original but maybe it wasn't...

I have Jeff's tray with the 51R. If you have an aftermarket intercooler, to me, it's a no-brainer to go with Jeff's tray (doesn't sound like you do, if you still have the air feed).

In any case, if I was running a 51R battery in the stock tray, I would fab up a little placeholder to sit in the tray so the battery doesn't move. Then again, I track the car. If you don't, just cranking down on it is probably fine for street driving.

BTW, I've been using a Costco 51R 7-year battery that cost me a whopping $50 dollars. It weighs over 10 lbs less than the stock batt.

JConn2299

Cheap *AND* light. It's hard to be that.

Black91n/a

10 years for a battery is no record, my dad's 92 miata has it's original battery in it, and they are notoriously short lived, they typically die after maybe 3-5 years. 13 years and still working just fine.

Tripple 7's

Actually, here in AZ miata batteries are know for going 10 years strong, they were designed well having a fiber rienforced cells compared to the normal lead acid. Most regular bateries only live 2 years here in the AZ heat.

92 FD

my original battery made until about 2000....I was impressed

maybe yours will make it to 2020 jconn.........maybe not

BobfisH

i still have the orginal battery in my FD, only realised when i removed the stock battery cover that i still have

94rxrob

iTrader: (1)

turbojeff's battery tray looks nice and the smaller size opens up some space on that side of the car, gives it a cleaner look. I recommend his tray if you're gonna go with the 51R

David Beale

Turbojeff's tray is stainless, unless he's changed it since I got mine a while back.

The problem with putting a 51R in the stock tray is no matter how much you clamp down, you can't put enough pressure on a battery without damaging it to stop it from moving around due to vibration. It's not the forces of cornering that move it, it's the vibration combined with cornering forces. You could fix that by making "fillers" out of, say wood, that fill the space in the stock tray that the 51R doesn't occupy. But then you have to fasten them down as well. It's just easier to use a properly sized tray.

OcTane

^^^^^^^ so true

Lil Red 7

I have jeff's tray and a yellow top optima 51r battery, the tray looks great in there, it was well made, and if frees up alot of cooling space for air to flow, I personally think it looks alot better than that big battery imo

Thomas

potatochobit

iTrader: (1)

RELOCATION

seriously it opens a large area for the fans and wont put preassure on the fan motor. and someday u can get a big intercooler.

RX7Wishing

umm.. i have a 93 with the original battery.. i think im ahead.

JConn2299

Well, I may see how it looks and feels in the standard battery box to see if it's moving around at all, or if the standard clamp will be adequate. I wouldn't think it would be too hard to rig something up. It'll be inside the battery box, so looks don't really matter. I'm thinking of some kind of metal brace.......I<<<>>>I or _<<<>>>_ Something maybe adjustable or expandable in the middle with a sideplate on each end to go between the side of the battery and the side of the battery case. Something even with a small horizontal brace that would go against the bottom of the battery and the battery case on the other side might work too. It doesn't have to be a big plate.

The stock clamp on the top also seems to work with two black clips that attach to the side of the battery. The cross brace of the clamp presses down on these climps helping to spread the clamping force, so I imagine that helps hold things in place.
I remember my old 3 series BMW battery was held in place with just one such clip that went on the lower edge of the battery and was then bolted to the bottom of battery tray. That one clip was larger than the two clips I see on the FD battery, but my point is I don't think it's going to take a whole lot to hold a smaller 51R battery in place. But then, I"ve been wrong before.

Tenacious

I replace my original battery from my 93 last year