What brand of battary should i buy ??
 

What brand of battary should i buy ?? I m planning to get a slim battary instead of the heavy ass that i m using, and where should i get it cheaper ?? I m in San Francisco ??

thx

Optima 51R yellow top is the best

If you want to mount it in the stock location, you can use the plastic tray or you can find a "turbojeff battery tray" for sale somewhere.

an oddessey (sp?) is even smaller but has less power.

^ what he said

^^what they said

go with an Optima 51R

get a smaller battery that is applicable to fd from Auto Zone if you are poor like me. ;)

is there a difference between the 51r and the D51r?

i dont want to buy any battary from kragen or auto zone, the battary that they are selling is not last long.....

i had exp. with it before , it only last about 2 and half years....... i rather pay more for sth which is worth.

Get 51R battery tray from Turbojeff. Get 51R 7-year battery from Costco for $4X. Save 10 lbs and be happy.

[QUOTEGet 51R 7-year battery from Costco for $4X. [/QUOTE]


I called Costco about a 51R and they didn't know anything about it. They said they only had red tops. Can you be more specific? Is it a 51R that is a Costco brand that has a 7 year guarantee? Do you know the specific brand name? And what do you mean by $4X.....is that $40, or 4 times the cost? Thanks for any info you can provide.

relocate the redtop to your trunk, it opens space behind the fans, better weight distribution, and the battery wont fail due to heat

>:O

optima 51r with turbojeff tray
i was going to go with the redtop relocation
but the trays been workin just fine

on another note if you do decide the optima. it weights as much as a stock battery. i run the optima yellow top and it holds its charge really well. so if you dont daily drive your fd, you can leave it alone for weeks/months at a time and know that the battery will start your car.

Not an Optima battery....it's whatever brand their 7-year battery is...

It cost $40-something IIRC, certainly less than $50. I fail to see the point of paying $140 for a fricking battery when I can get one that works just fine for a 1/3 of the price.

And before anyone jumps in on the topic -- I have ran this setup for about 2 years through many 90F+ track and auto-x days and haven't blown up my battery...:rolleyes:

The nice thing with the "yellow-top" Optimas is that they are deep-cycle batteries, so you can drain them if you have ICE or other electronics, and re-charge them fully. That is, they are built/engineered for NUMEROUS deep discharges unlike starting batteries.

Also, if you don't like to deal with battery-acid in liquid form, the Optimas are nice.

:-) neil

That about all you'll get if its under the hood. I learned a long time ago to buy the cheapest because the all die young. $40 every two years is nothing about the same as a fill it up with gas.

Will the 51r fit in the bins?

It should. But most that do that relocation stay with the stock size from my understanding.

I've seen Optimas die in 5 years, and 2-3 years sounds about right for an average battery. If the Optima is more than twice the price of a regular battery, you're wasting your money unless you've got a really big stereo system.


If you're looking to shed weight, look into the Enersys PC680 , which has also been sold under the brand names of "hawker," "genesis," and 'odyssey.'

At this site you can find more info on these batteries than you would want to know: http://www.stealth316.com/2-dynabatt.htm


-s-

Wow! My AC Delco battery maintenance-free battery in my van lasted 7-years. I have an OPTIMA that's 5-years old, and a Mercedes battery that lasted over 8-years.

Heat does kill batteries, so maybe the FD's engine bay is just too brutal . . .

Regardless, I think all of the "newer" batteries are expecting a charging voltage of between 14.2-14.7 VDC, with 14.5 VDC being the "best". FWIW, I adjusted all my car's (except the FD) output to 14.5 VDC, and am getting the above serivce life for my batteries.

Check out: http://www.landiss.com/battery.htm
Excerpt:
" Older vehicles with voltage regulators set at about 14.0 volts simply will not fully charge lead/calcium or hybrid batteries. Stories abound of cars with older regulators leaving their owners stranded on cold mornings shortly after a "new, improved, maintenance-free" battery was installed. Even two weeks of sitting in the garage, with no load other than the electric clock and burglar alarm, can discharge a battery if the voltage regulator prevented it from being properly charged."

I'm sure there's a way to do this on the FD as well . . .

:-) neil

BTW, looks like the stealth316.com site listed by scotty305, supports the 14.5 VDC theory.

:-) neil

http://www.stealth316.com/images/bat...hargecompb.gif

I properly order Opt51r in summit racing, since they have everything. i hope my battary will last 7 yrs or maybe more. As you guys said, the battary will die young due to heat circumstance. i relocated my battary to the back so that the battary wont die easy...i hopee

Give me an Optima any day. More power, less corrosion.

try AJ-USA.com for Optima yellow top 51R

Site under construction... not sure for how long though...

Thanks, I didn't check my link ... just the name they give themselves.

I WILL CHECK THAT LINK TOO, THX FOR YOUR INFO.

I thought about the slim before, but i think i should go for opt51r instead; cuz of the feedback from all you guys .......

seeing that they don't make the optima. What would be the next best 51R? I was looking at the duralast gold. But I don't know to much about batteries

Dude, did you even read the thread....check out my posts on the first page. Seriously, it doesn't matter.

oh I should have been more clear. I have a system in my car. It's not huge but my electrical system starts to dim so I am also getting a new alternator. So what I'm tryin to say it I need a battery that can handle an audio system while having the advantage of not dying in 2 cranks.

Then you shouldn't be looking at a 51R, which is a lower capacity battery. Stick close to the stock size.

na my system isn't that big.

I did a little google search on the 51R and this came up
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1588217

Seems like a few of the Honda people have had issues with the batt and I also read that Optima doesnt make the 51R anymore...

I plan on running a Odyssey PC680 on my car in a few months which would be another option to look at.

ya, that has been covered touge monster. That is why I said now that it isn't in production whats the next best battery

The best battery i have come across as far as size, and weight, even price would be the Odyssey PC680. The only problem that i come across with this battery, is that if it sits for long periods of time, it tends to have too little juice to start the car. I would suggest replacing this battery every couple years or so though...

I wondet if you put a heat wrap around your battery (Like a tea cozy) --- don't laugh---

If that might be able to eliminate the heat problem.

any thoughts?

Has Optima manufactured a battery to take the place of the 51R?

Maybe to fix potential problems, or improve upon their design?

Has anyone used Interstate batteries MTP-24F - Mega-Tron Plus? Not a dry cell but it looks pretty hefty. A store right in my neighborhood is selling it for $70. Here are the specs:

Weight: 47.10 pounds
Length: 11 inches
Width: 6.88 inches
Height: 8.75 inches
CA: 1000
CCA: 800

Has anyone had experience with Interstate batteries, good/bad?

only get an optima if you are running a crazy ass system, otherwise, just get a stock battery in the back.

Well said!
And another thing that kills batteries is extreme cold. So if you live in a cold climate and park outside alot then your battery is seeing the two extremes. That's a recipe for a short life. It's best to do what I do. I remove the battery every time I park the car and take it with me into the office. :buttslay:

I reiterate my post #13 in this thread. Update: 2 years later, battery is still going strong.

I'll just go with the duralast gold. Can handle the heat of the south and seems pretty flexible with cold weather. My regular current duralast did. Plus it kinda looks like the yellow top optima.

Agreed 100%. I fail to see why everyone is so hyped up on the Optima batteries. Their construction isn't the most robust in the world, and there have been many reliability issues listed with the Optimas on this board as well in the past. So what if they're 10 lbs. lighter? Quit eating those triple baconburgers with chili fries.

for the storage bin some use the Westco Miata Battery but this is only 30Amps. I know it has worked well for a lot of people on the forum but is this battery strong enough?
No music install

hahaha my optima yellow top died! what a piece of shit! oh well for the 2 year run it had i guess it served me well. i ordered the westco miata battery today and promised myself that i would drive the FD more often (2+ months since last driven). so i guess its not totally the yellow tops fault that i would constantly let it discharge and have to jump start it every time i did actually drive it in the past year.

side note: buy trickle charger

Had my yellow top for about 2 years and 2 months now.

I hardly drive my car so the battery i assume experience numerous discharges during its life but the car always had started up without needing a jump. I think i might get a new one anyway and just throw my current yellow top in my DD.

For those that thought the Optima 51R was no longer available I just picked one up at Batteries Plus in Virginia Beach. I had been looking for one for years and just happened to be in the store and asked if he had one. I got the last one. He said he was shocked to see them in inventory cause of how difficult it is to get them, but he said that there were a 100 in the warehouse.

I keep my battery plugged into a battery tender when I'm not driving the seven. I'd like to think that will help any battery last longer.

After reading this one of many battery threads, Since my car is a weekend only kind of deal, I'm thinking to buy something mediocre, Deep cycle , Long guarantee, with an easy return policy. Since I don't have any size restrictions ....Is bigger better? Size really does matter?

After reading this one of many battery threads, Since my car is a weekend only kind of deal, I'm thinking to buy something mediocre, Deep cycle , Long guarantee, with an easy return policy. Since I don't have any size restrictions ....Is bigger better? Size really does matter?

That really depends. If you're going with a relocated battery in your storage bins, then you'll have to get one that fits the bin(with the bottom cut out usually). Most people who relocate go with Optima Red Tops.

If you're keeping the battery up front, then you'll run into fitment issues with aftermarket intercoolers. Most people run Odyssey PC680s, however those tend to have a short shelf life and tend to require a lot of jump starts, especially if you leave your lights on. I'm running an Odyssey PC925, which is much more suitable for the FD. It's a little bigger, but a lot more powerful and keeps over an hour of reserve power.

here's how the guys set it up in my engine bay:

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1213667021