What brand of battary should i buy ?? I m planning to get a slim battary instead of the heavy *** 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...

 

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

 

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...

 

http://www.ajusa.com/