Here is the story: I hate my battery. It sucks in cold weather and when I go on long trips and leave the car unused. (week+). Would getting a new battery make my car run better and get rid of those problems? If so, what is a super fly battery that will not bust the bank?
thanks,
grant

Are you talking about the stock battery? try a dyna batt, its only 13.5 lbs compared to the 40lbs stocker. http://www.performancedistributors.com/batteries.htm
Lighten up your street rod or race car! Remove the 40 lb battery and replace it with Performance Distributors 13.5 lb Dyna-Batt. The Dyna-Batt is built with extremely low internal resistance which leads to faster, more consistant starting. The Dyna-Batt is completely dry cell and can withstand the rigors of high performance and racing enviornments. It is built with corrosion resistant terminals and is truly maintenance free. The Dyna Batt has an excellent storage life and recharges very quickly. Works great with one of our alternators!

Thanks for the quick reply....Yes to replace the stock battery. I don't really care about saving weight at this point, but would definetly buy the dynabat(man) battery if it was a better performer and cost efficent. Any users or know-it-alls care to comment?
thanks,
grant

Hold on there, the Dyna-batt is not good in cold weather situations.... You may want to think of something else.

If you're looking for something that won't bust the bank, I'd check into Sears Die Hard Gold. It has the cold cranking amps you need, not going to be as strong for audio as the Optima's, but they're a lot more expensive too.

Dynabatt is NOT a solution if cold weather is an issue. Die Hard as mentioned above is GREAT solution. I have a Dynabatt in my WRX (but I only drive in warm weather) so its not an issue. However in my contour, Die Hard has never failed me. We've had a few 0 degree nights and it turns over like a dream.

If cold start is the issue...die hard is the answer.

Thanks! Looks like I will be heading over to the local sears for a diehard instead of to the dynabat-cave or whereever they are sold. Cold starts are a huge issue here in MN. It's cold as balls when I have to park outside for work.
thanks for the advice,
grant

Die Hard Gold is a great battery. My other car has a DHG and was off for almost 3 months with the little alarm blinky going.. I walked out a week or so ago and started it up no problem. Best battery ive ever had.

Has anyone here tried a Miata battery? It is definitely lighter than our stock battery, and probably more powerful than the Dyna-Batt. I think Westco makes one for about $80.

Energizer... I love the bunny :lol:

I put an Exide Optima battery my car, the stock battery did not have sufficient CCA. I'm not sure about the weight differences (not a concern of mine), but the Exide battery works like a dream and the cost was $100.00 with a 3 year replacement. The battery also has 2 sets of terminals in case I add a stereo.
Matt

I got a westco miata battery to replace my stock one. I was mostly concerned about leaking batteries (this is because my last car was a Corrado, and, for instance, a leaking battery in one = holes in your plastic intercooler tubes = no boost:o ) and their general causing of much grief.

The westco arrived quickly, and weighed 24 pounds on my digital bathroom scale. So I popped it in the car. It fits with very little trouble, all I did was reverse the square-ended bolt and nut holding the positive cable so that it would sit right with the red rubber cover over the top.

Then I took the stock battery and weighed it on the same scale.
30 pounds.:rolleyes:
No the battery's fluid was not low - I checked and it was within the recommended levels and had just been checked at 30,000 miles a couple weeks ago.

So this is not the world's most cost effective way to save weight over a stock battery, but the fact that it is sealed does give some peace of mind, and it doesn't add 8 pounds to your front end like an Optima.

As silly as it may sound one of the best deals in town are the batteries at Walmart. They are made by the major manufactures, and just rebranded.

If you shop by CCA on the battery and get the biggest CCA value you can for you dollar you won't have any cold weather problems.

Larry

Are there any batteries that offer high CCA, but are still lightweight batteries? I've seen some racing batteries out there, but alot of them seem to have to have some modification to work in a street car.

Yes some batteries are lighter for their CCA rating, they increase CCA by increasing the plate area in the battery. It is a tradeoff. Thinner plates are a little more fragil, but the larger surface area per pound of lead will flow more current in cold weather.

There are also several different internal constructions of batteries etc.

In warm weather you can start and run a car on only about 1/2 the battery that comes stock in the WRX, but as soon as it gets cold your screwed.

The Dyna bat which is a relabled Hawker battery at 2x the price is only an 16 AH battery.
http://www.hepi.com/documents/ibdsp014.pdf

The stock battery in the MT WRX, is a 31 lb, 48 AH battery, with CCA of 356. A top end battery will have CCA values of about 500.

The optima red top is a 55 AH battery with 750 CCA and weighs 38.8 lbs.



As a rule of thumb there are two things I look for in a battery. If your trying to decide between two batteries that cost about the same, choose the heavier battery and the battery with the largest CCA value. This is assuming you want reliable cold starting. The Optima battery is unique in that it has a totally different construction than most car batteries. They are the cadillac battery if you can afford one.

The light weight racing batteries are fragile in that they don't like high temperatures. If you run one on a daily basis in hot weather they will only live about 3/4 of a year from what we saw posted last year from folks in Texas. The Dynabat removes the label, if you look at the Hawker documentation you'll see that that voids the warrantee on the battery, as it allows the battery to dry out.

Larry

Dont use a Miata battery!I had a Miata ,I know.It had barely enough power to turn over the enemic 1.8. and if it was parked for more than a week the battery would die.

I`m using this in my WRX.Its a Pro-Volt 1100CCA ,2hr reserve capacity and AGM design(no acid sloshing around).It has a free full 2yr replacement and its deep cycle capable.Its small and light and the cables fit no problem.The Optima is also a very good battery.

http://store.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/pvt-890000.jpg

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=%2Fsection%2Easp%3Fd%3D11%26s%3 D13

optima's aren't really expensive at all. costco sells the red tops for $105 i'm almost positive. really not bad considering what you're getting.

Originally posted by Camperguy
Dont use a Miata battery!I had a Miata ,I know.It had barely enough power to turn over the enemic 1.8. and if it was parked for more than a week the battery would die.

When I say "miata battery" I dont mean one that came stock in a Miata. I'm talking about this one from Westco. (http://www.westcobattery.com/miata.html)


Westco "miata" www.westcobattery.com/miata.html
AH 31
CCA 475
25 lbs (24 on my scale)
sealed, glass mat
$85 shipped
fits

Stock MT WRX courtesy of hotrod:
AH 48
CCA 356
31 lb (30 on my scale)
not sealed
$? (free to start with)
fits

The Optima red top
AH 55
750 CCA
38.8 lbs.
sealed, glass mat
$105 at Costco?
longer cables help

Pro-Volt http://store.summitracing.com/productdetail.asp?p=3957&view=2047
AH 50 (from online review)
1100 CCA:eek:
33 lb (again from online review)
sealed, glass mat
$120
per camperguy, fits with no problem

Hawker/Dynabat per http://www.performancedistributors.com/batteries.htm
AH 16
?? CCA (apparently "not rated")
13.5 lbs
dry cell (sealed, glass mat?)
$132

Baker Battery (two models)
http://www.bakerprecision.com/battery.htm
Model: 125 / PB19
AH 19
CCA 390
Weight 15lbs
$90.00
"epoxy sealed, gel-filled"

Model: 125 / PB34
AH 34
CCA 500
Weight 23
$95.00
"epoxy sealed, gel-filled"

Edit: edited to add Baker battery.

I`m just curios ,does the Optima orange fit our WRX`s.I thought reading somewhere that these are made for the foreign car market(tops +&- are reveresed on top) so you dont have to change out the cables:alien:

The Pro-Volt is a AGM type battery Ie Absorbed Glass Matt,just like the Optima though the Optima uses spiral wound plates instead of flat plates.It doesnt have liquid per-say.Sealed I think is just a acid filled without refill caps and some type of pressure relief/vapor return vent though anything that doesnt leak is sealed also I think?


Bill

forgot which ones fit, mulder knows a lot about optima batteries. the problem is with extending the wires. the optima redtops that i've seen are the group 35 and group 34. the 35 i think is 720cca, the 34 is 800cca. or else it's the other way around :) i'm going to relocate my battery in the trunk, and i'm leaning towards a stinger power2 800, 800cca, 24.9lbs. it's an odd shape, not sure if it will fit under the hood without some modification.

You rang? :)
I haven't actually seen an Orange-top so I don't know for sure if it fits any better than a Red or Yellow. I do know that the Orange is only available in 34 not 35. I went with the Red-top 35 because it's closer in size (actually not as high) and weight to the stock battery so an easy fit in the tray, yet has more than enough capacity- 720 CCA, 910 CA. I did change the starter cable but it was not a big deal. There are a few threads about it which you can find by searching around.

wow, that was quick mulder :)

Haven't changed my battery in my wrx yet, but I've been very pleased with Day Starters. I had them in my last car and they are amazing batteries! Alittle bit more expensive....but they sure are worth it. Lasted much longer than the stock battery!

Originally posted by Camperguy
The Pro-Volt is a AGM type battery Ie Absorbed Glass Matt,just like the Optima though the Optima uses spiral wound plates instead of flat plates.It doesnt have liquid per-say.Sealed I think is just a acid filled without refill caps and some type of pressure relief/vapor return vent though anything that doesnt leak is sealed also I think?

Okay, in the batteries where I put "sealed" they are all glass mat. From Westco's site:
Introducing the brand new Westco sealed battery - A radically different, second generation sealed battery for your Mazda Miata, Utilizing the very latest absorbed glass mat technology, this advanced battery has no free liquid electrolyte - unlike the current factory "flooded" battery.

This would appear to be basically the same thing as the Optima and the Pro-Volt?

I'll edit the summary to say "sealed, glass mat" for each to make it clearer.

So where can you buy this "miata" battery?

Originally posted by drees
So where can you buy this "miata" battery?

Did you try clicking on the link?:)

LOL, I must be blind, I can't find the link to the Westco Miata battery...

Edit: Just googled WestCo's website, found it:

http://www.westcobattery.com/miata.html

If it fits the WRX, looks like a great candidate for a replacement battery.

Originally posted by drees
LOL, I must be blind, I can't find the link to the Westco Miata battery...

Edit: Just googled WestCo's website, found it:

http://www.westcobattery.com/miata.html

If it fits the WRX, looks like a great candidate for a replacement battery.

I made the link more visible in my compendium post so others don't have that problem (the link was in the text).

It fits, but the first time I put it in, the angle was bad and I couldn't get the red cover all the way on the positive terminal. So I flipped the square-ended bolt and the nut securing the positive cable around so that there was enough space between the cable bolt ends and a raised area of the battery top to fit the cover on it. If you try it this will make sense once you see what it looks like.

I haven't driven it yet (just did it last night and have been driving the Mini today), but I've tugged on the battery in all directions and it doesn't budge.

Sounds good, have any pics?

I haven't had any problems with my stock battery yet, but if I do will pick up the Miata as it's a bit lighter than stock and should perform a lot better.

I have an Odyssey PC925 battery left over from a previous car that I'll be using.

http://www.odysseyfactory.com/specs.htm

I didnt have to change the length of the cables or nuttin....Yes I have the grounding mod.

http://images.cardomain.com/installs/177000-177999/177340_51_full.jpg


Bill

Cool. It sounds like a great replacement for the stocker, especially for those in, uh, slightly colder climes than Southern California.

If the westco turns out to have issues, I may look at that next. So far, though, the westco certainly starts the car better/faster than the stock one ever did. It's about 70 degrees out, and sunny, so I dont have any cold weather data to report yet.
:)

Originally posted by Camperguy
I didnt have to change the length of the cables or nuttin....Yes I have the grounding mod.

http://images.cardomain.com/installs/177000-177999/177340_51_full.jpg


Bill

Curious... Can you get the dimensions of the battery vs. the stock?
Is the pro-volt smaller or about the same

-David

7.79"long X 6.54" wide X 6.73" high.It is considerably smaller considering the power difference:D


Bill

Cool. Thanks. I may look into this.

-David

I have edited my above battery summary to add two Baker models that might appeal to Subaru owners. I have no information on whether they fit, yet.

Looks like pro-volt is the winner ?!?

also a good place to find batteries is batterymart.com. great prices and shipping is very reasonable. you can get odyssey, optima, westco, and they have this other miata battery that looks pretty decent but never heard of it before, made by marathon.

Length: 7 3/4in.
Width: 5 1/8in.
Height: 7 1/4in.
12 Volt
Reserve Capacity 45 minutes
320 CCA
400 CA @32°F
weight: 18lbs
$69.95

i just put in an stinger sp800 (relabeled odyssey 925) in the trunk, made my own distribution block and mounted it under the washer tank. weighs 26lbs (stinger lists weight at 24.9lbs), 380CCAs, 50min reserve. i was back and forth with the optima red group 35 and the odyssey 925, but i hopped on a car audio forum and got mine for $80 shipped. it's a year old but this should last a long time.

Just making this easy for people to find.:)

I am going with a honda civic battery from autozone. Its 425CCA, its about half as thick as our batteries, so its gotta be at least 5lbs lighter, and its like 49 bucks :)

I just got this battery shipped to my house the other day with a complete installation kit. Everything went smoothly and it was installed in ~10-15 minutes. It came with a free 1 yr no hassles replacement warranty, so I figured I could not go wrong.

CCA is 360 (not much different than stock)
11.5 lbs. :eek: (very different than stock by like 20 lbs.)
Its TINY!

I met the guy at a local meet and have been in touch with him:


http://www.imprezawrxsti.com/postnuke/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=7583


Thinking about relocating it to the rear...any suggestions on relocation kits???

I got a westco miata battery to replace my stock one. I was mostly concerned about leaking batteries (this is because my last car was a Corrado, and, for instance, a leaking battery in one = holes in your plastic intercooler tubes = no boost:o ) and their general causing of much grief.

The westco arrived quickly, and weighed 24 pounds on my digital bathroom scale. So I popped it in the car. It fits with very little trouble, all I did was reverse the square-ended bolt and nut holding the positive cable so that it would sit right with the red rubber cover over the top.

Then I took the stock battery and weighed it on the same scale.
30 pounds.:rolleyes:
No the battery's fluid was not low - I checked and it was within the recommended levels and had just been checked at 30,000 miles a couple weeks ago.

So this is not the world's most cost effective way to save weight over a stock battery, but the fact that it is sealed does give some peace of mind, and it doesn't add 8 pounds to your front end like an Optima.



Well, almost 4 years after I posted the above, the Westco Miata battery is finally dying ... and my car has over 96,000 miles on it. I'd say it has performed well.


Also, my wife has helped speed the process along by leaving the ignition on for half an hour+ at a time almost every day for the last couple weeks, so it might have lasted even longer otherwise.:lol:

www.raebattery.comthey make great batterys I just bought one 74.00 ask for a 7ag35mf part#:cool: :D

<-- votes for a sears battery. the warranty alone should win you over...

It may be that rumors of the Westco Miata battery's demise were a bit premature: Since it got jump started on Friday, it's performed flawlessly. There may be more life left in this thing after all.

Thanks for the new suggestions -- some day I'll get their specs and add them to the post with all the info. Maybe we can make it a FAQ sticky or something.

Oh, and thanks to whomever the mod was that moved this from the 2.0 turbo forum: When the thread started, this forum ("electrical & lighting") didn't even exist, I think. :lol: