Hey guys/gals,
so my battery decided to take a **** on me the other day. I called a local vendor and they said that optima doesnt make a specific battery for the WRX. He said they can use a battery that is close to the same size a stock. Anyone else had experience with optimas??

Yes indeed.
Click on this link-
http://www.remybattery.com/35-910-35-910.html
Buy that battery, in a few days it will show up at your house. Take your junk old one out, put this one in. It will replace the OEM battery perfectly.
Even though there is no specific Optima cross-reference for Subaru, the 35-910 is in fact the same physical size as your original battery and will drop right in the tray.

i've heard mixed things about optimas...any good?

While some folks may have gotten bad ones, maybe they had a bad batch or whatever, in general they are excellent batteries. The one in my WRX is almost four years old now and has a bunch of cold NE winters and hot summers on it, and is in great shape. The car starts right up on the coldest days, and my tester shows it is still at full capacity.
I just put one in the GTO (which coincidentally takes the 35 as well) and it now cranks noticeably faster than with the OEM battery I took out even though that battery was rated at 600CCA. Note that this is on a 6.0L V8 with 10:1 compression.
So I would not hesitate to recommend the Optima to anyone looking for a zero-maintenance battery that will probably last the life of the car and perhaps beyond.

im aslo looking for a new battery the thing with mines is that i have an 02 with the turbo xs fmic ver 1 and it doesnt allow my hood to close all the way. i was wondering if anybody else faced this problem and what they did to correct it its only because the intercooler tubing rubs agaisnts the battery. is the optima any shorter by any chance?

If you have the FMIC the Group 35 will be too large. Some people with FMICs have used the 51R which is smaller but still a standard battery with decent capacity (rather than a lightweight).
Another option for you would be to mount a full-size battery in the trunk.

Scoobysnacker, get the optima. I let my car sit for days in between driving and it fires right up.

If you order it from Remy you will have it within 3 days. I'm also in SE MI, ordered on Monday am, recieved it Wednesday am. Perfect fit.

Is there an advantage to the Optima over a Die Hard Gold battery (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=AUTO&pid=02833035000&subcat=Automotive+Batteries) from Sears?

The Sears batteries, while decent and certainly far better than the OEM Subaru batteries, are conventional lead-acid with liquid electrolyte. They are theoretically maintenance-free but can still lose electrolyte over time and are subject to the same limitations with self-discharge, sulfation and potential damage from deep cycling as are all standard batteries.
Optimas have non-liquid electrolyte and are truly zero-maintenance. They can be deep cycled without damage (even the Red Top to a limited extent), their self-discharge rate is far less, and they generally hold up better over a longer period of time.
You can read more technical details here-
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/

Is there an advantage to the Optima over a Die Hard Gold battery (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=AUTO&pid=02833035000&subcat=Automotive+Batteries) from Sears?
Yes, just like there is an advantage to a BMW 5-series wagon over a WRX.

Thanks alot guys, that is the cheapest price i have found yet :D

Yes indeed.
Click on this link-
http://www.remybattery.com/35-910-35-910.html
Buy that battery, in a few days it will show up at your house. Take your junk old one out, put this one in. It will replace the OEM battery perfectly.
Even though there is no specific Optima cross-reference for Subaru, the 35-910 is in fact the same physical size as your original battery and will drop right in the tray.Listen to da man! He right on!

The Sears batteries, while decent and certainly far better than the OEM Subaru batteries, are conventional lead-acid with liquid electrolyte. They are theoretically maintenance-free but can still lose electrolyte over time and are subject to the same limitations with self-discharge, sulfation and potential damage from deep cycling as are all standard batteries.
Optimas have non-liquid electrolyte and are truly zero-maintenance. They can be deep cycled without damage (even the Red Top to a limited extent), their self-discharge rate is far less, and they generally hold up better over a longer period of time.
You can read more technical details here-
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/

Thanks for the info. :)

I had optima deep cycle. Crap, failed on me (yellow top).

Yes, just like there is an advantage to a BMW 5-series wagon over a WRX.

that's a tad excessive - most batteries, properly maintained, will last for years - Diehard gold's are actually decent batteries and come with a readily fulfilled warranty (I'm sure the Optima has a warranty - but who's going to mail a lead acid battery back to the manufacturer). I am still using the stocker and it's doing just fine (keep an eye on the water since it's very, very, very dry here, and hot in the summer - and it still works fine) - I wouldn't recommend going to something like that unless you had lots of high power use crap you liked to run while the engine is off, or if you live somewhere it gets freakishly cold in the winter, where a higher output battery would be needed.

I purchased four yellow top optimas (750cca I think), for a project, through autozone. All four batteries were subjected to what I would consider extreme abuse. This include temperature extremes from -5F to 115F and a wide variety of loading conditions (such as cranking engines repeatedly, and consistently high current draws etc). One battery failed. On an analyer the other 3 looked great after 6 months of abuse. Although originally purchased in NY, autozone in california replaced the failed battery free of charge under optima's warranty (no shipping charges). In a situation where the battery will see lots of abuse I would consider them worth the money, otherwise I would not.

I caught a kid stealing a red top from a project truck in my lot. Based on the condition of his face after he tried to outrun me while carrying a truck battery I would not consider stealing one a good option either...

yea i hope you beat that kids face in. but anyways, i was at auto zone buying a battery one time and the guy said the arizona summer heat would tear the optima up.

I've had my red top in for about a year with no problems....my car often sits for up to a month at a time and it always starts right away with no probs.

Optima Red Top equipped. Purchased from Costco.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e283/DavidU86/morosobox.jpg

If an Optima battery is so long lived and so good why is the free replacement waraanty so medeocer? My Dirhards, like my Subaru Panosonic oem last about four-5 years without problems. My car will sit for not days but 3-4 weeks without being run and starts up quickly which is nothing to brag about. I just don't see any advantage to spending twice the money except the color is cute.

I've had the 35-910 for over 4 years now with no problems.

Originally Posted by armand1
Yes, just like there is an advantage to a BMW 5-series wagon over a WRX.

that's a tad excessive - most batteries, properly maintained, will last for years - Diehard gold's are actually decent batteries and come with a readily fulfilled warranty
I think my comparison is quite apt. A WRX wagon will last for years and is a decent car. Performance is close to that of a BMW 5 series Sportwagon. I'm not knocking the WRX at all.
However, just as the BMW is an "ultimate driving machine," an Optima is an "ultimate automotive battery." If you're willing to pay a lot more money, you will get a better car/battery by buying a BMW/Optima.
Optimas have specific advantages over standard batteries due to their construction. Here are some: 1) They self-discharge very slowly, are very resistant to damage from being fully drained, and can be safely recharged faster than normal batteries; these features are very useful if you leave your car off for *long* periods of time. 2) Unlike normal batteries, they don't vent gases under normal conditions, so no real worries about hydrogen gas explosions under the hood. 3) Again because of their construction, they are much less susceptible to the electrochemical processes that reduce capacity in standard batteries.
Standard batteries are certainly adequate for normal use, but there will always be a premium market for special conditions, or for people who just want a better battery.

i have had the yellow top for over 3 years now and never once had a problem.. it is the single longest lasting battery I have ever owned... I love my yellow top

Buy from costco! 99 bucks for a redtop can't be beat.

an Optima is an "ultimate automotive battery." If you're willing to pay a lot more money, you will get a better car/battery by buying a BMW/Optima.

There are a bunch of AGM batteries out there - Optima isn't the only game in town. I agree that they are a better battery (hard to argue against them from a performance point of view), just not worth the cost for most people (even if they think they really need it ;)) - their strength is really their deep discharge ability.

The reason I didn't like the analogy so much was that with the battery, you generally don't even notice it until you have a problem - and BMW's reliability track record is somewhat worse than Subaru's :)

Hmmm...

So red or yellow top?

i have had the yellow top for over 3 years now and never once had a problem.. it is the single longest lasting battery I have ever owned... I love my yellow top

What he said. I haven't had any problems with my yellow top, and I've also had it for 3+ years.

my optima red top is the best battery i have ever had.

the warranty is good for the sears ones. when i was rally crossing alot i would vibrate the die hards to death. not the red top. the car starts much better with the red top than the die hard. especially when it is -30 here in fargo.

Optima Red Top equipped. Purchased from Costco.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e283/DavidU86/morosobox.jpg
Do you have pics of the wire routing, and how you connected the wires up front?

...
The reason I didn't like the analogy so much was that with the battery, you generally don't even notice it until you have a problem - and BMW's reliability track record is somewhat worse than Subaru's :)
Yep, didn't check into the BMW reliability; my own Subaru OEM battery died after 2 years and we tend to extrapolate from our own experiences.

OT question. What battery will give me the highest amp hours per dollar?

I've found a deep cycle lead-acid marine battery that gives me 1.5 amp hours per dollar. I would like to buy a battery to hook to an inverter for my fish tank in case my power goes out for five days again -- to keep my fish alive this time :)

OT question. What battery will give me the highest amp hours per dollar?

I've found a deep cycle lead-acid marine battery that gives me 1.5 amp hours per dollar. I would like to buy a battery to hook to an inverter for my fish tank in case my power goes out for five days again -- to keep my fish alive this time :)
That better be a BIG inverter if youre going to run a fish tank off of it.

A generator would probably be a wiser choice.

go with the optima, its a great battery, have one in my RS and my audi. definately worth the money in my opionion.. no fitment issues at all either. i was told from multiple places that the optima wouldnt fit in my audi, and i had no issues there either.
pic for reference.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/xcellr8edaudi3/july29011.jpg

I had a Yellow top that I picked up from the local pepboys, and it died within a year. Died as in shorted out, no power at all, wouldn't charge. I suspect that it sat there for many years, or was just a defective unit.

Tom

i would hope and assume it was a defective unit. only because so many people swear by these batteries. i think optima makes a great f'in product.

OT question. What battery will give me the highest amp hours per dollar?

I've found a deep cycle lead-acid marine battery that gives me 1.5 amp hours per dollar. I would like to buy a battery to hook to an inverter for my fish tank in case my power goes out for five days again -- to keep my fish alive this time :)

How much power does the fishtank draw? I'd say get a backup solar panel and battery. The Hawker Oddesy (the large one, made for deep cycle discharging) is one of the highest Amp-hour/$ batteries out there.

How much power does the fishtank draw? I'd say get a backup solar panel and battery. The Hawker Oddesy (the large one, made for deep cycle discharging) is one of the highest Amp-hour/$ batteries out there.

I calculated it awhile ago, it would average about 40-120 watts (it's a 29 gallon) depending on if I needed to use the heater or not. This would be 3-10 amps at 12 V. I found a 220 amp-hour 6V battery -- I would put two of them in series to get 220 amp-hours at 12V. That would give me a day to a week, depending if I needed to run the heater, or just circulate water and use basic flourescent lighting.

Die Hard Gold FTW.

Cheap, easy to buy, easy to fufill warranty if needed.

I've always bought Die Hard replacment batteries and they last a VERY long time.

Never had a problem leaving a car at the airport in extended cold temps.

Save your cash.

I've got an Optima in my Legacy and it's been great. Can't speak for fit in the WRX but when I got it (I had it put in while the car was in for other stuff) they mentioned the leads were opposite of the stock battery.

Whatever, the cables on the car were long enough to reach.

All this is definitely good to know. Will keep it in mind when I need to replace the battery on any of our vehicles.

Why not go with a Braille battery? Its only 11lbs

Why not go with a Braille battery? Its only 11lbs

Because you are sacrificing battery capacity to save a few pounds. On a street-driven car that is not used in any serious competition, this is a poor tradeoff IMO.

I had a Yellow top that I picked up from the local pepboys, and it died within a year. Died as in shorted out, no power at all, wouldn't charge. I suspect that it sat there for many years, or was just a defective unit.

Tom

Should have kept your recipt because they offer a 3 year unconditional warranty on all their batteries.

If you have the FMIC the Group 35 will be too large. Some people with FMICs have used the 51R which is smaller but still a standard battery with decent capacity (rather than a lightweight).
Another option for you would be to mount a full-size battery in the trunk.

does that make a big difference over the capabilities of the battery? Its a yellow top, correct? is there a big difference between the yellow and red tops?

My battery died on me about 2 months ago and I replaced it with a Die Hard Gold from Sears mostly becuase I couldn't justify the price difference between that and the optima.
(I really wanted the optima though, and due to extenuating circumstances couldn't wait for it to be shipped from remybattery.com). My g/f's grandfather swears by die hard as he has had one in his truck for 12 years without changing it or having it die.

why do people use deep cycle batteries in cars? Deep cycle batteries are designed for constant current flow, not the spike power that engine starting requires. Get Red tops not yellows.

Red Top is more than enough Batterie.

why do people use deep cycle batteries in cars? Deep cycle batteries are designed for constant current flow, not the spike power that engine starting requires. Get Red tops not yellows.

from reading this thread, it seems to be the only optima to fit with a FMIC :confused:

from reading this thread, it seems to be the only optima to fit with a FMIC :confused:

Doesn't matter...deep cycles are not meant for cars, they are storage batteries. Its not just the amperage...Its how the battery delivers the amperage, and Deep Cycle batteries are not optimized for cranking amps. They are designed for constant current draw and complete drain, whereas "normal" Vehicle type batteries are designed for cranking amperage and typically are not very healthy after complete discharge.

The military use the red top in a lot of vehicles and equipment. After 2 years, they get rid of them. My friend gave me one (used for 2 years) and I used it for 2 years in one car with 1100w amp, another car for 3 years with 1100w and 350w amp, and another car for 2 years with 600w amp. I even left the light on a few times and it died, got a jump and went on w/o problems. That's a total of 9 years!!! It had 1070 cranking amps.

If you add more electronics to your car, Red top is better. If you just run high wattage car stereo loud, yellow top is better.

Doesn't matter...deep cycles are not meant for cars, they are storage batteries.
Some are, some are not.
Optima yellow-tops are deep cycle batteries, and are meant for cars.

It could have just been a bad one. The only contributing factor is that we removed the black plastic shield from the battery area. In an 04 CRV, the battery is not exposed to any heat radiated from the exhaust, but does catch some hot air from the radiator fans. Between that and the normal heat here in Houston, maybe it was a heat related failure. Autozone didn't give me any problems taking it back and I even made 4 bucks getting a regular 8 year batter instead of another optima (they don't carry the optima more).

Just another data point,

JL

I've had a red top optima for just over and a year and I'm not impressed. Luckily I now have a heated garage but last winter I wasn't so lucky. When I'd go out in the morning to start my car and it was about 10 below the battery had a hell of a time turning over the engine. It's also not good for running equipment on when the engine isn't running. If the battery gets below 10 volts it won't even crank the starter. I can run my stereo at a decent level without much bass and the battery lasts about an hour or so. I guess the red top is designed for starting only. I'd love to ditch the red top for a yellow top.

After much thought the Optima was just too much price for the type of performance I needed. My stock Panasonic was kicking butt for near 6 years so a full blown uber battery was just too far outside my needs.

Having to pay shipping to Anchorage (for the one that fits) was another huge nail in the Optima coffin.

I settled on a higher end Exide/ marathon with performance roughly bettween the huge divide of the Panasonic and optima red top. Having used a even higher end six pack design Exide in the past car I can vouch for quality and strength.

I have nothing against the Optima line as being the ultimate but I just dont/ won't need the ultimate battery.

I have had a Red-Top since 1999, has gone thru 2 cars, now it's on my Tacoma truck. It was -6 degrees this morning, and still turned over just fine.
I used to sell Optima's for 2 years (stopped selling last year, due job change), and we did get 2 bad ones, that would not charge. I think they had a bad cell, cause the max voltage was 10.6 volts.
Everyone has their own preference, I stick w/ mine.

Absubtle
CO

Perhaps I got a lemon then. If I let the car sit longer than a couple days without running I'll have to charge the battery or jump start it.

If I let the car sit longer than a couple days without running I'll have to charge the battery or jump start it.

How large is your parasitic current? should be in the tens of milliamps - sounds like maybe you have an electrical issue...