Thx. I guess I will look at the Red Top.

I think the Pepboys is the only big shop around here that carries the Grp 35 Battery. and Im not even sure how much they charge. need to call tomorrow.

Well, I can get prorate to get another Mazda battery but its not fun to fail every 2 yrs ...

 

My OEM battery lasted 3 years and they would only give me 25% credit on a new Mazda battery and the "new" one would only be under warrenty for 1 more year! I was offered the options of $75.00 with 1 year coverage, or buying outright for $100.00 plus $25.00 labor (and applicable sales tax). For $150.00 I was able to purchase the Red Top from Summit. Don't forget the spacer!

 

I checked out Pepboys today, they only sell the Red top D35. meaning it does not work for our car. we need the 35R. I asked the guy he knows what Im talking about, but they dont carry that. He told me Sears and Autozone sells them. I know Autozone has it but @ 179.99 and I have to wait 2-3 days for it to come, screw that. and not sure about Sears, I am going to check now.

Damn battery is really weak. is like "grr grrr .... grr .... grrr .... grrrrrr ..... grrr ......(slow cranking sound) for like maybe 5-6 seconds b4 it "barely" start.

need to find one quick b4 my battery turns completely dead.

gonna check other stores tomorrow

I will bring the old one to Mazda see how much money I need to pay for it. if its like 50 bux why not? I just gonna store it for emergency use. if its like 75 or 100. screw that.

 

i used a red top d35 and extended the power by 6 inches.....the negative terminal is fine...i can get klepto to post pics he has my old set up

 

that looks like the one I've seen at pepboys today, I didnt get it becuz I wasnt sure if it will fit. it looks like it might fit, I should've asked them can I just try it on my car, they have nothing to do anyway.

Can ya give me the part number of your battery ? on Optima site when I put in Rx-8 it shows as

Red top : 8020-164
Yellow Top : 8040-218

on Summitracing's site I just cant find any of the part number above. instead I found:

Red top : 9020-164
Yellow Top : 9040-218

Hmm ....

 

I went out to my car and took this pic of my battery showing the part number.
Sorry for the poor quality... trying to use a flash with my camera phone at 1am.
You can make out that the Red Top part number is 8020-164
But I did get mine from Summit Racing... so not sure why the web site doesn't match with Optima's part number.

 

hmm weird ...

I will go take a look at the battery again today @ pepboys. cuz I am pretty sure that the one I saw yesterday has a different part number. Is the same -164. but the front number was different. It still say Group 35, however.

thx for pics.

 

*sigh* I have to crank like almost 6 seconds b4 the car "barely" turns over this morning.

I know I have to replace it NOW b4 itz completely dead.

So, I went to Pepboys, I dont care, I just got the 35/75 they have on the shelf and ran back to my car ...

ok ... hmm ... terminal on the wrong side. yeah ... I know.


So I went back inside and got myself a battery Cable ... but I had no tools at that time so I crank the old battery up again (8 seconds this time, power was so low that it resets my DSC, profiles, CEL, everything), I drove home with DSC light on (I dont care)

Went home. ahh, tool box, installed, added some electrical tape, and this is the result :




car stalled like probably 20 times as the stupid ECU has to relearn everything. I have no idea how much it drain the battery. but who cares, 3 years free replacement

I could've got the yellow top, but it has only 1 year free replacement warranty, and it cost 40 bux more, screw that. Red top it is


Oh yes one more thing. Damn the battery area runs HOT !!! I took the pictures above right after I drove with the battery for maybe 20 minutes. opened the plastic cover and feel the battery, holyshit it was actually hot to touch. Took the pics, left the box and hood open, let it sit and idle for like 5-10 minutes. Idle stabilized. touch it, it feels fine. but god damn. I really gotta find some ways to insulate those heat !

 

wow,

that battery is tall! good luck getting the top on it.. btw, that is part of the cooling...

but glad to see that it was like mine. two days of taunt. then dead..

beers

 

Will the stock battery cover fit with the red top 35r series? Also, are you guys also saying that the battery caused your car to stall?

 

Only stalled because the ECU needs to relearn everything.

And from what I've heard, the stock battery cover should fit over it.
I think he didn't have the cover on because he was testing it and letting it cool down.

 

Yes, the cover will fit just fine. there is still some room for air flow.(Cuz its still a 35 battery)

Yes, it stalls cuz ECU has to re-learn air volume, mixture, etc. (it will happen to MOST modern cars with DBY (drive by wire) system.)

sad thing is, its still hot as hell in the engine bay. gonna look around and see if I can do something about it other than moving it to the trunk.

 

So the 34R and the 35R will fit fine, even with the stock battery cover? I think I like the 34R better because it has more cranking amps. I will be ordering one of these from a local shop tomorrow and want to make sure I get the right one. Thanks.

 

I'm not sure about the 34 series.
Remember, the group size also indicates the physical dimensions of the battery.
Anyone here attempt at 34 series battery in the 8?

 

As you guys can see in the pic, I got the 35/75 battery. I cant even find 35R's spec on Optima's site. too slow to update? lol

 

Yeah when I got mine I didnt see a 35R listed on their site.

All I know is O'Reillys and Batteries Plus knew what I was referring to when I said 35R.

 

AT first I wanted to order it thru SummitRacing cuz they have the right part (35R I suppose?) but I just cant wait any longer as my battery was completely dead (or 99.9999% dead)

The one I got work just fine, Im gonna warp more tape around it today, cuz if the Bracket slides (the mounting bracket) then things might get ugly.

*sigh* ...

 

Has anyone ordered from here? http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/ I plan on getting the 34r, but want to make sure it comes with the height adapter. If it doesn't, where can I get it and for how much? Thanks.

 

the plastic tray (height adapter) should come with the battery, u better ask first.

Get the 35 or 35R.

 

They say it comes with the height adapter:

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/schema_35.html

Good price after rebate, free shipping too!

 

That price is pretty good. 149.99 shipping included.

I paid 159.99 + tax, which is 170 something.

 

I am pretty sure the "R" in 35R just refers to reverse post orientation. All it does is changes the + and - around on the battery to the otherside. We need a Optima Redtop 35. The 75/25 or 25 models have the reverse post orientation (compared with the 35) so that is why they don't work or require a little modification the work with the 8. The 34R has the correct post orientation, but the 34 would not.

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/schema_35.html

 

There is a thread on here I found using a search for the red top 34r that shows someone who ordered it and it fit very well. I know it was too short height wise, so I can't remember if they used the height adapter and some plywood or just the adapter. I will probably be ordering this tonight.

Thanks. I can't believe I didn't see that. I searched all over the website and couldn't find it. I must have just skipped over that.

 

just get the 35r, if not just get 35/75 like I did. at least u will be sure that the height will be the same(with the adapter provided).

if its 35r, perfect. no modification needed.

if like my 35/75, just extend the positive cable like mine just 5 extra bux no biggie.

 

Yeah, but the 34r has more cranking amps and still fits well. I don't want to have to extend the battery cable. Also, the website I want to order from doesn't carry the 35r.