what brand of battery is good ?
 

I dont think anybody ever asked this.

but what if, one day our battery dies and warranty does not cover it, we still go out and buy one, right ?

if so, what brand of battery would you guys recommend ?

My father got some *Die hard* battery from sears couple years ago still working. Thats about it.

any input would be :ylsuper:

thx guys

(no no no, I dont WANT OEM battery)

Just about any name brand battery is good. Every now and then someone has a bad batch (like 10 or 15 years ago when Exide batteries were dropping like flies) but in general there isn't much to choose among ones you've heard of.

Nothing wrong with OEM batteries except that they're sold at dealer prices.

Besides getting the right size and capacity, check the lifetime and make sure that it's a maintenance-free battery. There are still conventional gotta-check-the-water batteries out there, but instead of individual caps for each cell they'll have a pair of big rectangular caps that make it look like a maintenance-free battery.

For a good price, try Walmart or a discount parts store like Advance.

Ken

Optima RedTop, fully sealed so it wont leak, can be mounted in any orientation, and has superior cranking power than most.

ODYSSEY- save some weight...

optima red
 

Can you elaborate on the superior cranking power.....just a question? thanks!

High amp rating when it's cold.

You need that in NY.

Worth the extra money. Fool if you don't buy one with high CCA

More CCA (cold cranking amps) when its cold because of the coil design. And very resistant to failure due to full discharge.

interstate works fine for me.

I choose the Optima Yellow-Top (group 35) for this application. It's a deep-cycle battery that has plenty of amps for starting. Perhaps not as many as the Red-top, but the advantage is that it is specifically designed for deep-discharge applications. That means if you run it down, it will charge right back up to full capacity. Most car batteries will lose capacity if fully drained, even once. Also, it maintains voltage output further into the discharge curve. These are properties that are useful in the RX-8 to help recover from engine flooding and also to prevent engine flooding in situations where the battery may be partially drained, from sitting for a couple of weeks, for example.

Most cars these days put a drain on the battery when not running. This can fully drain even a good battery in a matter of weeks. This type of design really argues for a deep-cycle battery.

:yesnod: Either RedTop, or Yellow top would work great.

I'd probably buy one from ebay, or a lcoal baterry store, new are very expensive.

I've had both, so they are both great batteries. As stated earlier go with redtop if your in colder location, other than that i'd get the yellow top.

I have the B2015 battery from braille auto, I used to have the 11.5 lb. version on my FC when I was staioned in WA state and it survived 2 winters then I finally sold the car. currently the 15 lb. version is holdin' up pretty well. The owner, Blake Fuller, hooked me up with a military discount on top of the free power protector.
this is taken from their site:

http://www.brailleauto.com/ProductCa...p?idCategory=4

LIGHTWEIGHT BATTERY SPECS:
Model # B14115 - Lightest Auto Use!

Volts: 12 AH: 15
Pulse Cranking Amps: Over 900!
Exterior Size L:5.8" W:3.3"H:5.9"
Weight: 11.5 lb or 5.2kg!
Uses: All Forms of Racing and Street Use.


Model # B2015 - Lightest All Weather!

Volts: 12 AH: 21
Pulse Cranking Amps: Over 1060!
Exterior Size L:6.8" W:3.8"H:6.1"
Weight: 15 lb or under 7kg!
Uses:: Racing and Street use in Colder Climates.

optima /thread

Well I just opened my battery case today and for some reason, it seems that they changed my battery last time when they did the engine crank no start TSB along with the plugs and starter :O

Its some Mazda whatever battery. 35/60 or something ? anybody know whats the new battery's CCA ? .... hey Im happy I got a new battery :)

but Lets stick to the topic for now ...

I checked the interstate website, isnt the CCA kinda low ? only 640

Optima has 800, but Im not sure which group/size should I get. I clicked on the battery search and it takes forever to load (and failed at the end)

Optima's Battery Search results :

Please enter the following information about your car,
and find which OPTIMA is right for you.
There are no matches available for this vehicle.

MAZDA
All Models
2004 RX-8


................................

15 or 21 amp hours? Those are some tiny batteries! Conventional car batteries are generally in the 80 amp hour range. You may get enough current to run the starter, but if you've got a problem (like flooding) you're not going to get many start attempts out of that small a battery.

Ken

...I guess it's a good thing that my car doesn't flood! and in case it does, I can finally put that booster pack to use :mdrmed:

Saw this too. For Optima users, which Red/Yellow batteries fit our car? Which one are people useing?

Lol, the batteries are good; Optima's web-site sucks badly. :dunno:

The battery box is designed for a 35-series battery or perhaps slightly larger, but the 35 series should do fine. Keep in mind there needs to be some space between the battery and the box, as air is passed through to help keep the battery cool. Check the TSBs, there is one that covers this aspect of the battery.

The yellow D35 fits, and the terminals are in the right place. Check the DIY, there is a thread on Optima batteries and IIRC, there is a red 35 that fits properly. Early on some folks used a different model with "backwards" terminals, and adapted the cables.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-optima-red-top-75-35-install-mod-33340/

This page has detailed specifications for the various Optima batteries:

http://1st-optima-batteries.com/

640 is fine. The original low-power version was in the 300's !

The starter only pulls so many amps regardless, so technically more isn't necessarily better when new, though it does generally correlate with the overall battery capacity. Other properties that give a fuller indication of capacity are the amp-hour rating, and Reserve-minutes. Things that don't necessarily show in basic specs are deep-cycle capability, heat resistance and vibration resistance.

Well but I always go for the best so .... I'll go for Optima one day !

I have another question, when ordering, is it the D35 ?

Thanks Nubo.