[tiger_handheld]

my battery died today and multiple people said it's time to replace (stock battery). stock mazda 3 gt. i've read online and it seems higher amps the better? by amps i mean the "cold cranking amps".

take me to school.

TIA

[Klutch]

optima yellowtop

/endthread

[hirevtuner]

look at the cold cranking amps (cca) and the reserve life (xxx mins) the higher the better and also the warranty period

[Peturbo]

Higher amp rating means the battery can pump out much for juice.
Cold cranking amperage is the amount of amperage the battery can pump out in 30 seconds at 0 degrees F.
Rating is there to help regular consumers choose the right battery for themselves.

[tiger_handheld]

Higher amp rating means the battery can pump out much for juice.
Cold cranking amperage is the amount of amperage the battery can pump out in 30 seconds at 0 degrees F.
Rating is there to help regular consumers choose the right battery for themselves.


is it true that if i get a 800 CCA amp and the car is designed for 550CCA then the alternator will be "over used"?

[Volvo-brickster]

is it true that if i get a 800 CCA amp and the car is designed for 550CCA then the alternator will be "over used"?

if you are not increasing the load on your charging system ( IE external lights / subwoofers / amps ) then your alternator will not be "over used"

A battery only serves to power things when the engine is off, or when the alternator cannot handle the electrical load placed on it.

[sleepywheel]

Basically, a battery is used to start the engine and once started, the alternator takes over, recharges the battery to full charge, and then runs the electrical system. It is also used to supply power when the engine is not running.

From my own experience, I won't use a really high CCA rated battery. If you take a certain size battery, say a 24F, there are different CCA ratings available, probably from about 650 to 1100 CCA's. The higher the CCA rating, the longer the lead plates are inside the battery case even though the external measurements remain the same. What happens, as the battery goes through it's discharge and recharge cycles, little flakes of the lead fall off the internal plates. They drop down to the bottom of the case and that's where the problem is located. Because the size of the lead plates are longer to up the CCA rating, there is less room for the little flakes to settle. Once they build up, they can short the plates and cause a dead cell.

I would stay away from the Optima's. The quality isn't there anymore. There are other spiral cell batteries made by other companies like Odyssey that have less problems. Talk to the guys at Battery World on Boundary and see what they say. If your car is stock, go with the same factory sized battery and you'll be happy.

[Soundy]

^Yeah, big CCA is overrated, especially with little four- and six-banger engines. Bigger engines that are harder to turn over, and those that have to start in extreme cold, will make use of that extra capacity, but like Peturbo says, it's not just the temp, but the amount of time it can provide that current: if your car is in good running condition and starts up right away, it should never need to crank anywhere near 30 seconds, even at 0F.

[heleu]

If you're looking for a decent low-end battery, get one at Costco (Kirkland). If you google battery reviews, they have very good ratings and you can't beat the return policy.

Oh, and they have a way higher CCA than stock if that means anything.

[artmotion]

If you're looking for a decent low-end battery, get one at Costco (Kirkland). If you google battery reviews, they have very good ratings and you can't beat the return policy.

Oh, and they have a way higher CCA than stock if that means anything.

I bought mine a couple years before I moved away from home for about 3 years. When I came back it was more or less useless since it had been sitting for so long, so I took it back to Costco and got 70 dollars back even though it was beyond the warranty period. After that, I went ahead and spent another 20 dollars to get me a brand new battery at Costco and have had 0 problems with it since.

[godwin]

If you measure the OE battery ie WHD you can get the BCI battery size.. the battery size correlates with the amount of CCA, since in the end it is the battery volume that determins the CCA.

So first thing to do.. measure and determine your battery dimensions (where are your posts are oriented etc) and go from there. DO NOT randomly pick a battery, especially modern batteries in later model cars the battery are often in specifically designed cradle etc.

[Eros250]

Basically, a battery is used to start the engine and once started, the alternator takes over, recharges the battery to full charge, and then runs the electrical system. It is also used to supply power when the engine is not running.

From my own experience, I won't use a really high CCA rated battery. If you take a certain size battery, say a 24F, there are different CCA ratings available, probably from about 650 to 1100 CCA's. The higher the CCA rating, the longer the lead plates are inside the battery case even though the external measurements remain the same. What happens, as the battery goes through it's discharge and recharge cycles, little flakes of the lead fall off the internal plates. They drop down to the bottom of the case and that's where the problem is located. Because the size of the lead plates are longer to up the CCA rating, there is less room for the little flakes to settle. Once they build up, they can short the plates and cause a dead cell.

I would stay away from the Optima's. The quality isn't there anymore. There are other spiral cell batteries made by other companies like Odyssey that have less problems. Talk to the guys at Battery World on Boundary and see what they say. If your car is stock, go with the same factory sized battery and you'll be happy.

I second on optima battery had 2 within 3 year period , definitely not worth the money. A cheap battery would probably last longer.

[Corey Darling]

.

[Great68]

The red top in my Mustang is about 6 years old and still working. When it sits for the winter, I might throw the charger on it once or twice if it's lucky.

[tiger_handheld]

If you're looking for a decent low-end battery, get one at Costco (Kirkland). If you google battery reviews, they have very good ratings and you can't beat the return policy.

Oh, and they have a way higher CCA than stock if that means anything.

So Kirkland batteries are good? I was skeptical because it was Kirkland. Also, the kirkland battery had 650CCA but he LxWxH of the battery seemed smaller than my current one(stock from mazda). Should I be concerned?


If you measure the OE battery ie WHD you can get the BCI battery size.. the battery size correlates with the amount of CCA, since in the end it is the battery volume that determins the CCA.

So first thing to do.. measure and determine your battery dimensions (where are your posts are oriented etc) and go from there. DO NOT randomly pick a battery, especially modern batteries in later model cars the battery are often in specifically designed cradle etc.

Do I just take a take measure from terminal to terminal and terminal to bottom to get the W H D of my battery?



Also, what is meant by "direct fit"? is there non direct fit? I assume this is the WHD of the battery and "direct fit" = stock size?

[OTG-ZR2]

I would also stay away from Optima batteries. I had a red top that I killed by listening to music for too long and it doesn't have the same capacity since.

I've had much better luck with maintenance free batteries. They can withstand being flattened and will charge up no problems unlike Optima.

Quick rule of thumb: when comparing lead acid batteries from two different mfg, buy the heavier one. Heavier = more lead which in turn equals a better battery. (Does not apply to Absorbed glass mat-AGM batteries)

[metal]

Never had issues with Can Tire batteries, and the replacement warranty is pretty decent.

[spyker]

Optima batteries use to be really good when they were Swedish owned,then Interstate batteries bought them over and since then the quality has been going down hill.

[ncrx]

odyssey pc925 good enough for winter in Vancouver, slightly lighter than oem, can be fully discharged and recharged, awesome dry cell battery. i've accidentally left my lights on 3x fully discharging the battery. recharged it with a good charger, and its as good as if it were new. 5 years going strong.

can get it for around 220$ at polar battery in burnaby

[tiger_handheld]

my budget is $100 or less.
I can get OEM battery from dealer for $100+tax.

[Fafine]

hit up polar battery on boundary

[EX-R]

Optima batteries use to be really good when they were Swedish owned,then Interstate batteries bought them over and since then the quality has been going down hill.

how recent was this? i have a yellow top from 3 or 4 years ago and it hasnt given me any problems at all

[godwin]

you measure the WHD of the battery (not the posts). There are usually several post configuration on the top on the side etc

Measure it, refer to this chart.. go to the store and buy..

BCI Battery Group Size Chart (http://www.rtpnet.org/teaa/bcigroup.html)




Do I just take a take measure from terminal to terminal and terminal to bottom to get the W H D of my battery?

Also, what is meant by "direct fit"? is there non direct fit? I assume this is the WHD of the battery and "direct fit" = stock size?

[godwin]

Optima battery has always been a Johnson product.. and Johnson is not Swedish.

Optima batteries use to be really good when they were Swedish owned,then Interstate batteries bought them over and since then the quality has been going down hill.

[godwin]

It does not.. it is the surface area of the plates that makes the difference.. not the weight.. eg VRLA/AGM will have better performance and longevity over conventional ones.. but it is lighter.


Quick rule of thumb: when comparing the same battery from two different mfg, buy the heavier one. Heavier = more lead which in turn equals a better battery.

[Graeme S]

Kirkland is always a good reliable brand. They buy up the excess factory productivity from bigger brands and just sells the same stuff under their brand. So whatever other brand of battery Costco sells...they probably make Kirkland too.

[godwin]

Kirkland is probably made by Johnson Controls.. which incidentally also makes Optimas.

Kirkland is always a good reliable brand. They buy up the excess factory productivity from bigger brands and just sells the same stuff under their brand. So whatever other brand of battery Costco sells...they probably make Kirkland too.

[heleu]

If you go to Costco, they have a book where you can just match your vehicle up to their replacement battery.

For my parent's Protege, the battery was smaller I think.

For my Legacy, it was half an inch taller; I had to adjust the bracket tie down, but it still fit.

Oh, and it cost $77 (+tax + core ), so definitely cheaper than OEM. It's probably even cheaper at Bellingham Costco

[OTG-ZR2]

It does not.. it is the surface area of the plates that makes the difference.. not the weight.. eg VRLA/AGM will have better performance and longevity over conventional ones.. but it is lighter.

I'm referring to a lead acid battery. Edited for clarity.

[Great68]

Personally, I think all open cell batteries are junk (AFAIK Kirkland are open cell) and would only ever put in a sealed cell battery in any of my cars.

Once you've had to fix battery tray/inner fender rot (like I did when I restored my Mustang) from years of shitty leaky open cell batteries you'll understand.

[tiger_handheld]

Open cell?

Do you mean the little knobs that you can open vs. solid plastic? From what I saw kirkland ones were solid with no knobs.

[Great68]

Open cell?

Do you mean the little knobs that you can open vs. solid plastic? From what I saw kirkland ones were solid with no knobs.

Kirkland batteries have caps:

Anyways, I don't know any new car manufacturer that puts open cell batteries into their cars these days. Maintenance free all the way.

[reza]

anyone have reviews or recommendations on lightweight batteries?

[godwin]

Modern ones have a hose to vent.. it still will squirt out acid, so proper drainage is still needed.

Personally, I think all open cell batteries are junk (AFAIK Kirkland are open cell) and would only ever put in a sealed cell battery in any of my cars.

Once you've had to fix battery tray/inner fender rot (like I did when I restored my Mustang) from years of shitty leaky open cell batteries you'll understand.

[godwin]

Costco don't stock all the battery sizes.. hence the book to say which battery will get by which model.

The best is to measure the WDH of your OE battery.. look up the BCI size and order the battery by BCI size.

If you go to Costco, they have a book where you can just match your vehicle up to their replacement battery.

For my parent's Protege, the battery was smaller I think.

For my Legacy, it was half an inch taller; I had to adjust the bracket tie down, but it still fit.

Oh, and it cost $77 (+tax + core ), so definitely cheaper than OEM. It's probably even cheaper at Bellingham Costco

[Great68]

Modern ones have a hose to vent.. it still will squirt out acid, so proper drainage is still needed.

Yes, sealed maintenance free batteries still have a vent but they are less likely to off-gas/vent than open batteries, usually only if they are overcharged.

Back when I bought my Celica, it came with a crappy tire Motomaster battery. It would have chronic corrosion buildup on the battery terminals. I switched to a sealed battery and never saw the corrosion again.

[Gh0stRider]

do people still use deep cycle batteries?

[Timpo]

optima yellowtop

/endthreadbelieve or not optima is biggest piece of shit.

i had a yellow top and it died in 2 years. it was a Cambodian Tire quality.

[Lowered_Klass]

Interstate Megatron battery.

I've bought 3 of them over the years (for 3 separate cars), and by FAR worth every penny.

Talk about a battery you can abuse, and has never let me down once.

[Tapioca]

Why not just shell out the money for an OEM battery from the stealer?

I only recently bought a new OEM Exide battery for my E46 because the old one was only starting to fail load tests after a decade. It cost me $145 from the stealer. Even if it lasts 6 or 7 years, I still come out ahead than spending $80 every 2-3 years for a battery from a different company.

[TRDood]

Does the Richmond Costco do battery installations?

[Manic!]

optima yellowtop

/endthread

Lots of people have had problems with Yellowtops. One problem is they don't hold a charge. if you park your car for a week the car will not start. a lot of car audio guys have switched to other batteries.

I would just go with Costco they have a 3 yrs free replacement and 100 month pro rated warranty. It's also a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

[k2_alpha]

Reviving an old thread instead of starting a new one; as my situation is well, about batteries...

I need a new battery. but my situation is a bit different from the OPs. I need a battery with lots of CCAa as I will be up north in the cold. Temperatures routinely go to minus 25 degrees.

The car will be sitting outside in the cold for several days at a time between 4-5 hour drives.

Any advice is much appreciated.
And yes, I have read the thread and it seems Optima is bad...

Edit**
Forgot to add that I drive a Hyundai Tucson

[ncrx]

i'd pick an odyssey battery, i use a pc925 for a small engine, 0 trouble in winter. i was gone for 3 weeks during the winter a few years back where we had a ton of snow. fired up first try, and i park outside.

ODYSSEY Batteries - Auto and Light Truck (http://www.odysseybattery.com/auto.html)

http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/US-ODY-SG-Web_22Jun11_001.pdf

pick an appropriately sized one. try battery direct or polar battery in burnaby.
you'll need a battery blanket as well for those temps and an oil pan/block heater too.

[godwin]

You should get an AGM battery (so the electrolyte won't freeze), also get a solar panel 12V and leave it plugged in.. it won't solve your problem but it helps. CCA is dependent on the size of the battery, so you should measure your battery compartment to see what's the largest you can fit.

Also since Hyundai battery is in the engine compartment, make sure you insulate it.. I am pretty sure Hyundai doesn't develop the car for your situation.

You should also use a thinner oil too.

Reviving an old thread instead of starting a new one; as my situation is well, about batteries...

I need a new battery. but my situation is a bit different from the OPs. I need a battery with lots of CCAa as I will be up north in the cold. Temperatures routinely go to minus 25 degrees.

The car will be sitting outside in the cold for several days at a time between 4-5 hour drives.

Any advice is much appreciated.
And yes, I have read the thread and it seems Optima is bad...

Edit**
Forgot to add that I drive a Hyundai Tucson

[godwin]

If you are really worried, another thing you might want to do (it will probably be a pain in the ass though).. is have a battery cut off switch somewhere you can access, so you can turn off the battery draw like key fob proximity sensors etc.

[k2_alpha]

When I looked at the Odyssey batteries I found out the one they recommend has the same CCAs as my stock battery...

The 25-PC1400 dimensions fit my car and has 900 CCAs. Is that enough?
How much CCAs do I realistically need?

[Brianrietta]

In your situation I would probably look more at a combination of factors including definitely wanting an AGM battery (typically can handle twice as many discharges to 50% of capacity as a standard lead acid battery) and then focus on a mix of CCA's and to a larger extent reserve capacity. Years in Ontario and Quebec and I never used a battery greater than 650 CCA's to fire up my Blazer and I never had an issue with it not starting (which is saying something because the heat of the summers out there slay batteries). Provided your charging system is working fine (which certainly will have adequate time to work if you're on the road for hours) then unless you plan on running accessories, lights, stereo, etc excessively with the vehicle off (where the RC is more important) there is no reason why a good condition factory spec battery wouldn't be perfectly adequate for you. That 25-PC1400 should be more than enough to see you through 4-5 years up north.

[c4@urdoor]

Interstate Megatron battery.

I've bought 3 of them over the years (for 3 separate cars), and by FAR worth every penny.

Talk about a battery you can abuse, and has never let me down once.

Reviving old thread instead of making new one.

I'm looking for a Interstate Megatron battery for a family members' DD Acura MDX
(IMO its the best bang for buck, good quality battery. Correct me if wrong.)

Where is the cheapest place to buy one locally? I also go to the states often if someone knows of a distributor in Bellingham/Blaine.

[bcrdukes]

Locally, try one of the RS sponsors first. I otherwise don't know of who/where to buy cheapest locally.

The closest US dealer to the border is:

Foreign Auto Clinic
1240 Peace Portal Dr
Blaine
WA
98230
(360) 332-6260

If in doubt - http://www.interstatebatteries.com/dealerlocator/default.aspx

[c4@urdoor]

^
You've gone there, or you just searched via the Intersate website?
I did the search and it says Fred Meyer in Bellingham sells them but when I was there I never saw any....

[bcrdukes]

One of my friend's bought from Foreign Auto Clinic a few years back. On a personal level, I never bought from them. I just ponied up and bought one locally because my battery was dead (non-Intersate.) Whether it was cheaper than other places, I don't know because it was a friend's shop and I wasn't interested in wheeling and dealing with them.

Regardless, do your due diligence and call the shops in advance to ensure they have what you are looking for in store or can get it for you before you go down to find they don't have what you're looking for (but I'm sure you knew that already.) :hotbaby:

[you!]

i dunno what this is exactly called but I have a question about this type of battery.
back home in asia before I moved here almost all cars on the road used this type where people would just re-fill the battery acid when the battery dies and it always worked as good as new after the re-fill

what are u guy's experience with this? are there any places that does re-fills here and if so around how much should i expect? I'm wondering because my jdm car came with this and I'm just curious if I should re-fill or just buy the standard non-refillable batteries here..

http://laymanworld.com/wp-content/uploads/car-battery.jpg

[HKS PWR]

Reviving old thread instead of making new one.

I'm looking for a Interstate Megatron battery for a family members' DD Acura MDX
(IMO its the best bang for buck, good quality battery. Correct me if wrong.)

Where is the cheapest place to buy one locally? I also go to the states often if someone knows of a distributor in Bellingham/Blaine.

Ask for Bob at Toyo Motors in Richmond.

The Interstate battery (model MTP-24) I bought died after 18 months of usage. To make matters worse, I bought it from Interstate's own All Battery Center on east Broadway which is now out of business! To make a long story short, called up Interstate Distribution Center in Langley and they were absolutely no help to me. Called up Toyo Motors (after calling 10 other Interstate dealers that were unwilling/unable to help) and they basically picked up Interstate's slack as a distributor and diagnosed/warrantied my battery. One other thing, while he was photocopying my original invoice he noticed that he sells the battery for $20 less that what I paid.

[c4@urdoor]

Ask for Bob at Toyo Motors in Richmond.

The Interstate battery (model MTP-24) I bought died after 18 months of usage. To make matters worse, I bought it from Interstate's own All Battery Center on east Broadway which is now out of business! To make a long story short, called up Interstate Distribution Center in Langley and they were absolutely no help to me. Called up Toyo Motors (after calling 10 other Interstate dealers that were unwilling/unable to help) and they basically picked up Interstate's slack as a distributor and diagnosed/warrantied my battery. One other thing, while he was photocopying my original invoice he noticed that he sells the battery for $20 less that what I paid.

Yikes, that sounds discouraging......:heckno:
This Bob fellow sounds like one heck of a guy though.

[hud 91gt]

i dunno what this is exactly called but I have a question about this type of battery.
back home in asia before I moved here almost all cars on the road used this type where people would just re-fill the battery acid when the battery dies and it always worked as good as new after the re-fill

what are u guy's experience with this? are there any places that does re-fills here and if so around how much should i expect? I'm wondering because my jdm car came with this and I'm just curious if I should re-fill or just buy the standard non-refillable batteries here..

http://laymanworld.com/wp-content/uploads/car-battery.jpg
You can try topping up the battery with distiller water. Most batteries these days are sealed. I'd give it a try and see where you stand.

[bcrdukes]

Yikes, that sounds discouraging......:heckno:
This Bob fellow sounds like one heck of a guy though.

Interstate Batteries are manufactured Johnson Controls, which is one of the largest manufacturers of automotive batteries and more. Unfortunately, some (not all) Interstate batteries will suffer from some level of quality control. There could be a number of reasons his battery failed (we don't know the full story) however, I would not hesitate to buy another Interstate battery as they have been good to me.

[godwin]

You can refill with distilled water. However be careful not to go over the fill lines, as it will short out the cells.

With our weather I rather go with an AGM battery that I don't need to refill.

i dunno what this is exactly called but I have a question about this type of battery.
back home in asia before I moved here almost all cars on the road used this type where people would just re-fill the battery acid when the battery dies and it always worked as good as new after the re-fill

what are u guy's experience with this? are there any places that does re-fills here and if so around how much should i expect? I'm wondering because my jdm car came with this and I'm just curious if I should re-fill or just buy the standard non-refillable batteries here..

[you!]

You can try topping up the battery with distiller water. Most batteries these days are sealed. I'd give it a try and see where you stand.

You can refill with distilled water. However be careful not to go over the fill lines, as it will short out the cells.

With our weather I rather go with an AGM battery that I don't need to refill.

wow i thought u guys were joking at first when u said fill it with water :heckno:
just never thought it would work since ive always seen guys refill with battery acid 100% of the time

like how exactly would distilled water do the work that the battery acid does?:suspicious:

[Peturbo]

^ its actually a mixture of sulphuric acid and water in the batteries.
Just looked through my old automotive textbook and you ideally want 35% sulphuric acid to
65% water.

[vudooca]

what you need is a interstate battery mega-tron plus. 6 year warranty. 140$ done.

Your current battery may be salvageable though... have you looked at popping the fill caps and seeing if its low in water? Fill it up with distilled water and recharge it... it might be good for another year or 2.