Which Battery to get?

[Track]

Ya, ok Schumacher

 

Trust me, it made a bigger difference than a set of taillight overlays does for about the same price.

[mwiener2]

If adding a 150 lb passenger is barely noticeable....accept to acceleration.... then 20lbs isn't gonna be that noticeable

 

When I went fromteh stock RSB to the JDM RSB, that was noticable when backing out of the driveway.

 

 

That 20lbs is in your head. Also, you just lost 20lbs worth of reserve energy. I hope your car starts within in 5 cranks EVERY time. Don't leave your ipod plugged in too long either. Also pray your alternator NEVER fails, or you'll only get about a mile before the battery is drained. Don't even think of listening to the radio with the engine off.

 

Using those little batteries is the stupidest thing in the world unless it's a dedicated track car.

[Track]

Wow, my apologies.

Forgive me for merely trying to help you by offering another reasonably priced option for a battery, nothing more. Considering the amount of money you have sunk into power mods, I thought you would appreciate something performance-oriented that I have found successful at a decent price.

Personally, I noticed a difference with the battery and please don't try to tell me what I did or didn't feel. Your results may vary. Since I'm not undertaking any death-defying adventures into the Australian hinterlands, I'm going to call triple-A for a flatbed if the battery dies. I pay for their service for a reason.

Best of luck with your search.

[mwiener2]

thanks for reminding me... I never updated the thread

 

 

I got a Diehard gold from sears. Was about $100 and is 200CCA over the stock battery.

 

And it's warranty is longer than my engien will probably last.

[JoeFromPA]

Mwiener - He didn't say he noticed the extra weight anywhere else than turn-in. And I explained WHY the battery weight would make a substantial difference to that (even moreso than a 150 pound passenger even).

 

Further, the one he described is not really a racing battery. I think his was around 20-25 pounds...which is about twice the weight of a racing battery. He qualified it by saying that it's lasted 18 months and has been cranking just fine....meaning he realizes that it might not last forever or crank the best under all conditions.

 

If you really doubt all this, try attaching a 20 pound weight to the hood of your car at the front. You'll notice the difference in steering.

 

Joe

[bluesuby]

Who makes the Subaru replacement battery? My original is 4 years old, kept outside every night, and we had a couple of very hot summers and it's doing fine. I'm considering a "free" replacement with Subiebucks.

[JoeFromPA]

bluesuby - FYI, 4 years isn't exactly a long time for a stock battery to last. Once they hit ~6-7 years and 75,000 miles, it become more impressive

[mwiener2]

 

If you really doubt all this, try attaching a 20 pound weight to the hood of your car at the front. You'll notice the difference in steering.

 

Joe

 

 

What do you think the difference is between a full washer tank and an empty one?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deka ETX16L

 

Specs:

• 12 Volt
  
• Length: 6 7/8"
  
• Width: 4".
  
• Height: 6 1/8" (height without plastic spacer)
  
• 19 Ah @ 10hr rate
  
• 275 CCA (Stock is 430)
  

 

 

Weight is not listed

[Track]

Since MWeiner already got a new battery, let's bless his choice and move on from this thread. The important thing is that he is happy with his new battery.

FWIW, the battery I posted is the all-season version of the exact same battery as the infamous, boutique "Braille" lightweight battery that comes STANDARD in Lotus Exige & Elise cars & costs $170 at most performance shops. Deka is the real manufacturer of the rebadged Braille. I figured if it was stock on Lotus for starting 4-cyl Toyota motors, it would work fine in a Subaru with even lower compression...and it has been for me. Remember, this isn't a Cat diesel it has to turn over!

My intentions were simply to help him with his decisions; perhaps battery choice is more important in Colorado than it is in sunny California where I reside, and I respect that.

From my experience, I have become a firm believer in the Deka. It has worked great for me as well as provided a noticeable difference in front-end feel of the car. The price was reasonable and I will happily buy another if and when this one bites the dust. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to drop an easy 10-15 lbs off the very front of their Subaru.

I also emphasize that I only recommend the "All-season" version. There have been many widely-publicized failures of the "No-weight" version and I believe it is undersized for the demand placed upon it.

[fishbone]

Thread revival, I need a new battery as well.

Anything particular you guys would recommend purchasing if I were to go to Sam's Club?

[Guest]

Since MWeiner already got a new battery, let's bless his choice and move on from this thread. The important thing is that he is happy with his new battery.

FWIW, the battery I posted is the all-season version of the exact same battery as the infamous, boutique "Braille" lightweight battery that comes STANDARD in Lotus Exige & Elise cars & costs $170 at most performance shops. Deka is the real manufacturer of the rebadged Braille. I figured if it was stock on Lotus for starting 4-cyl Toyota motors, it would work fine in a Subaru with even lower compression...and it has been for me. Remember, this isn't a Cat diesel it has to turn over!

My intentions were simply to help him with his decisions; perhaps battery choice is more important in Colorado than it is in sunny California where I reside, and I respect that.

From my experience, I have become a firm believer in the Deka. It has worked great for me as well as provided a noticeable difference in front-end feel of the car. The price was reasonable and I will happily buy another if and when this one bites the dust. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to drop an easy 10-15 lbs off the very front of their Subaru.

I also emphasize that I only recommend the "All-season" version. There have been many widely-publicized failures of the "No-weight" version and I believe it is undersized for the demand placed upon it.

 

What is the weight of your battery?

[Saul_Good]

I have had this one for over 2 years. No problems in cold weather with it at all. It's the Hawker Odyssey 680.

http://crx.honda-perf.org/articles/battrep/images/battcompare.jpg

[Opie]

Who makes the Subaru replacement battery? My original is 4 years old, kept outside every night, and we had a couple of very hot summers and it's doing fine. I'm considering a "free" replacement with Subiebucks.

 

It's made by Interstate and has an 84-month warranty, the first 30 months are free replacment, months 31-84 are pro-rated.

[fishbone]

I think I managed to drain mine by leaving the key in the ON position, the clock was on but nothing else. Sat like that for days. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get a new battery, considering this one is at least august 2004 old and has died twice.

[urs1ne]

Costco has Optimas for our car for like $150

[bluesuby]

It's made by Interstate and has an 84-month warranty, the first 30 months are free replacment, months 31-84 are pro-rated.

 

Thank you. There is something better than free.

[Track]

What is the weight of your battery?

 

Roughly 10lbs. I didn't weigh it prior to installing.

[franklin]

I have had this one for over 2 years. No problems in cold weather with it at all. It's the Hawker Odyssey 680.

http://crx.honda-perf.org/articles/battrep/images/battcompare.jpg

What area of the country do you live in ?

[Track]

What area of the country do you live in ?

 

I'm beginning to think that this very question should have a strong bearing on which battery people choose. Those who reside in warm climes can easily use the Odyssey 680 or the Deka ETX16, especially if they garage their car nightly.

Those that have to deal with a "real" winter (read: snow) probably couldn't get away with these batteries during the chilly portion of the year. It wouldn't be worth the risk of being stranded, and the performance benefits would be nil when the roads are covered in grime, slush, etc. I think that those times, just getting home is a priority.

[JoeFromPA]

Yeah...though I'm all about saving weight, I'll probably try to find a battery with alot more CCA than stock. I started the legacy yesterday morning, around 6:30 AM, at around 25 degrees out....it cranked pretty slowly. And it's November. And this car only has ~12k miles on it and was manufactured in march of this year.

 

This is my wife's car. I can deal with getting stranded. I can't deal with the thought of her getting stranded.

 

Joe

[franklin]

My stock battery struggles to turn my car over in even moderate cold temps.

When I go to replace it I'm going to want a good bit more than 490 CCA

[Saul_Good]

What area of the country do you live in ?

 

I lived in Dayton, Ohio for 4years (04-08) which is where i bought my LGT. It got pretty cold there -- 0F degrees. I had the stock battery for 2years before it crapped out on me in my 2nd winter in Ohio. A few other suby owners were running the same battery longer than me and suggested i try it. Since then, i've never had that weak start our stockers have in the cold. I even went away on trips and left my car parked in Long term parking during the winter and when i returned, it started up easily with no problems.

 

Only caveat i can think of is for people running high output sound systems, etc. Not sure if this battery would support you guys. But for everyone else i highly recommend it. Hpe this helps anyone considering buying a new lightweight battery.

 

At the time I paid $100 for the battery. Not bad IMHO for a 14lb battery with 680 CCA.

[mwiener2]

Our cars have heated seats, heated rear window, heated front wiper area, heatd mirrors......

 

if you ever need to use all of them at once, your battery is gonna die.

[PhilT]

Our cars have heated seats, heated rear window, heated front wiper area, heatd mirrors......

 

if you ever need to use all of them at once, your battery is gonna die.

 

Don't switch them all on before you start the engine then

[mwiener2]

even while running. The Alternator can only do so much, the battery has to give out some juice when the Alt can't keep up. When it's snowing outside, you'll have all those heaters on, lights, radio... it adds up quick.

 

 

 

Putting one of those tiny lightweight batteries in your car is fine if you are willing to sacrafice reliability. I'm not saying they are bad batteries, I'm saying they don't have alot of reserve capacity. CCA is only a measure of how many amps the battery can give out all at once. So these little batteries are more like capacitors, they can give out alot of juice, but for a only very short time.

 

These batteries don't belong in a daily driven car.

 

They're not all that much more expensive than a regular battery, yet they are less than half the weight. So then why doesn't a Corvette come with one? Or any car trying to save weigth for that matter?