larger battery in wrx?

Depending on where you live and how severely the battery was abused - you may just need a new one. Here I where I live 2.5 years is about average and 4 is definitely living on 'borrowed' time.

Carl

Get an Optima. Same size as stock but better.

"CCA" or cold cranking amps DON'T MEAN SHIT!!!! Unless you are starting a BIG diesel in 0 degree weather it's a stupid rating. You want a battery with a large "Reserve" or "Amp-hour" rating. This means you can leave lights on, radio for a while and still start the engine. If the battery doesn't have that info on it DO NOT BUY IT!

The stock battery is rated at 350CCA which is marginal and does not provide good cranking performance in the winter. It also gets worse as the battery ages and loses capacity. Another factor is that this is not a maintenance-free battery, the water level in the cells must be checked periodically and topped off as needed. Many owners are not aware of this and neglect it resulting in eventual battery failure. You don't need a physically larger battery, just one with higher capacity. Almost any aftermarket battery will offer significantly higher cranking and reserve ratings then the OEM battery and most are also maintenance free. An excellent replacement and upgrade is the Optima Group 35 Red Top, it will replace your old battery directly and provide much improved performance. The Optima is a sealed zero-maintenance battery with no liquid electrolyte and has many advantages over a conventional battery, although they do cost more. You can get the correct battery here-

have the Red Top in my WRX and it's going on five years old, stillworks as well as when I put it in.

That is so true. I only realize this after reading your post. Fortunately, the water level are not off too much -- all electrodes are still submerged. I only had to add about 1cm of water level. I think I'm still going to have to replace the battery.

The oct 06 issue of consumer reports have a battery test. Unfortunately they didn't include optima. I think I'll just stick with a regular batter since I may not keep the car very long.

Thanks.

We bought our '99 Forester in 2000, and have yet to change the battery. It's a Panasonic, which I can't find up here in the bush, but it is truly amazing. If it is the original, it's been in the car since it was built in '98 which is incredible life even in ideal conditions.

We live in the Ottawa Valley of eastern Ontario where winters are long and hard, often falling to -30C or worse, but we have yet to have any trouble starting the Suby.

Every winter I have the thing checked in fall, expecting to have to replace it and every time our tame mechanic tells me it's fine. So far he's right.

Some people living in hot climates seem to prefer batteries that can be topped off, after the inevitable evaporation. One comment from someone in Florida was that a "maintenance- free" battery probably wouldn't last longer than 2 years due to evaporation.

Theoretically most batteries can be topped off with water even if the caps are somewhat sealed or glue in place. Not usually recommended though.

My Panasonic OEM battery is a somewhat translucent white. If the light is good enough, I can make out the acid level in the battery. If not, a light shone on the side and I can tell. Some maintenance free batteries are dark and opaque, which would make it hard to tell if the level is low (and thus should be replaced).

I thought the whole idea of maintenance free battery is that they somehow don't evaporate. Are you saying manufacturers could just seal their batteries and call them maintenance free?

I believe it would be unsafe to make a rechargeable battery that's perfectly sealed and doesn't outgas. It could explode if overcharged, especially in hot climates. I believe "maintenance-free" batteries have lower water loss than "low maintenance" types.

I've edited answer #5 for the stuff of heat.

Answer true or false and check your answers at the end of the quiz.

• Once a maintenance-free battery is installed, you never need to pay attention to it again.

1. False. Keep in mind too, that the term ?maintenance- free? applies to normal operating conditions. In extreme high heat, and other conditions, you may need to add water to the battery. Exide batteries are maintenance- free and maintenance accessible allowing you to check and/or add water, if required.

You got it. I plan to watch the acid levels in the oem battery religiously, top it off as needed and hope to get no fewer than 8 years of service out of it if I end up keeping the car that long. Changing tires every two years is okay by me, battery on the other hand should last forever if properly pampered. I think there is a section in the owners manual that calls for the battery fluid level check. So whoever skimps on that: it's their loss really. It's not like they haven't been informed by FHI.

I don't know if it will last forever. The plates will eventually shed and capacity will be reduced. Still - water loss can happen even in maintenance-free batteries.

BTW - I did enough reading to note that most "maintenance free" lead-acid batteries use lead-calcium plates, while "low maintenance" batteries typically use lead-antimony plates. The material in maintenance free batteries is supposed to reduce evaporation, but at least low maintenance batteries can be restored by simply adding water.

First you should consider for how long you want to keep the car - when less than 4 years, do not invest much. The most important parameter you should follow is capacity - in my manual there is 48 Ah - because it must withstand recharging current which is derived from capacity. High recharging current damages baterry. So you can use battery with higher capacity and you can expect its longer life. But battery life is unpredictable. My wife's TOYOTA has a battery (probably some cheap) more than 6 years old (buyed car with it) and still without any problems.

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Hi,

Many years ago, it was possible to expect that kind of life out of a "premium" battery (early Sears Die-Hards often lasted incredible amounts of time--I got almost 10 yrs out of one), but with today's batteries, it seems five years is about the best I can get. I live where it gets rather hot during the summer, and, even keeping the fluid levels "perfect," the battery suffers. Then one cold morning, it's pretty much a goner. And, to tell the truth, batteries sold as "hot weather" batteries haven't done any better than "regular" ones IME. So I think your climate will have a major effect on the overall life... with heat being a bigger enemy than cold.

Rick

Hi,

Where do you find one of those? Most mechanics I know are a bit wild...

Sorry, couldn't resist the typo!

Rick