NB: Replacement battery for winter?
 

Hello everyone - I was wondering if you guys could give me some feedback. In the awfully chilly weather we've been having recently ( -23C = -9 F), my car has decided it doesn't really like starting. The battery age is unknown, however it is NOT oem. It was replaced by the previous owner.

I was thinking of either an East Penn 8AMU1R or an Optima Redtop. However, it seems over the past few years miata-forums have begun to dislike optimas - is this still the case?

The East Penn 8AMU1R is apparently a clone of the fabled Westco battery- but is easily available in Canada.

Should I just go for the 8AMU1R - or have any new batteries popped up recently?

Thanks fellas

I've heard it said, but have no proof, that East Penn is actully the OEM of the battery labeled and sold by Westco.

I've got one (private labeled as something else) in my '04. It's about six months old, and while it hasn't left me stranded yet, the car is definitely not happy about starting when it's 0°F.

I've thought about looking into whether there's an Optima which will physically fit into the hole on an NB, haven't actually done anything about it yet.

A lot of people stopped backing Optima batteries when they moved to China.

FWIW - Last year I installed a second battery into my car after experiencing some "I don't want to start" mornings. Basically, I took out the cubby tray on the other side of the trunk and fitted a motorcycle battery there. Then I wired in a WirthCo "Battery Doctor" (which is installed between the seats in the cabin.

Functionally, the batteries are wired in parallel and the WirthCo keeps the batteries isolated when there's no current from the alternator. During normal summer starts, only the "main" battery is used to crank the motor. When the alternator starts charging, both batteries are charged. In the winter - or whenever the "main" battery isn't up to the task, I can push a button on the WirthCo and - voila - the "secondary" battery is in-play, providing the extra oomph to get the motor cranking. Once the engine starts, and the alternator kicks in, the system goes back into charge mode.

So far, it's made ALL the difference - and it gets me some strange looks when the trunk is opened up for inspection during autocrosses and track days.

My last 2 non-miata yellowtops didn't last much longer than the manufacturer warranty (3 years). I've had to replace 2 regular lead acid batteries this year and they were both 7 years old (mild climate). I'll never buy another optima.

I've had an Optima Red Top in my Subaru coming on two years now , it cranked that over fine the other morning when I'd forgotten to plug the block heater in . It's been hovering around -20*c here. The real answer is to move to a warmer climate me thinks. I'm done with winter.....I haven't had much luck with Wescos or their clones and I don't winter drive my Miata . My plan is to go Lith/Iron Phosphate next time around.

I have a super cheap offbrand battery that it at least 5 years old and has no problems starting my car in the winter.
I wouldn't overpay for an expensive one, personally. Unless of course you plan on doing a ton of starting. Mine typically only starts my car 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes only twice.
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I have had an OEM branded Mazda battery in my car for 11 years now. It has never given me a problem even after sitting untouched and unstarted for over a year at a time, some times. It is a wet-cell but it is the best battery I have ever had in one of my vehicles.

The motorcycle battery idea seems like a good one. And unless you have parasitic drain issues, you shouldn't even need the isolator.

I'm pretty sure I know a guy who manufactures those batteries ;)
Check Canadian tire.

What don't you do?

I'm so confused why you'd need to do this. You're in Atlanta!

Thanks everyone- another question, would you stick with AGM or go with regular wet cell? I'm fairly certain my dealer stocks a wet cell only, as does Canadian tire. NAPA carries the East Penn AGM, however it is 225$ CAD

EPM AGM...don't get a regular flooded cell.

...but I moved here from Detroit. Besides, that Polar Vortex in 2014 reached all the way down here - we had quite a few 20-degree mornings since then, even as recently as two weeks ago.

When I first did this, I did have an unresolved parasitic drain problem. Since then I found and fixed that, but the isolator stayed.

I've worked with East Penn and can say that their quality control is run by competent people. This means that the product they make is likely the product they intend to make. I can't tell from experience if their designs are good or bad. But my general experience is that companies that hire good people in one area usually also hire good people in others.

Just a little update with my battery situation. When I removed the battery i relized it was in fact a Westco clone - although a bit of a low performing one. I discovered the tray underneath was broken as well- fixed it with some duct tape and cleaned some sludge (?) from previous owner.

I also started to top the battery off with my battery tender jr whenever possible @ home base ( :rofl:) - and through magic it seems to be working much better now (even when I don't top it off with the tender).

Today the car started happily @ -16 C = 3.2F with no drama. (no charging with tender in past few days) It wasn't able to do that a few weeks ago. I'll keep the Westo going now - with occasional home base assistance as long as I can.

And my update:

Just after these posts, my battery died. So I ordered the one shown in post #16. Very satisfied. This thread came at an serendipitous time.

Meaning, it's a Westco clone of the OEM, or a clone of a Westo? Pics?

My one experience with a Westco-brand battery was not remarkable. After three years of service mostly in extremely moderate San Diego, it left me stranded one winter night in south Florida (it was down into the 40s), on a car whose alternator was quite healthy.