New Battery Recommendation Please

[hotblonde32]

My battery has just died on me (R34 GTT) .. had the car for about a year and a half and I've sometimes received sms warnings from my alarm paging system that my voltage is low (under 12v).

Anyway, just recently installed a new 200WRMS sub/amp and some new gauges and while I was testing some stuff today with car off, voltage went below 11 and car won't start. I'm pretty sure the battery is on its way out as its probably been in the car for 4-5 years. I'm recharging it tonight just so i can make it to the shops tommorow to get a decent one.

I'd prefer something with decent crank amps, 450CCA or better... Can anyone recommend something that will suit my gear, driving style ie. I have 200W sub/amp and some gauges and also an Autowatch alarm with a mongoose pager system which is always ON. I also do mostly short trips (<15 min driving then stop) AND I always drive with my headlights on for safety reasons.

I'd prefer to pay no more than $250-300 tops but will consider anything. Yes I've searched and read like a dozen threads and I see Optima Red Tops and Oddyssey batteries recommended frequently but I want to make sure these batteries would be suited to conditions I specified above... ie. sub/amp, always-on pager, gauges, headlights during the day and short trips...

Do anyone of these higher CCA batteries come with the normal/narrow type of terminals or will I have to get new terminal connectors and cut off the Nissan ones ? If so, which connectors should I get and who should I get to install them (I'm hopeless so please don't say "DIY")

Also on a semi related note, recently I've been getting fanbelt screeches as the temperatures outside keep dropping to below "bloody freezing" .. I just usually shut the car off quickly and start again and it stops the screeching. I'm worried this might wear out my new nissan fanbelt and then I might run into more charging issues ... however the belt is VERY tight and I had no screeching issues when the weather is warmer. Should I tighten it a bit more during the next couple of months or am I risking snapping/damaging the belts or bearings ??

Cheers

[hotblonde32]

anyone? any experiences with the Optima Red Top "35" ? Can get one for $300..Don't think yellow top (deep cycle) would be appropriate although it does appear popular on SAU for some reason

[chan]

anyone? any experiences with the Optima Red Top "35" ? Can get one for $300..Don't think yellow top (deep cycle) would be appropriate although it does appear popular on SAU for some reason

Y are the Optima Yellow tops not appropriate?

[Djshevy]

I use to have a small Hitachi battery in my R33. It went flat easily so i upgraded to a decent 4oocca one and its fine.

[hotblonde32]

Y are the Optima Yellow tops not appropriate?

I think deep cycle batteries are meant for cars not driven as dailies and/or if you need to discharge the battery completely ie. listen to music/watch video with the engine switched off? Atleast that's my understanding of it..

[Marco-R34GTT]

Soz if this is a bit belated, not too sure where you're located. But in Perth here I took my R34 to battery plus in Osbourne Park.. They had a look, gave me some options and advice, I made a decision there and then, after which they installed the largest batter that could fit on the batterly plate/holster. A huge improvement over stock!

[Wacky Dee]

I've stuck with my old battery .. after that overnight recharge it hasn't gone flat again. Fingers crossed..

[ali-turko]

wrxhoon has a group buy for dry cell bateries

i just bought one and alot of other members have to

[PUDZ 32R]

deep cycle batteries are not designed for use in cars. the reason is they are designed to be flattened slowly over a long time.. like listening to a stereo or running a car fridge. the best batteries for a car are usually Hybrid batteries. these are a hybrid of a deep cycle and have good Cold cranking amps to start the car.

my bat has been in my car for about 4 years and it runs an 800W and a 360W amp and i always drive with my headlights on as well.

i have had no worries however i run Gates racing blue belts so i run them tighter..

this brings me to my next point.. if you are getting belt squeal maybe it is slipping on your alternator and so not supplying the charge it needs. id say get it tightened and buy a new battery from supercheap or something.. maybe spend $200 on a century bat?

optimas are better but you pay for it and a lot of the reason they are in cars is because they are lighter than standard while giving heaps better performance.

normal batteries are heavy f**kers!!

hope this helps in some way.