Alin10123

Hey guys,
Just as the title says. The battery on my 04 accord was getting really weak. It was weak to begin with but being winter and then having a weak battery wasn't good at all. The only reason i reference my accord is because under the hood it looks identical as the TSX. Now... the TSX and many hondas all take size 51R. As we all know, Optima has recently just come out witht he 51R in the yellow top but it is not available in the redtop. The yellow top is for high draining applications such as a sound system or an offroading winch. The red top is for really good starting power. So... naturally, i wouldn't need to spend the extra money for the yellow top. Plus the red top has more cold cranking amps (910 as opposed to 625, the stock battery has 410 i believe. ). I will be doing this with my TSX soon. As soon as the TSX begins to crank slower, i'm changing the battery out.

The part # is 75/35-925 Redtop Optima. I think it's available at costco for like $99 so i had advance auto parts match the price which they gladly did.

I did have a problem initially trying to get the battery to fit. The length was perfect, the height was perfect with the plastic spacer, it was just about 3/4 of an inch wider than the original. The battery would have fit into the plastic acid catching tray if i had squeezed it in, but that would look tacky.

So... i figured the tray is there for two reasons. One to prevent it from moving, and two it is there to catch any of the liquid acid that might leak out. Well, the good think about the optima batteries is that there's NO liquid acid to leak out at all. So i went ahead and did away with the tray. Inside the tray there's a little foam like sheet that i think keeps the battery from sliding around. I took that sheet, put it where the tray used to be, put the spacer on the battery and put the battery in there as if it belonged there.

Since the width is a little wider the way the top bracket is wont fit if you use the optima. What you have to do is flip the bracket around. Keep it right side up but take the hole that was nearest the driver and put it near the radiator. Then take the metal tab that's sticking down and just bend it towards the front of the car just a tad. When i say i tad, i'm talking 1mm here. Then install the bracket back on. It will fit perfectly. I then put some thread lock on the threads and i was good to go. The battery fits perfectly and it actually looks stock. It doesn't look like anything is out of place or missing.

I took some pics for those of you that are interested.

Like i said, perfect fit and it blends in perfectly:



Side nearest the radiator:



Side closest the drivers side:



There were 2 clips that held the positive terminal cable in place on the plastic tray that i removed. But 2 inches away from that on each side there was also 1 more metal bracket that held the positive cable in place. So there's still plenty of support left there. Without the tray, there's now plenty of slack so i didn't need to buy the reversed terminals. It fit very easily. All i needed was a 10mm socket/wrench.

I'm very satisfied with the starting power. It cranks noticeable faster now and the headlights dont dim compared to the stock battery when i try to start the engine. . I will do my best to answer any questions. feel free to ask.

Attention mods, i was going to post this up in the AV section since when i searched i noticed a few mods saying that it should be in the AV section. But that was referring to yellowtops. Since this is a redtop and i dont have a stereo or anything in my car. I thought that the general TSX discussion was the appropriate place. Plus it will get more exposure here for people that are interested but dont have interest in AV.

thanks

tuoncan

is this heavier than the stock battery?

Alin10123

It is a little bigger be about an inch. But they both feel pretty heavy. If it is heavier... it woudln't be by much.

LoveMyTL-S

Nice write-up. We can all use some more COLD CRANKING AMP's!!

Alin10123

oooh yea... 910 vs 400 baby!

TodaSi

So, that's good news

Has anyone bought the Blue-Top OPTIMA battery? It's for marine use but can be used on a car as well. May look pretty nice with those with BLUE TSX's

theone55699

thanks Alin10123. i've been looking for a red top to fit in my tsx. so after i read this i went out and bought me one.....yesssssssss!!! the question i have is will it work with the CAI installed? anyways good write up. but which hole are u talking about?? please explain cuz im a little sloww...ahahha

Alin10123

Hey there.
The hole i'm referring to is the hole that is on the bracket that's holding the battery down on top. Just look at the way the bracket is oriented in my pic and put the bracket on there exactly like that and you'll be fine. Make sure to bend the tab that's there just a bit otherwise it will dig into the battery while it's being tightened. But it fits perfectly. Almost too perfectly.

Alin10123

CAI shouldn't be a problem either because the battery is the exact same length as the stock battery. You are even saving about an inch on either side since the battery tray to catch the acid isn't there anymore. It's not needed since optima batteries dont have any liquid inside of them.

Alin10123

haha, the red one will even match the JDM colors as well!

Alin10123

One more thing as well, the blue battery may look nice but its a little bigger though. The 51R measurements are 9.25 x 5.0 x 9.0 while the blue measurements are 10 x 6.8 x 7.8. It may not fit as perfectly as the one i got. It's a little longer and a little higher. So you may have a bit of trouble getting it to fit. You can try it at your own risk though. Plus that blue one is mucho expensive!

theone55699

one more thing, where can i find the thread locks?

theone55699

never mind. i got the battery in. fits nicely. quick start. thanks

afici0nad0

nice.

high cca is what i'm looking for.

Alin10123

It's not thread locks. What i was talking about was a product called "thread lock" it's this liquid you put a drop onto the threads. That will keep the bolts from vibrating loose. But it's doesn't make a permanent seal so that if you want to take off the bolts later on you still can. It's not neccessary but i did it as a precaution since i took the battery tray out.

Alin10123

You like it huh? about 2x the cranking amps, no acid to leak out, long warranty, and vibration resistant design. Can't really ask for more. Did the place put your name into the computer for the warranty? I'm not saying yours will last 10 years, but i've heard a few people say that theirs has and it still going strong.

Alin10123

Let us know how everything goes and whether or not my writeup helped with the install and fitment.

TSX.Fury

Is that for the redtop or the yellowtop? Anyone know the dimensions for the stock battery?

jpt

So does the car actually start any faster or more reliably with this battery than with a (new) stock battery or is it just longer-lasting?

afici0nad0

for sure...

when i do get the battery and complete the installation, i'll add to this thread.

good stuff, man...