Irish Mini Owners Club

I put off replacing my battery until after the big freeze. Now that has (hopefully) passed, it's time to go shopping.

can someone advise the best battery for a SPi?
I was also thinking of installing an isolator switch - does anyone have experience/recommendations for these?

Thanks in advance!

hear alot of people use 306 diesel batteries if thats any help, absolutly no idea what i have in my car, all i no is its workin for me now!!

yep 306d turbol battery... lots of power and fits nice and snug in the box too....
someone on here must know the code??? (think it could be 083 if my memory is right, dont quote me on that tho)

steven

its just a 096 battery but it what a 306 diesel uses so it has good power.. a good 063 battery would do the job just fine and are usually cheap enough. don't pay any more than €60 for an 063, If your anywhere near wexford i'm paying €38 for 063's right now.

Thanks for the help. I went all out and got the 096; in for a penny...
Can't wait to go for a spin, between floods and the frost the car's been in the garage for ages

063 would be ok.check amps if to high you will overwork alternator.063 41 /45 amps.

063 everytime

Ya can't beat a good battery debate!

I popped the 096 in last night. It's a good snug fit in the battery box.
I don't think it will hurt the alternator. It's doing the job anyway, first time in a month I drove it any distance. Must look into putting an isolator as I'm getting a backup and keeping the Mini for weekends

so whats the verdict? Im getting my battery tomorrow..

096 or 063?

The 096 is pricier - mine cost 90euro. It fills the whole battery box and you will have to move the securing bar to the other hole. I'm no expert; the 096 does the job and from what I've read, damage/wear to the alternator shouldn't be an issue

you have to ask why rover don,t fit a 096. wiring+load.

It doesn't quite work like that. It not causing any extra problems to wiring or charge system. Your still only running 12v just giving more crank power and less chance of a flat battery if something left on. Rover don't fit the bigger on because the 063 is perfectly fine to do the job and the 096 is just a bit over kill really. So there no point in them wasting money. Same reason they didn't fit 4 pot calipers. They are better but more expensive and the 2 pots do the job ok.

MiniMe wrote:I went all out and got the 096; in for a penny...

I did this too, fitted it this morning along with a new earth cable. Hopefully thats the end of my troubles. I cleaned the inside of it too, really want to clean the outside but i might feel guilty about using the water nd it being shut off again later! we'll see!

[quote="gareth"]It doesn't quite work like that. It not causing any extra problems to wiring or charge system. Your still only running 12v just giving more crank power and less chance of a flat battery if something left on. Rover don't fit the bigger on because the 063 is perfectly fine to do the job and the 096 is just a bit over kill really. So there no point in them wasting money. Same reason they didn't fit 4 pot calipers. They are better but more expensive and the 2 pots do the job ok.[/
I don,t think I will fit a 16acr.alternator with max.output of 34amps out of my mini into my ducato 3L DIESEL with its 096 battery.Watts is the rate of doing work.

". . . . . and we're back:"

When considering an alternator size you can apply a simple rule: the alternator output in amps multiplied by 4 should match the size of the battery in amp hours. So a 70 amp alternator would work well with a 280 amp hour battery. This is a very general rule so don’t worry. If your alternator is too big it won’t hurt anything but it may not be able to work at its full potential. If your alternator is too small it will just take a bit longer to charge the battery fully.

i think this just about sums it up. I like having a slightly larger battery than OEM, i don't bother with a larger ALT. unless running a lot of lights. or a very large fridge.
(source: http://www.pkys.com/alternator_installation.htm)

hi, earlier minis used to have 038 battery type fitted to them, my 95 spi has an 048 fitted,, without checking i think thats what i have in it,, think 038 is lower and the poles are on opposite sides...am amazed to think 096 can fit in the tray,,, did the 063 fit it and were you able to secure it?

The 063 is a lower battery and is standard in all mini estates ,vans and pickups where the battery sits under the rear seat or under the loadbed. I would think Rover choose this battery for its physical size rather than its higher cranking power, like Gareth says smaller batteries are cheeper .