Batteries
From VanagonWiki
[edit] Battery Sizes for Vanagons
Mark Drillock writes: It is a old topic here but time for it again I guess. Lots of us need new batteries from time to time or wish to add a second battery. What fits? That is the question all right. I recently needed several replacements and have switched to a slightly different size.
Group 41 seems to be the native battery for Vanagons. There are others that fit into the compartment too.
Group 41 standard size, sort of.
Group 42 smaller, weaker option.
Group 48 very close to standard but easier fit into compartment?
Group 91 standard size, maybe stronger?
Group 40R maybe close but don't have details
I am now using some Group 48 as a trial as I wanted a size slightly easier to fit in/out of the compartment. It is same height and width but slightly less long. It also has a bit better CCA and CA numbers than the 41 at the same megastore chain.
An anomaly I have noticed is that the supposed "standard" size dimensions can vary slightly from brand to brand and the size charts can be way off from reality. Group 48 for example is often listed with physical dimensions larger than the Group 41 but the ones I just bought are smaller. Is it an error in the charts? An error by the manufacturer in labeling? Anyone else using this size under the front seats with unmodified battery compartment?
Troy writes that the BCI Group Numbers, Dimensional Specifications, Polarity & Terminals can be found at http://www.batteryweb.com/bci.cfm.
