Hello Everyone!

It's so nice to see such a vibrant forum and community. It's amazing!

This afternoon, I joined the 914 community with the purchase of my first car the specific details of which will be forthcoming at some point. In the meantime it's a 1972 1.7. I can't even begin to convey how excited I am about this thing. It's the first car I've ever owned that didn't become a classic while I owned it -- a good and bad thing! It's also the first car I bought for pleasure only. I'm now firmly in the 50+ crowd but have been looking at 914s since I was a teenager wondering if there was a Porsche I could ever afford. As I got older, I started to realize how cool of a car they were in their own right; hardly a compromise. Well, 914s were always just out of reach before today. It's a happy day. I think I got a good one. She's beautiful and ready to hit the sunny afternoon road is grand style!

Now, on to my question: It struck me as a really obvious thing to remove and replace the standard flooded battery with an AGM. I understand the 914 takes Group 42 or 96R. I learned today that AGMs in these sizes aren't too common! There have been discussions about which brand to go with over the years here and they're helpful. However, for me, there's one snag: I'm in Canada. The market here isn't nearly the market the US can support so selection is much poorer. Even many well-known brands of various different things have a much reduced offerings here versus in the US, a guaranteed source of perennial frustration.

Discussions have often talked about Odyssey and Optimum batteries. They're *technically* available here through third parties, but one never quite knows how long those have sat on the shelf or how a warranty claim, if needed, would be handled. And then, one also wonders how "official" those purchases are. So, to my fellow Canadian 914 folks, how have you proceeded if you wanted to put an AGM in your car? It would have been so nice just to go to Canadian Tire, taken advantage of their convenience, and received their great warranty! Alas, it seems not to be...

Any thoughts would be warmly received! Thanks.

Amazon - Weize Platinum AGM Battery BCI Group 47 H5
Currently have it in a new beetle but fits a 914.

For a little more... lithium
Group 47 LiFePO4 Lithium Car Battery

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

I've had Optima battery in all my Porsche for the last 20 years. Never had to replace one. Best, Mark

Got mine at Costco… Energizer AGM H5 perfect fit

You folks are amazing!! Thank you so much! And thanks for the welcome. I hope to see everyone frequently from here on in.

I don't have physical possession of my car yet, so I can't measure, but obviously you'd know. Comments on clearance on the H47s? Are you a lot closer to any contact points, as in, "we're pushing it"? From what I get at Battery groups charts the H5 is 15 mm taller.

If that fits without issue, then Canadian Tire does enter the chat. They even sell Optima. If you think that I'm part of their marketing department ( (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ) I can tell you I'm not. It's just that they are so damn convenient and effectively never give you a hassle. They're great to deal with.

I also am in the market to retrofit my 2 914s, the last battery i purchased worked but I had to strap it down since the clamp would not work since there was no bottom lip on the battery.

What battery designation tells me that it has a bottom lip? (I asked and AI and got bogus information).

Thank you Teeners!

Found this this chart here. It gives everything in detail, including hold downs. Document page 20 (PDF page 11) is particularly helpful. I still would love to know if the height clearance isn't an issue for the H5s. What kind of clearance have we got here?

I bought a battery at Costco for the fourteen. I am very pleased with it.

Gord





quote name='LikesSummer' date='Aug 2 2026, 08:01 PM' post='3267336']
Hello Everyone!

It's so nice to see such a vibrant forum and community. It's amazing!

This afternoon, I joined the 914 community with the purchase of my first car the specific details of which will be forthcoming at some point. In the meantime it's a 1972 1.7. I can't even begin to convey how excited I am about this thing. It's the first car I've ever owned that didn't become a classic while I owned it -- a good and bad thing! It's also the first car I bought for pleasure only. I'm now firmly in the 50+ crowd but have been looking at 914s since I was a teenager wondering if there was a Porsche I could ever afford. As I got older, I started to realize how cool of a car they were in their own right; hardly a compromise. Well, 914s were always just out of reach before today. It's a happy day. I think I got a good one. She's beautiful and ready to hit the sunny afternoon road is grand style!

Now, on to my question: It struck me as a really obvious thing to remove and replace the standard flooded battery with an AGM. I understand the 914 takes Group 42 or 96R. I learned today that AGMs in these sizes aren't too common! There have been discussions about which brand to go with over the years here and they're helpful. However, for me, there's one snag: I'm in Canada. The market here isn't nearly the market the US can support so selection is much poorer. Even many well-known brands of various different things have a much reduced offerings here versus in the US, a guaranteed source of perennial frustration.

Discussions have often talked about Odyssey and Optimum batteries. They're *technically* available here through third parties, but one never quite knows how long those have sat on the shelf or how a warranty claim, if needed, would be handled. And then, one also wonders how "official" those purchases are. So, to my fellow Canadian 914 folks, how have you proceeded if you wanted to put an AGM in your car? It would have been so nice just to go to Canadian Tire, taken advantage of their convenience, and received their great warranty! Alas, it seems not to be...

Any thoughts would be warmly received! Thanks.
[/quote]

What specifically did you buy?

I recently purchased this from my local Costco in Los Angeles.
It is slightly taller than the original but it fits without the rain tray. I don't drive in the rain.
I saw this guy on YT ensuring it fits.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGez-yatkko

The Costco gel battery. I have had no problems in a few years. You will need a specific size to ensure it fits in the battery box.


quote name='LikesSummer' date='Aug 21 2026, 06:53 AM' post='3269180']
[quote name='cdn914' post='3269079' date='Aug 20 2026, 04:44 PM']
I bought a battery at Costco for the fourteen. I am very pleased with it.

Gord



[/quote]

What specifically did you buy?
[/quote]

This was exactly the answer I wanted. Thanks for saving me some work! I asked around if someone had an H5 core they were willing to part with so that I could do a physical size check for fit. Everyone looked at me pretty strangely! That video is perfect.

Thanks again.