Any Ideas as what is the best battery for a 1971 914-4?
Thanks,914

A lot of people use the Optima batteries. No worries about acid damage to the hell hole area.

IIRC I got a RED TOP R34. Worth the extra $... Amazon probably has the best price, especially if you have access to Prime. I also remember using the shipping spacer so the factory hold down clamp will hold it down. I is just a red tray the battery clips to the bottom of the battery and that moves it enough for the clamp to catch it.


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Bosch 96R battery fits perfect.
Check PepBoys, usually on sale around $90.

Something else I really like are my connectors. I got a low profile type. That keeps the rain tray from hitting the battery. It pinches the battery stud with an allen bolt. You can't see it on this picture, it is on the back. The stud is under the logo. And you get 3 large accessory connectors that work with a Phillips screw driver. Also great with FI cars that have 3 or 4 hots to mount.

I now just hate the standard connectors. The pinch nut is too close to the battery top and the wrench always slips off, or you don't have room and you spark up the world messing with it. This one is perfect.

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Thanks everyone for the reply's.I got the Bosch 96R..
914

I got mine from amazon. Cheapest price I could find. No more worries about battery acid eating away my car!

neverheard of a bosch battery,, if you find the time maybe attach an installed pic by request

If it's a Vented Battery, such as I have, buy a Battery Mat that will help control the vented Battery Acid that excapes. Cut the mat to size and put it under the Battery on the tray, and also cut a peace to go Vertically behind the battery. Replace it every couple years, it will nuetralize the acid.

Here is the Bosch battery..Again Thanks everyone for the replys..
914




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I thought you wanted the best battery for your 914?

Nothing wrong with the Bosch but, as with any lead acid battery, make sure you have an acid mat underneath.

Always used a mat on my Four and Six..
914

I have one as well. After returning 3 Optimas in a year and a half I switched to this.

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Any chance you can post the dimendions of the bosch battery?

The battery purchased by the original poster is a 96R. You can look up group 96R on the chart below (click image to supersize). Group 42 and group 34 batteries also fit the stock tray.

Also, just so you know, Bosch does make an AGM battery ...

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Here's what I did.

When it comes time for a battery, it is going to be a sealed battery for sure. No more leaking acid worries, regardless of a battery pad/liner.

Online battery purchases are 25% off at Pep Boys right now. But be careful about the end date because there appears to be some confusion on their own site about when the sale ends. One link says the end of May while others say the end of June. Might want to call a store to verify.

Here is what gets pulled up when doing a search for Bosch AGM batteries:

https://www.pepboys.com/search/?term=bosch+agm+battery

Example ...

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dlkawashima, do you run a size 34? Would really like a Bosch AGM but worried a size 34 is too/long tall. Looks like Bosch doesn't make an AGM in 96R (or original size 42). Thanks!

I put a Miata U1R AGM in mine. Smaller, lighter, cheaper than most AGM. You do need to build your own hold down for it, but for the price it's hard to beat. I paid $112.50 at Batteries Plus.

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Cool! I think next go around I'll do AGM.

I picked up the Bosch 96R tonight. FWIW, while I was at the store I checked out the Bosch 34 AGM per my previous post. The 34 was L/H-pos polarity (opposite the 96R, and stock size 42) so that sealed the deal.

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It's a no-brainer to avoid lead-acid. They are heavy leaking pigs.

What I find interesting is the tiny Odyssey PC-680s have worked flawlessly for me for years. Mount anywhere, any orientation, won't leak, super tiny and light but have never failed to crank my engine.

I still think Lithium Ion is where they all go next. Even lighter. Disregard the fears, they are getting better.

It is pretty common in the experimental aircraft world to use PC 680's. I use one to crank my 360 cubic inch 9:1 compression Lycoming. Very reliable, AGM, takes abuse and weighs 7 lbs IIRC.

this battery right now is on sale $47 off, for $143.24 FYI
- on Pepboys online - -- discount code MMJ25 - we don't have a pepboys close so I might opt for home delivery
- I also have had 3 optima batteries fail . They just don't do well in cars that sit a long time- and if you run them down too far you cant just charge them back up the standard way - this is what so many have issues with.
( per the battery store expert- they don't recharge by just hooking up a charger to them like lead acid)

Phil

Dr. Phil -- if you do order the Bosch AGM from pep boys, keep in mind the positive
terminal on it is on the opposite side from the stock 914 set up (per my last post).

I’ve got an 8 year old PC680 in my 911. Nice battery, but I couldn’t find one locally when I needed one for the 914. Hence the Miata battery.

thanks for the heads up- I noticed that. Right now I have the AMG version from Autozone, duralast with positive on right side. The car is getting refresh/repaint with some mild body work and I'm having the battery tray cleaned up( it had surface rust but no thru- and it is the original! so after that's done I don't think I want that type of battery in there again, so will go with a AGM .

......But, of course!

mines really small,weighs in @ 9lbs and runs when ever I need to start it...one really good feature is their low discharge rate when not used,try that with a lead acid if you don't use it much.

So I assume you have to also buy MALE wire ends or screw in battery posts, cause this one has FEMALE connectors on it. Am I correct?

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Another option:

25% Off Online Orders of Select Hard Parts. Enter Promo Code MMJ25 in Cart.
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Bosch Premium Performance Battery Group, Size 96R 9929951
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Bosch Premium Performance Battery Group, Size 96R

Part #: 96R590B| SKU: 9929951
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Available today
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The Bosch car battery, Group Size 96R, is designed with a corrosion resistant grain structure to prevent sulfating and prolong life time.
Long life technology minimizes water loss and protects against corrosion.
Save 25% with Promo Code MMJ25
Qty:
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$121.99
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Promotion:
-$30.50
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$91.49
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I bought an H6 AGM Bosch battery for my father's car under the 30% off deal Pep Boys had last month. I'm planning on installing it this weekend if we like the fit. It's the best deal I've seen for a larger, quality AGM battery. I just wish they sold a Bosch AGM that would fit in my 914. Most guys seem to go with a 34R in the full size AGM realm but that won't fit with my rain tray. The battery it is replacing is an Interstate that's been in service for 16 years and still cranks fine, but it's time to switch to an AGM for the sake of corrosion prevention. The Interstate has a negative cutoff valve which is the main reason it lasted so long. That, and it was probably built to a higher standard at the time. My newer interstates have not been quite so robust.

I am bringing this up b/c most people seem to be of the opinion that a trickle charger is the only way to go on a car that is not driven regularly. I'm not knocking the trickle charger because there are definitely situations that require one, but a good battery that gets fully charged by the alternator generally doesn't discharge if there is no draw on it, so a cutoff switch can be a cheap, easy option.

Yep, but they are standard size, maybe 10 bucks on Amazon. You can probably get them at your FLAPS.

FWIW - I've had the odyssey pc925 in the stock location for about a year, very happy, fits snugly. It's a tad more narrow than the stock battery, so I plan to put in a simple clamp on mine over the winter. I also did the Bosch starter relay kit, which takes all of 10 minutes to install, and that helped tremendously in terms of turning over power.

Can anyone confirm if this "non-spillable" Bosch U1R Miata Battery is an AGM. I can't find anything official that confirms it is, but the specs are similar to AGMs in the same size and I found a couple posts on Miata forums indicating that it is. Also, does it matter? I don't care about the AGM charging properties, etc. I just want something that is not going to leak or give off vapor.

I'm down to this and the same battery that Arne posted above, but the Duracell is a longer drive and higher than what he paid. Plus, the Bosch has an extra year of warranty coverage and can be swapped out at any Pep Boys. I was going to order the deka agm from amazon but some of the reviews/1 year warranty are concerning.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/945...quantity=1#tab4

Update:
When it comes to little baby Bosch U1RT370B, AGM is not the father...I mean category.

Called Bosch. Miata forum posts were wrong. So close.

Is there any chance you can post pics of the top view or let me know what you did/used to fasten the battery down? I bought the same battery today and got hold down bolts, but couldn't find a top portion that wasn't way too big at advance, autozone, etc.

Quick update in case anyone else needs guidance on this. I bought 2 hold-down bolts with the angle at the bottom that was closest to 90 degrees, a universal hold-down cross-bar, and a new cable for the negative post. I ended up buying the parts from 3 different stores based on what I thought would work best. Already had the negative cut-off valve from another car, which you can get at most auto parts stores. Might switch to a blade style if it will fit. I drilled a hole in the tray in line with the bracket hole just large enough that I could get the bolt through the bottom of the tray. The only thing left after this will be to wedge something between the battery and the cross-bar to remove any play. The other option is to order an adjustable crossbar to fit the narrow battery, but the reviews I have seen on them aren't great and top of this battery isn't very conducive to a flat hold-down.
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I just found this tonight. http://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey-pc680...tm_campaign=PLA