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I have a 1993 968. The battery currently in it was installed by Advance Auto Parts a few years ago. I need a new battery and the battery their system lists for this car is different from the one in it now.
Currently installed:
Silver 91-1, 615 CCA / 765 CA, reserve capacity 95
Below that it says Group Size DIN H6 | EN LN3 | BCI 48.
Recommended by Advance Auto Parts computer:
Gold HD 12V European Gp 91 OE Exact Fit Battery - 720 CCA / 860 CA
OE Group T6; OE CCA 600, Battery Spec: 60 Ah
The Advance employee said that the battery recommended by the computer is called something like AGM and is physically larger than the one in my car. See photo of available space around the battery. Maybe their computer is just wrong? I think it makes the most sense to replace it with the same one, but I'm not opposed to a better battery since I sometimes let the car sit a while and have to charge the battery to get it started.
An AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat, I believe) battery is a fine replacement for the standard lead-acid type. Optima batteries are AGM, from what I understand.
I don't think that a higher CCA battery will do any harm, that's just a measure of the power available to run the starter, so more is potentially helpful over a wider temperature range.
Anyway, I think that a physically larger form factor might be something of an issue. As you show, there's not a whole lot of space there already. Have you searched for H6 size batteries? I didn't think they were that rare...
Thank you! I think AGM was a red herring, maybe the employee mentioned it to direct my attention to an in-stock battery while showing me the size differences.
Knowing H6 was the size was the key info I needed to sort this out - very helpful!
The battery Advance is offering me is a T6 listed as 11" long. My current H6 battery measures a little over 10.5" so I assume the 11" is a nominal size, not an exact measurement.
I'm going to get the gold-level T6 battery that Advance recommends to replace my silver-level H6. Worst case if it doesn't fit, they should accept a return since their system says it will fit, and they have my current battery in stock.
Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate the quick and friendly input.
One additional item to consider for AGM batteries - they are less tolerant than lead-acid batteries to being fully discharged, so it is more important to use trickle charger on them if the car is likely to sit for extended periods of time.
One additional item to consider for AGM batteries - they are less tolerant than lead-acid batteries to being fully discharged, so it is more important to use trickle charger on them if the car is likely to sit for extended periods of time.
That's great to know, thank you! Glad I didn't go with AGM.
Which battery?
