What Are the Alternatives to 96R Battery? (Answered)

96R batteries are pretty common when it comes to storing charge in vehicles. Usually, it’s the go-to battery for Chevrolet, Volkswagen and GMC models plus many more.

In any case, you might need to change these batteries. In this case, you will need extensive knowledge of batteries resembling the 96R size the most.

In this article, I will discuss a few options similar to the 96R group of batteries. Want to find out which one you should pick? Read till the end to find out!

What Is 96R Battery?

Vehicles can fasten group 96R batteries with top-mounted hold down straps/bars or by gripping any of its Side Arm and Face Sloped Foot flanges, and connecting electrically

The 96R level batteries are widely used in the automotive industry. Tse Lead Acid 6-Cell has a capacity of 12 volts. The dimensions are 24.2 cm X 17.5 cm X 17.5 cm. Moreover, they provide about 500 CCA. CCA is a measure of power, most popular in cold weather. It translates as ‘Cold Cranking Amps’. It is the measure of the instantaneous power supply by the battery at zero degrees Fahrenheit

Same in the Group?

The T5 car batteries fall under the 96R group. The available sizes of T batteries are all ‘H’ sized. The only difference is that their height is 17mm lower.

Alternatives To 96R Battery:

When shopping for batteries, take a look at the durability, warranty, cost and the newness of the battery (in case you are shopping second-hand batteries). Below you will find the information regarding this with the alternatives I will provide.

Note that I will only be mentioning the ones I found best according to my research. These are batteries that are better than those from Advance Auto, Walmart or AutoZone. Here are the alternatives:

Optima Red 35

This is the most popular alternative. You may have already noticed whenever you search for 96R battery alternatives. So let me make this short.

These pure lead batteries are very long-lasting and therefore expensive. It has 720 CCA.

Its reserve capacity at 25 Amps is 90 minutes. Which means 37.5 Amperhours. They have a warranty of 12-36 months. The batteries last up to 3-4 years.

Odyssey PC1200MJT

This lead-acid AGM is capacitated to 12 volts. It has a dimension: 7.87 L x 6.66 H x 6.8 W (inches). And weighs around 38.2 lbs. It’s CCA is supposed to be 590.

The specialty of this battery? Good performance in a lightweight box! They last long and are definitely worth the money.

They have 45 Amperhours which means 108 minutes, calculated at 25 Amps. They offer 3 years warranty for non-commercial use.

Duracell

The 96R Durcell is an Ultra Flooded battery from Sam’s Club that comes with a CCA 600 and 90 Reserve Minutes. They are made by East Penn.

This battery was meant to last a long time. It is a bit pricey. However, the warranty conditions are not exactly attractive.

Bosch

The 96R group of batteries by Bosch are 590 CCA. They come with 95 minutes reserve capacity. They are super lightweight with just 10.4 lbs weight.

The dimensions measure 12.2 x 10.2 x 10.2 inches. They are built to be 50% more lasting than other batteries.

But like Duracell, the warranty is of 4-years. Bosch and Duracell have somewhat similar performance range.

A Comparison Chart for Compatible Alternatives:

Name

Warranty

Dimensions

CCA

Volt

Price

Optima Red 35

1-3 years

9.3 x 6.8 x 7.6 inches

720

12V

~$200

 

 

 

 

 

Odyssey PC1200MJT

3 years (Non-Commercial)

‎7.87 x 6.66 x 6.8 inches

590

~$350

Duracell

2-5-years

12-7/16 x 6-7/8 x 7-1/2 inches

600

~$160

Bosch

4-years

12.2 x 10.2 x 10.2 inches

590

~$80

The Best Alternative?

The best alternative according to the features from my research would be the 2010 Ford Fusion. Because they deliver ptimum performance within a somewhat affordable price.

However, the Optima Red has been popularly selected over any other battery.

But if that’s too expensive for you, the best bet will be Bosch. They have optimum performance and the most affordable of the bunch.

And although the Odyssey 96R battery is the most expensive of the bunch, I would suggest it to those of you who are a bit adventurous. And are relentless in the pursuit of performance (also you guys can afford the price!)

What Happens If I Use The Wrong 96R Battery Size?

Here are the issues you will see for a wrong battery size:

  1. Your battery is a misfit for the vehicle. Therefore, you will have fitting issues.
  2. There will be damage to the alternator. That means, the alternator will frequently fail.
  3. Lack of energy from the battery. This occurs via the alternator damage.
  4. You will see more frequent short-circuits in your vehicle.

Moreover, you will have to do a lot of damage-control and pay amounts of repair-costs.

Charger-Adapter Issues With the Alternative Batteries?

One of the main issues that arise when using battery alternatives is that the adapter of the charger is not of the proper voltage. This supports interrupted charging, or slow charging. Often resulting in the damage of the adapters.

But the suggested alternatives will not show the problem. This is because all of them have same volts. So you will need the same volt charger for them. So keep in mind that it is the voltage that matters in case of charger adapters.

Final Words

96R batteries are one of the essential parts. Without them you cannot run your car, truck or van. But make sure you are getting a proper size. Otherwise, they wil harm your alternator and eventually cause more number of damages.

Keep an alternative battery at hand for long road-trips. And about choosing the battery? It depends on your demands. And this article gives you the information that helps you decide on which 96R battery you will purchase.

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