Quote:
Originally Posted by jgold47
...I'm a little confused, because I've seen specs for an H7, H8, H9, 49 and 94R for our cars. I've got a 3.0. I want the biggest baddest battery possible.
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This is no more confusing than buying tires for you vehicle. Yes, it's daunting because all the offerings...but when you narrow down what you want/need compared to how much you want to spend, versus the environment and conditions you use your vehicle...and compare that to the 49/H8 or 95/H9 batteries and their specs/warranty/price in your local area...it shouldn't be that difficult to decide.
You should have been able to tell from those previous threads that the 95R/H9 is the "biggest" battery (not
neccesarily the baddest or best, though)...and from their...the choice between if its a lead-acid battery or an AGM battery...can tilt your decision one way or the other, too.
Know what the following specs mean & how they should affect your decision based on where you live (cold/hot/temperate climate), where you park (garage/street), and if you require extra reserves due to additional electronics installed:
- Ah (amp hour)
- RC (reserve capacity)
- CC (cranking amps)
- CCC (cold cranking amps)
Also know the difference between a
LEAD-ACID battery & an
AGM (absorbant glass mat) battery.
Any 95R/H9 aftermarket battery is usually the biggest & most expensive battery besides the BMW branded battery you get from a dealer....and that's because it has the most plates inside, and usually has the highest amp hour rating (90Ah or 100Ah). The CA (cranking amps) and CCA (cold cranking amps) may very battery size to battery size...but the Ah (amp hour) & RC (reserve capacity) are generally higher on the 95R/H9 battery.
The AGM version (absorbent glass mat) will also have higher Reserve Capacity & Amp Hour ratings...so you could possibly look at the 49 H8 AGM battery as an alterantive to a 95R/H9 lead-acid battery.
The best thing to do is...arm yourself with the class size battery that you know fits (the 49/H8 & 95/H9)...then shop your local area to see what's available, and the costs & specs & warranty for those batteries. Availability can vary by location.
The 94/H7 & 48/H6 batteries usually have lesser specs than the 49/H8 & 95/H9 batteries as well as slightly smaller battery case size...that is why (over the last decade) I've always recommended the 49/H8/95/H9 as replacements.
Below are pics (again) that show this:
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