Battery

[Plunky]

hi, my battery is completely knackered! so i need a new one...but my question is what battery should i get? i'm putting an xe in in a couple of months and have a 1.2 at the mo.
is there any batterys that will be ok for both engines? as i dont really want to be getting another new one in a couple of months when i do the conversion.

cheers

Liam

[Nova_Tek]

What alternator have you got mate?

[Plunky]

havnt got a clue...what do i need to look at to see what one it is?

[Nova_Tek]

are you using an original one off your 1.2 or have you changed it for an uprated one?

If you look on the body of the alternator it should have some number stamped. normall will say something like 45A or 55A etc. That shows the amp output.

I had a 55 amp battery on my old 45amp alternator which wasnt a problem. it depends on what you are running electric wise, sound system, alarm the more power you use a higher capacity is better.

IIRC the 2.0 litres normally run a 55amp + battery and cars with more luxuries run bigger batteries.

Also you need to consider the batteries CCA rating which is the cold crank load. The higher the better and can supply more power to start the car.

[Plunky]

ok well the battery i have got on there at the minute says 60A on it so should i just get the same battery?
think it has been uprated from the standard one.

[Nova_Tek]

60A is a fairly large capacity battery, I currently have a 65amp battery & run a 70amp alternator.

That should be fine if you have been running it. Will also do for an E in the future aswell.

[Jack]

Cav diesel battery FTW lol

[craig green]

Unless you run a massive sound system, it wont matter too much tbh. I've never had any issues with 45amps or more.

[Philsutton]

yep any nova battery will do to be honest, provided its in good working order to start with.

[Zach]

looking to get a 1| nova (trip maybe?) and will be fitting an install to it.. id like to go about upgrading the battery/eletrical system so i dont have power loss issues (flickering head lights) with out using a powercap.

only thing im worried about is putting strain on the small engin and making the thing slower!

some advice would be amazing!

[Nova_Tek]

Depends on what the system consists of how many amps subs etc. For example I have a sound system not the biggest but still 8 speakers, sub & 4 channel amp & no power cap.

I was running that on my standard 45 amp alternator and 50amp battery with hardly any signs of lights flickering, maybe only at low idle.

[Zach]

at first i will be running an amp 500w-1000w, two 12" subs, head unit and 6x9s may introduce a second amp at a later stage..
may sound stupid but i dont want to drain the system and burn out the original whiring.
thanks though if i get a problem ill post what it is!

[mikey14sr]

I used to use a nova TD sized battery (065 type I think), with a 70A alternator from an 8v astra on a 1.4, never had a problem with that combination.

[Welsh Dan]

I've got to correct you lot, battery capacity is measured in amp-hours not amps lol.

I use a 45AH battery with a 70amp alternator, I sometimes think to myself that a bigger battery would help with winter starts, but the bigger the battery the more it'll hurt when it lands on your feet lol.

[Zach]

haha seems likle a plan to me, im going to look into it more

[Nova_Tek]

If you need something with a good cold start then look out for the CCA rating. My current battery is 65AH 670CCA and my Alternator is 70 Amp off a Cav SRi 8v.

TBH if you are gonna upgrade the alternator go for the biggest battery you can fit in your car & suited to the alternator. 70Ah should suffice for everything on a Nova,

[Zach]

will a bigger alternator put a strain on the engin.. ?being a 1.0 making it slower.. ? or will this nor matter?

[Nova_Tek]

Wont matter, the engine will drive the alternator as it does normally but it will just out put more then the old one

[NovaLad]

I spent 60 quid on a 55 ah battery and when i was playing my music with my kicker l7 sub 1500 watt sub and my 1500 watt amp it the interior light would flicker a bit and fade out and in and the same would happen with my bumper light and brake lights.

[mulletor]

if you dont want your lights dimming etc you are better off getting a power cap.
just having a big battery wont fix this.

[Nova_Tek]

If you have a large or powerful system then a power cap is needed as mulletor has said.

Having a bigger alternator and Battery will just mean that theres more power aviailble for the whole car.

[Zach]

oh ok, alot have people have told me that a power cap will only cover the problem, is there an actul solution ?

[mikey14sr]

There is, fit a second battery!

Optima yellow or red tops are designed for running amps, stick one in the boot with a split charging system and wire the amps to that instead of the main battery.

[draper]

i used to have a vectra diesal battery on my XE, would turn the car over the engine lol