Replacement battery specifications

[dparm]

My battery shit the bed last night so I did some digging on what's available for the B6/B7 S4 & RS4. Figured this would be useful, especially with winter nearly upon us. The short of it is that the cars need a group 49 battery, preferably in AGM (absorbed glass mat). They're about 60lbs.

All US batteries are made by one of three companies: East Penn Mfg (Deka), Exide, or Johnson Controls. These companies just privately label them for Pep Boys, NAPA, etc. What sucks is that not all batteries sold at Sears, for example, are made by Johnson. It can vary based on the "line" of battery or even the "group". Some companies are vague on specifications, so I apologize if this information is incomplete ** I did my best to call and get the latest data. Sometimes the supplier will change so the specs might vary in 6, 12, or 18 months from now.

I also included warranty information, which is listed as "full replacement/pro-rated replacement". 36 mo/96 mo, for example, means if it dies in the first 3 years, they give you a new battery. If it dies between 36 and 96 months, you get a partial credit on a new battery. Just remember that at the 95th month, you're looking at getting a few bucks "credit" if it dies so I wouldn't worry too much about this. There are a few special batteries in here which have unusual warranties.

When you read the specifications below, you'll see that not all batteries are created equal, even when produced by the same company!



Cold cranking amps, or CCA, are king here. This is a standardized measure for how much current the battery can supply at 0 F when cranked continuously for 30 seconds. Each cell must maintain 1.2v, which works out to 7.2v for a typical 12v battery. Since batteries lose a substantial amount of their power at low temps, we want maximum CCA. For those that live in warm climates, don't dismiss this figure completely. There is a marked difference in battery output between 50 F and 80 F, though obviously at 10 F it's far worse.

The other big figure is reserve capacity minutes, sometimes called reserve time. This is another standardized test for how long the battery can supply at least 25A and stay above 10.5V at 80 F. In real-world terms, it's a measure of how long the battery could continue providing juice if the alternator were to stop. More is better, though I tend to weight the CCA figure higher.




Braille Endurance B10049
Mfg: East Penn
1115cca
150+ min reserve
60 mo (pro-rated replacement only)
$298


Braille Endurance B7548
Mfg: East Penn
945cca
120+ min reserve
60 mo (pro-rated replacement only)
$248
NOTE: this is a group 48 battery. It is extremely powerful and matches/beats most group 49s. You'll save about 15 pounds but may need to built a custom bracket to secure it. If saving 15lbs is worth the extra $100, by all means go for this one. The warranties on this are of course much shorter due to its performance nature.



NAPA Legend 84 (8449)
Mfg: Exide
900cca
180 min reserve
24 mo/84 mo
56.5 lb
$134.00


Super Start Premium+ AGM
O'Reilly Auto Parts
Mfg: East Penn
900cca
180 min reserve
24 mo/72 mo
$169.99


Die Hard Gold
Sears
Mfg: Johnson Controls
900cca
150 min reserve
36 mo/100 mo
$134.99


Varta Start Stop Plus
~~~ OEM ~~~
Mfg: Johnson Controls
850cca
??? reserve
$145 (varies by dealer)


East Penn Intimidator AGM 9A49
Batteries Plus
Mfg: East Penn
850cca
170 min reserve
$179.99


Carquest European Import
Mfg: East Penn
850cca
170 min reserve
$132.99


Duralast Platinum
Autozone
Mfg: Johnson Controls
850cca
170 min reserve
36 mo/96 mo
$154.99


Bosch Premium Power
Pep Boys
Mfg: Exide
850cca
120 min reserve
36 mo/96 mo
$104.99


NAPA Legend 75 (9849)
Mfg: Exide
850cca
170 min reserve
18 mo/75 mo
58.5lb
$114.00


Interstate Megatron Plus 93
Mfg: Johnson Controls
850cca
155 reserve
30 mo/85 mo
52lb
$136.95


Odyssey PC1350
Batteries Plus
Mfg: Odyssey
770cca
195 min reserve
48 mo (full replacement only)
$356
NOTE: Odyssey is considered a high-performance battery, despite offering mediocre CCA. Odyssey makes their own batteries and does not use recycled lead from old batteries like everyone else. They also have some unique manufacturing processes that make these a step up in terms of longevity and reliability. For those of you who care, they're made right here in the USA. Unfortunately they're so expensive it's typically cheaper to just buy two normal batteries. Sears sells these under their Die Hard Platinum line, actually...but not in group 48 or 49 sizes.


Autocraft Gold
Advance Auto Parts
Mfg: Johnson Controls?
900cca
150 min reserve
36 mo/84 mo
$155.99


Duralast Gold
Autozone
Mfg: Johnson Controls
760cca
100 min reserve
36 mo/96 mo
$124.99





You may have noticed there is no Optima battery listed here. That's because Optima does not make a drop-in replacement (group 49), or even the slightly smaller version which is a group 48. The Yellow Top D27F or Blue Top D31M are similar in specification to a group 49, so theoretically they would work; you'd have to fabricate your own brackets, of course. As of late I am reading about a lot of quality control issues with Optimas compared to the ones of years ago. The warranty replacement process is a huge hassle too, from what I'm told. Given that the Optima specs are not really any better than anything else, I don't see any compelling reason to select them. All of their marketing about "deep cycle" is just another way of saying it's an AGM or gel-cell. If you're wondering, Optimas are made by Johnson Controls.

[TConklin821]

I have a NAPA Battery in my car. It's been good to me thus far.

[TConklin821]

Also, when I had my 97 Dodge, I had Napa batteries. It was a turbo diesel and had two batteries, had them in for 2 years. I lived in Florida, then I moved back to NY during the winter when it was below 0 most nights and it was fine

[dparm]

Consumer Reports has consistently shown NAPA batteries to be some of the best. They always win the torture tests for CCA...a lot of other batteries CR tested really sucked.

I just got back from throwing an East Penn AGM in. Getting that sucker out is a real bitch. You need some epic shoulder muscles (or a friend). They tested my OEM battery at only 220cca, and that was after 20 minutes of driving in 60 degree weather. Build date of the car is July 2004. Given how rarely I drive I think 7+ years and 65k from the OEM Varta is damn good.

[Batcave]

What age was your battery when it bought the farm? I'm curious because I have an OEM battery installed in my car. It has been installed for six years. I'm planning to replace it before this time next year as seven years for a battery is plenty long!

The last time I bought a battery (not for my Audi) was from Walmart - a Duralast with a seven-year warranty. It died after five years, but was under a pro-rated warrant. However, they still gave me a replacement battery for free. I'm considering going to Walmart for a new battery again.

What are you going with?

[Apat]

What age was your battery when it bought the farm? I'm curious because I have an OEM battery installed in my car. It has been installed for six years. I'm planning to replace it before this time next year as seven years for a battery is plenty long!

The last time I bought a battery (not for my Audi) was from Walmart - a Duralast with a seven-year warranty. It died after five years, but was under a pro-rated warrant. However, they still gave me a replacement battery for free. I'm considering going to Walmart for a new battery again.

What are you going with?

Whoever the employee was who gave you a free replacement after 5yrs made a mistake. I wouldn't count on that happening again. But good for you anyways.

Duralast = Autozone
Everstart = Walmart

You have to be a little careful with Everlasts. They are made by all the manufactures. It depends on what part of the country you live in. So performance isn't consistent.

Napa was getting their batteries from East Penn up to 3yrs ago I believe. Until they had a big falling out. So any experience you had with their batteries in the past may not hold true today.

[nicotino15]

anybody know if costco carries a matching replacement in their kirkland brand? Wonder if those are any good.

[SlickFix]

Thanks for the info, dparm! The battery on my 2005 S4 is a Varta, so I'm going to replace it soon. When you live in Minnesota, waiting til your battery fails is a recipe for disaster.

[dparm]

What age was your battery when it bought the farm? I'm curious because I have an OEM battery installed in my car. It has been installed for six years. I'm planning to replace it before this time next year as seven years for a battery is plenty long!

The last time I bought a battery (not for my Audi) was from Walmart - a Duralast with a seven-year warranty. It died after five years, but was under a pro-rated warrant. However, they still gave me a replacement battery for free. I'm considering going to Walmart for a new battery again.

What are you going with?

Well it was the original battery from when the car was built in July of 2004, so a bit over 7 years old and 65k. The previous owner and I didn't drive every day so this battery wasn't getting a good charge very often. There have been several times during my ownership of the car that it hasn't been driven for 3 weeks. Often times I would drive it for 15 minutes and then park it again for a week...horrible for battery life. Fortunately it's a climate controlled garage.

If your battery is six years old, I would definitely get it tested.

The receipt lists it as "12V 49 XTREME AGM 36 9A49". If you go to Batteries Plus, just tell them you want the group 49 AGM. If you do not specify that you want AGM (which is what OEM is), you'll get a more generic Rayovac-branded one. Their computer system and website is not very good, I guess. BP's AGM is a rebranded East Penn Intimidator 9A49. East Penn/Deka is considered to be the top-tier for batteries, hence the slightly higher price and the 36 month warranty.

[dparm]

anybody know if costco carries a matching replacement in their kirkland brand? Wonder if those are any good.

I would assume they do. Kirkland = Johnson Controls. I would not get it if the free replacement warranty is less than 36 months unless they're asking like $75 for the battery. The crappy warranty is how they get away with charging much less.

IMO, longer replacement warranty means they have more faith in the durability of the battery, especially when it comes to an AGM.

[Batcave]

Whoever the employee was who gave you a free replacement after 5yrs made a mistake. I wouldn't count on that happening again. But good for you anyways.

Duralast = Autozone
Everstart = Walmart

You have to be a little careful with Everlasts. They are made by all the manufactures. It depends on what part of the country you live in. So performance isn't consistent.

Napa was getting their batteries from East Penn up to 3yrs ago I believe. Until they had a big falling out. So any experience you had with their batteries in the past may not hold true today.

Oops, I was thinking 'duracell' and it morphed into 'duralast'. But it was an 'Energizer'-branded battery. They still carry them today. I think the actual warranty is 36 month free replacement and pro-rated after that up to 108 weeks. It was priced pretty well and it worked well. The only reason why it died was because I didn't start my car for over three months. The battery was so weak that it started after I did up my seatbelt (so the chime would turn off). I drove it to the wal-mart and replaced it in the parking lot.

[dparm]

^ You should use a battery floater. It's a type of trickle charger that will automatically drop the amperage once full voltage is reached.

[JRMSLINEA4]

Good info dparm. Does the OEM battery have a production date on it?
I'm wondering if I'm on the original.

[Batcave]

Well it was the original battery from when the car was built in July of 2004, so a bit over 7 years old and 65k. The previous owner and I didn't drive every day so this battery wasn't getting a good charge very often. There have been several times during my ownership of the car that it hasn't been driven for 3 weeks. Often times I would drive it for 15 minutes and then park it again for a week...horrible for battery life. Fortunately it's a climate controlled garage.

If your battery is six years old, I would definitely get it tested.

The receipt lists it as "12V 49 XTREME AGM 36 9A49". If you go to Batteries Plus, just tell them you want the group 49 AGM. If you do not specify that you want AGM (which is what OEM is), you'll get a more generic Rayovac-branded one. Their computer system and website is not very good, I guess. BP's AGM is a rebranded East Penn Intimidator 9A49. East Penn/Deka is considered to be the top-tier for batteries, hence the slightly higher price and the 36 month warranty.

Hmm, yes I should probably get it tested. I make only short trips - sometimes less than 15 minutes at a time. Every other week I will drive it for 150 miles on the highway. However, in the winter I might not drive it for a week or more and highway trips are more infrequent. Plus it's parked outdoors, covered, in a car port. I'm a bit surprised because I didn't drive it for six weeks last winter and it started on the first crank.

ps. the battery float charger sounds like a good idea! Thanks for the info.

[dparm]

Good info dparm. Does the OEM battery have a production date on it?
I'm wondering if I'm on the original.

Didn't bother looking, the guy took it for the core exchange. It's worth noting that the cars actually get their batteries installed HERE in the US when they are taken off the boat, so mine isn't exactly from July 2004. It's likely August 2004 or something like that.

[Batcave]

Good info dparm. Does the OEM battery have a production date on it?
I'm wondering if I'm on the original.

I have a sticker on my OEM battery that has the manufacture date.

[dparm]

How close is it to the car's build date?

[NY07RS4]

Great info DParm - any chance you could throw the weights of each next to the items?

[Batcave]

How close is it to the car's build date?

It was a replacement battery. It was Manufactured in April and installed in November so it was sitting around for quite a bit.

[SquiddyB6S4]

Great data, Dan. Thanks

As for Napa selling pretty good stuff, I'll vouch for that. Their store brand auto and industrial belts are made by Gates, and their oil and fuel filters are made by Wix. They frequently carry S&K hand tools, too. It should follow that their batteries are also of quality manufacture. I love my friendly neighborhood Napa store, and they love me back.

Though I have to say, I use Rock Auto for all significant parts orders. Doesn't help much on the Audi, but it helps for the several other cars for which I am responsible for maintenance.

[Batcave]

Hmm, the more I think of it, the more I think I should just get a new batter now before it dies on me in the middle of the winter.

[Audi0s]

Usually the week and year of manufacture is stamped on one of the post on OEM batteries. Average life is about 4 years, but that could the "recommended replacement" time.

[Apat]

The manufacture date is heat stamped into the plastic of most battery makes. Johnson Controls uses a 4 digit code. The first 2 digits are the only ones of meaning. First digit is the month. A = Jan, B = Feb, C = March, etc. Second digit is the year. 7 = 2007, 8 = 2008, etc.

The OEM battery in our S4 is of extremely high quality and will last 6-7 years on average.

If you are getting your battery tested its best to get it "load" tested. Digital impedance testers are OK but there is no replacement for a good load test. Make sure the person doing the testing loads the battery for 30 seconds. Some techs get a little too confident in their diagnostic skills and only load for 5 or 10 seconds. That's not long enough for a good test and a surface charge may disguise a possible issue.

[Mr. Corey]

Very informative writeup Dparm!

[coasterjob]

Once again, great info from dparm!

How'd you know I was in the market for a battery? Mine started struggling in the last few days. Been on the back burner for a while though knowing I'd probably need one.

thanks!

Yeah, ditto on the PITA installation. weight+location=poor leverage without help

[nicotino15]

I think it would be really time consuming, but I'd love to see weights as well. Or, also a relocation to the trunk for better weight distribution, has anybody done that before?

[jibberjive]

Nice thread. I don't see the Sears Die Hard Platinum on the list (I assume they don't make a drop in size?). I've made some longer posts in other sections about the Platinum battery, but the short version is I used to be a sponsored car audio competitor and have gone through my fair share of batteries. I ran an Optima redtop in a B6 that I had, and I was less than stoked with how long it lasted (and the warranty). I've since bought a few of the Die Hard Platinums for different cars, and they are the battery that I'll go with hands down whenever I replace another battery in the car. They are debranded Odyssey AGM batteries, and their performance and warranty is the best of the ones I was considering. You should check them out for the list, if you haven't already seen them (though you might need to adapt the battery holder if there's not an exact drop-in replacement.)

Edit: I just saw on the Odyssey PC1350 is on the list. I can almost guarantee there's a Die Hard Platinum version that is the exact same battery for $200. Awesome batteries.

[SquiddyB6S4]

I think it would be really time consuming, but I'd love to see weights as well. Or, also a relocation to the trunk for better weight distribution, has anybody done that before?

Yes. In fact, Audi did it. On the RS4

[dparm]

Nice thread. I don't see the Sears Die Hard Platinum on the list (I assume they don't make a drop in size?). I've made some longer posts in other sections about the Platinum battery, but the short version is I used to be a sponsored car audio competitor and have gone through my fair share of batteries. I ran an Optima redtop in a B6 that I had, and I was less than stoked with how long it lasted (and the warranty). I've since bought a few of the Die Hard Platinums for different cars, and they are the battery that I'll go with hands down whenever I replace another battery in the car. They are debranded Odyssey AGM batteries, and their performance and warranty is the best of the ones I was considering. You should check them out for the list, if you haven't already seen them (though you might need to adapt the battery holder if there's not an exact drop-in replacement.)

Edit: I just saw on the Odyssey PC1350 is on the list. I can almost guarantee there's a Die Hard Platinum version that is the exact same battery for $200. Awesome batteries.

There is no Die Hard Platinum in group 48 or 49, believe me...I checked. It would've been my #1 or #2 choice.

[dparm]

I think it would be really time consuming, but I'd love to see weights as well. Or, also a relocation to the trunk for better weight distribution, has anybody done that before?

All group 49 batteries are 60lbs, +/- 5lbs in my experience. If you move to group 48 (B5 S4, for example), they're 45lbs or so but you lose a lot of the CCA power our big motors like.

Or go for the crazy lithium batteries that Braille Auto sells for $2800. They only weigh 18 lbs.

[jibberjive]

I think it would be really time consuming, but I'd love to see weights as well. Or, also a relocation to the trunk for better weight distribution, has anybody done that before?

I'm relocating my battery to the trunk on my car as well.

[B6JoeS4]

I'm relocating my battery to the trunk on my car as well.

Many many many people have attempted this. At the end of the day, it's too difficult and you would end up gaining more weight because of the 1/0 cable you need to run.

FWIW, p/o of my car put a Carquest battery in about 2 years ago. So uhhh....yeah lol

[dparm]

Relocation helps with balance, of course, and doesn't save any weight.

Joe, the CQ battery is totally fine. It's an AGM that matches the OEM battery specs and even comes from Johnson Controls.

[jibberjive]

Many many many people have attempted this. At the end of the day, it's too difficult and you would end up gaining more weight because of the 1/0 cable you need to run.

FWIW, p/o of my car put a Carquest battery in about 2 years ago. So uhhh....yeah lol

I can guarantee the battery relocation isn't too difficult for me (not bragging, just giving relevant experience like I said above, but I used to compete in car audio competitions and I've wired plenty of cars). And it's not necessarily about saving weight, it's about making the balance of the car better. Not only is that 50+lbs removed from the front, it's added to the rear, so that 100lb difference might be more than insignificant. Also, it'll help with ease of wiring the big stereo system I'm putting back there. Since I would be running 1/0 wire for the stereo anyways, I figured why not throw my battery back there.

The thing I'm not looking forward to wiring is the emergency battery cutoff switch that I'm going to be putting in a spare taillight.

[dparm]

Just make sure you have a safe mounting solution. Battery box would be a good way to do it.

[B6JoeS4]

Well a few guys have talked about doing it but eventually decided against it.

15ft of 1/0 cable is roughly 7lbs
OEM battery is ~58lbs
Total 65lbs

OR
Light weight battery up front: 15lbs

I know the other option is the light weight battery relocated to the trunk, totaling 22lbs, but IMO, 22lbs aint gonna do diddly squat. Just drain your washer fluid LOL

[jibberjive]

Just make sure you have a safe mounting solution. Battery box would be a good way to do it.

I'm looking to avoid a battery box (and it's not required to go out on the road or drag course, since it's closed cell AGM). I'll probably go with a billet mount, or maybe some sort of cheap, secure, and low-key mounting.

Well a few guys have talked about doing it but eventually decided against it.

15ft of 1/0 cable is roughly 7lbs
OEM battery is ~58lbs
Total 65lbs

OR
Light weight battery up front: 15lbs

I know the other option is the light weight battery relocated to the trunk, totaling 22lbs, but IMO, 22lbs aint gonna do diddly squat. Just drain your washer fluid LOL

Like I said, it's not about weight reduction, it's about weight distribution. And I'm going to be running literally 3000WRMS just to my sub stage; there's no way I'm running a lightweight battery. The battery I'm going to run is likely to be even bigger than stock. Also, I've had over 40' of 1/0 gauge wire, all of the ring terminals, huge crimping tool, etc in my garage for over two years, I've just got to get to it.

60lbs out of the front and put in the rear (120lb net for the rear) has a much greater chance of affecting the weight distribution than a gallon of washer fluid or saving 30lbs by going with a lightweight battery. And even if I didn't relocate the battery, I'd be doing a run of 1/0 anyways for the stereo.

[M-Dub]

I just replaced mine with the bosch

[b spot]

*BUMP*

If I'm getting the occasional 3 beeps on startup, should I be replacing my battery pretty quickly? It's only happened twice, both times the car was sitting at least 7 days in below freezing temperatures.

I'm still on the stock battery, so 8 years old now (pretty impressive!)

[dparm]

Just replace it, man. You're going to get yourself stranded if you wait any longer. Mine died and I didn't even get the beeps.