Vehicle manufacturing has gone through a lot of evolution in the past decades. Today’s manufacturers design their cars to remarkably close particulars. The same applies to any part or accessories. Using an unacceptable size battery can prompt a variety of issues.
While it is not generally essential to use the OEM brand, you should be consistent when changing your battery. Ensure to replace it with the right measured size and accurate output according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Most vehicles have restricted space for batteries, so a more significant size may not work from a physical outlook in many instances. The challenge here is there will be contact between the terminal and the hood, which will consequently drain the battery’s power.
Additionally, physical estimation and measurements will not work because the battery’s size does not determine the power or life span.
Battery Sizes
Vehicle battery size alludes to the physical measurements of the battery required or recommended for your car. Some batteries will fit the electrical requirements to get your car started and running. Still, their sizes will not accommodate the space provided.
However, they will not fit appropriately into your battery attachment. They will likely create issues for your car if you use them.
Before you set out to purchase a substitution vehicle battery, ensure you recognize what size to search for. Some vehicle models can oblige more than one vehicle battery bunch size. It is still better to find out the exact measurement that fits the space in your car.
Where To Find Your Battery Size
The easiest method to discover the battery size that will fit your vehicle is to glance in the vehicle manufacturer’s manual. You can also open the hood to look at the battery itself.
Suppose you cannot locate the manual, and you do not have the foggiest idea of how to decide your vehicle battery size by looking at it. In that case, you can generally go to the Internet to search for the information you need.
Instances Where You May Use A Bigger Size Battery
However, long the battery will genuinely fit in the battery box, the links associate and the hold-down equipment can be made to fit you will be fine.
Bigger batteries have more save limit. This gives you more opportunity to run embellishments like the sound system or lights without the battery getting down to where it will no longer start the ignition.
A Few Factors To Be Cautious About:
Ensure that the batteries are the same manufacturer prescribed voltage.
Ensure the battery is solidly secured. It is never OK for a battery to move around.
Ensure the hood does not contact the battery or links. Any contact can lead to an uncontrolled fire outbreak.
Instances Where You May Not Use A Bigger Size Battery
Buying a new battery for your car should not be treated the same way you enter a grocery store to pick up a few random items. Batteries have specifications like sizes, amp, and others. You need to be familiar and equipped with these details before buying one for your car.
Some issues could come up from using a battery that is bigger than the manufacturer’s specification.
Alongside force and CCA evaluations, vehicle batteries likewise arrive in a scope of physical sizes, just as top-mount and side-mount setups. Besides, regardless of whether it truly fits in the compartment, a larger than usual battery could cause different issues.
Manufacturers decisively match their alternators and batteries to the vehicle’s power capacity and prerequisites.
An unmatched battery/alternator combo could make your alternator overheat and shorten its life. Imagine putting a battery intended for an enormous extravagance six-cylinder SUV with bunches of accessories into a little, base model four-cylinder car.
The following things are the rate of amperage that may make your alternator consistently work to keep your huge battery charged always. It might make your alternator come up short.
Bigger batteries can cause starter or wiring issues. Batteries with higher electric discharge and electromotive force can cause spikes in voltage that will damage your circuit box and CPU.
Impact Of Bigger Battery On Your Car
As stated earlier, Manufacturers now design their cars, parts, and accessories with the strict specification. It is best to stick with the recommended features when the need for replacement arises for optimal performance and best experience.
Impact On The Alternator
Several car users assume a bigger battery is required for more electrical gadgets to work better. Electrical devices in your car work off the alternator and not the battery, so change your alternator instead of a bigger battery.
The alternator is introduced in your vehicle to deliver adequate amperage to charge the battery while the car is running.
At first, a bigger battery will have no effect on the alternator except for will pull more amps during vehicle activity, making the alternator destroy sooner.
Impact On The Computerization
Most recent vehicles run all the frameworks through an onboard PC. Various controls direct the charging system. Introducing a bigger limit battery changes the flows, prompting spikes and floods that may harm the onboard PC or circuit board.
You have a lower possibility of harming the PC. However, the harm is as yet conceivable with an alternator disappointment. The wiring board probably will get a more significant part of the damage.
Impact On Electrical System
The breaker or fuse board shields the electrical system from spikes and surges. A bigger battery makes circumstances where the electrical flows can vary.
The regulator on the alternator is one of the essential items that can get faulty. This controller is intended to permit the direct current to change to substituting current.
Radios, amplifiers, and electrical gadgets could get damaged thus. Nonetheless, the possibility of colossal damages is insignificant.
Generally, it frankly does not bode well to deviate from the manufacturer’s proposal regarding your vehicle’s battery. Sparing a couple of bucks on a smaller battery could end up costing substantially more in fixes later.
Furthermore, while adding extra force consistently sounds enticing, introducing a larger than average battery accompanies its issues, too.
Should you be confused about the specific size of the battery you need for your car, ensure you contact your professional auto experts for guidance.
In Conclusion
To avoid any form of complication and damages to your engine and other appliances, stick with the manufacturer’s recommendation and contained in the user manual. If you cannot find your user manual, please follow the advice of your professional auto mechanic, who may just be a phone call away.
These simple decisions will save you a lot of dollars and keep your car safe!
With comprehensive experience in writing exceptional quality articles and blogs about cars and related stuff, Daniel is one of the finest bloggers and a hardcore car lover we have. He is an ASE certified technician with an across-the-board experience of 10 years in the industry. He could not help tinkering with anything he got his hands on from a young age, which led to his remarkable career in the automotive repair industry.
When he is not under any hood, you can find him on the water or in the woods to pursue his passion for hunting and fishing. He has been writing for multiple sectors and is a regular contributor to several publications.
He currently owns a Nissan 300ZX TT and a Pearl Yellow but plans to upgrade it to 550 HP. His favorites include the Koenigsegg CCX and Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT, but for him, the Ferrari 360 Spider is one of the sexiest cars that exists to date.
Being an avid world traveler, he has spent most of his time analyzing the automotive markets, latest technology, and local favorites to enhance his knowledge base. He is currently living in North Caroline, where it’s all about food and coffee and, of course, cars.
