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Can I use a battery with lower amps?

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  390712 
#1 ·
I have Cooper S 2009 R56. My original batter is 570 CCA and 70 Amp Hour. I need a new battery. I called MINI and they told me the CCA should be at least 570, but the Amp should be exactly 70. If it's higher, some components might draw (accidentally) more current and burn wires or components. If it's lower, the computer might think that I have a weak battery and the car won't even start. I couldn't find anything online that would confirm this information.
So, can I use a battery with lower amps? I found a battery with 650 CCA and 60 Amps, but it seems that I cannot use it?
 
#2 ·
smart charge system should kick off if fit wrong battery, also needs to be registered to the system, need to put what makers say to fit not like old days when any battery will work
 
#5 · (Edited)
I actually called the parts department from a MINI dealership, not MINI USA. That's why I'm mot sute if I should believe them.
Usually the voltage should match but not the amp.
So, do actually know the answer or you're just saying "listem to them"?
or course the voltage will match any battery as its a 12v battery as all car 12v battery's are, the amp hour is delivery of how much power over a hour it will give, the stored amps ie say a 780amp battery holds more stored power than a 500amps battery, there a few types of battery , lead acid,, ie will not do well in a mini as system not designed for it, AGM battery is designed for mini and should be used on gen 2 cars at least, EFB battery's I believe are newer types and used more on gen 3 cars and new etc ,, i had a car in other day will a 120amp alternator fitted by mistake should of been a 150amp and smart charge never liked it, so yes personally I know for a fact that these cars must have the battery they were designed to have,,, little heads up you fit a ACID type battery that lives right where the car heater takes its air from and on a long term drive and being over charged by the system the fumes of acid from it will be not good for anyone sat in the car for sure, also when these battery gas off the gas is explosive that gas gets in to car and good knows what else could happen,, i seen a trainee once remove a charge cable from a acid battery that was on charge the spark it caused exploded the battery all over him,, so you hare messing with something that MUST BE RIGHT by not just buying the right battery based on reg number , thats my 2 pence worth ,, also most car parts sellers are not trained techy and putting trust in what they say might be ok is not in my book a wise move
 
#4 ·
in the old days, you could just chuck on a battery with a near enough number on it & away you go

sadly nowadays you have to get a certain battery size and deviate very little ( also gotta stick with the correct type too, cant fit a standard battery on a car meant for stop/start battery etc the charging system differs & a stopstart battery system will kill a standard battery quickly as its higher voltage & a standard car wont properly charge a stop/start battery due to being lower voltage etc )

i somehow doubt the drawing more current & causing damage explanation as if they designed the systems correctly, if something did somehow do that then the fuse in that line would blow before any major damage to wires or components etc BUT i can fully see that the battery monitoring system they fitted to modern cars can & will probably get upset with batteries that deviate from the expected figures

( if its got a lower AH figure then the battery monitor may still try filling it like its a higher figure & damage the battery in doing so, if its got a higher ah figure then it will draw more power out before beginning to start recharging the battery & then it will stop charging the battery before its fully charged etc

as mentioned above though, if you have stop/start / battery monitoring then you will have to have the car told its been fitted with a brand new battery too so that it knows how to properly treat said battery ( modern cars charge batteries differently as they age so if you dont tell the car its got a new battery then it will charge the new battery hard like it does with the old battery & kill said new battery quickly ( also, its often best to make sure the new battery is freshly topped up & settled before fitting as the cars system does a capacity check when its reprogrammed & sets its new settings to the new batteries state of charge so if its lower than it could be then it will not be used to its fullest etc. ( dont you just love modern tech lol )
 
#6 ·
The correct technology is probably more important than the exact CCA and AH rating. Looks like you need AGM technology and this is more a safety issue since its fully sealed so more important as its spec'd for the car.

The Amp Hour rating doesn't mean max current capability so the claim of circuit overload is nonsense. Choosing a slightly lower AH just means battery will discharge a little quicker but I'd be surprised if this would be noticable changing from 70 to 60. Also a lower AH will not cause over charging since this is determined by voltage not current.

The CCA is to do with cold start capability so only an issue if you live in very cold climate. Again would be surprised if this made much difference in UK for example. However a higher rating is better in general.

Also you must choose a bettery designed for stop/start - this puts an extra strain on the battery so needs particular design features to suit.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Agree with all of that. Nice summary.
When you register the battery you can choose the nearest rating to what you have fitted but the choices might be quite limited.
The ratings are approximate and change as the battery ages (downwards).
Smart charging will cope just fine as long as you register the right type.
 
#10 ·
there are so many different battery's these days ,, and only way to be sure is buy a battery from a over counter source and just car reg and vin number for reference when buying one, I also only use good brands with a 5 years warranty time span on them, at least then you know the battery is good for 5 years ,, I bought a 110AH 760amp battery the other day for my van varta was £95 and has a 5 year warranty on it, not all battery's are equal, the battery used on start stop and 150amp generators get a right kicking so best buy good first time
 
#11 ·
A good few years ago we used to buy cheap batteries to put on cheap sheds from the auctions; "Never mind the interior looks like there was a knife fight in it, it's got a brand new battery mate!".

The Motor factors we bought them from said they were identical to their "Premier" range but without the 3yrs warranty and that warranty was what you were actually paying for.

We didn't use them on our own cars as they were usually knackered after a year, and this was in the days before all the electronics and Stop-Start we have now.

Get an OEM or one made by Varta, Bosch, Yuasa etc. like mike1967 said - best buy good first time.
 
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