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Which battery for GTL?

jjad

Enthusiast
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1,604
Location
Herefordshire
I wondering exactly which batteries fit the R4 GTL?

Several online suppliers no longer recognise my numberplate or even have the R4 listed :¬(

My battery will be 7 years old this year, and I'm making sure that I know which battery I need when it comes to replacing it.

Thanks!

r4_side_view.jpeg

EDIT: I suppose I could open the bonnet and see what's already there of course!
 
I had 50Ah 360A battery in my GTL but it is dead now and i need new one.
It is hard to find that kind of battery dease days.

Problem is that you do not have to much space to place battery.
Biggest that can be placed in battery tray is L=210xW=190xH=190mm. (maybe some mm more)
Standar battery dimensions are 207x175x175 and 207x175x190
And definitely "+" should be at right side.

You can buy battery from 40 to 55Ah and 350-450A
Ideal would be 45-50Ah and 400A
Any will do fine.

"Ah" is teling you how much electricity battery can store
"A" is tellling you how strog curent battery can give

Once i got advice how to chose which battery to buy. It is simple and need some calculation

Multiply Ah*A*Warranty and devide with price. One that have biggest result is best buy (among those that fit your car)


Hope this was of any help!

P.s. Nice picture you got there!
 
The easiest way is probably just to go down to your local motor factors. They had the right one ready and on the shelf when I bought one mast year.
Yes, that would probably be the easiest, but occasionally I get emails with 15% or 20% off car parts from e.g. GSF and it makes sense for me to use it. But each supplier seems to have a different range of makes of battery, so perhaps I need to work out what the equivalents to my current battery are.

I had 50Ah 360A battery in my GTL but it is dead now and i need new one.
It is hard to find that kind of battery dease days.

Problem is that you do not have to much space to place battery.
Biggest that can be placed in battery tray is L=210xW=190xH=190mm. (maybe some mm more)
Standar battery dimensions are 207x175x175 and 207x175x190
And definitely "+" should be at right side.

You can buy battery from 40 to 55Ah and 350-450A
Ideal would be 45-50Ah and 400A
Any will do fine.

"Ah" is teling you how much electricity battery can store
"A" is tellling you how strog curent battery can give

Once i got advice how to chose which battery to buy. It is simple and need some calculation

Multiply Ah*A*Warranty and devide with price. One that have biggest result is best buy (among those that fit your car)


Hope this was of any help!

P.s. Nice picture you got there!
Thanks for this advice - I think I will have to get my tape measure out! I will report back.

That photo was taken with an old manual focus lens that is older than the car :¬)
 
I bought my last battery a few day ago on ebay... 45Ah 420A Bosch, fits quite well and costed 43euros home delivered. ..
 
Battery's have a type code which is shared by all manufacturers and suppliers 048 is correct for 12v r4 although at one point an 046 was also available but less powerful
 
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Brilliant, thanks Mr Reno, just the information I needed! Yes, car currently has a 048 type battery, so now I know what to look out for.

Thanks for all your help :)

r4_battery.jpg
 
Last edited:
Using a bigger battery (for example 60 ampere) could cause any problem to the engine or to the electric components?
 
Brilliant, thanks Mr Reno, just the information I needed! Yes, car currently has a 048 type battery, so now I know what to look out for.

Thanks for all your help :)

View attachment 13134
Hello, can I ask what battery you managed to source to replace the UNIPART GBA3048?
The R4 I am dealing with has the same UNIPART battery and it's flat, so I need to find a replacement for it that will fit the tray (I don't think these UNIPART batteries are still being sold?)
Thanks
 
I bought the Exide EB450 last time. Terminals are the right way around and it has the tab at the bottom for the battery clamp.

The really useful thing is to buy a battery disconnect switch (the green thing in the photo). Twist the knob to disconnect the battery if you aren't using the car for some weeks. I have one fitted to the MGA and it always starts after winter and the battery is 20 years old. Flattening the battery will kill it but it can't discharge if it is not connected..

20240530_203004.jpg
 
I bought the Exide EB450 last time. Terminals are the right way around and it has the tab at the bottom for the battery clamp.

The really useful thing is to buy a battery disconnect switch (the green thing in the photo). Twist the knob to disconnect the battery if you aren't using the car for some weeks. I have one fitted to the MGA and it always starts after winter and the battery is 20 years old. Flattening the battery will kill it but it can't discharge if it is not connected..

View attachment 33161
Hi, thanks very much for your response, it's really helpful.
I have just found the Exide online, thank you for sharing the photo and the information.
And that sounds like a smart move RE the battery disconnect switch too :)
 
My last Tudor died after 2years.

I bought a varta at this time


Screenshot_20240531_230757_Gallery.jpg
 
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