I was just wondering if anyone has done some battery comparison price shopping for a tracker ? It would be for a 1994 . I thought it would save me some trips to the different stores if someone already knows where the deals are. Here are the places in my area that I can think of , Wal Mart, O'reillys,Napa,Theisens,Car quest, Orshelin,Arnold motor supply, and sears . Anyone ? Also, is there a common battery size/part # ? My tracker did not come with a battery.
Thanks,
Raz

one word   OPTIMA

Recently, I made a specification comparison between the commonly available batteries at Walmart and Costco. I was astonished at the MUCH poorer specifications of the Walmart batteries. Now I'm glad I bought my replacement Samurai battery at Costco.  If you're going to keep the vehicle, then the best battery is the biggest one that will fit (IMHO).  The Samurai battery box will accept a much bigger battery. That's what I have now, and for only a few dollars more it should last another couple/three years more.
 
I found a reference to a BCI group 26 battery (500CCA, 75A RC) for a '96 Tracker (on Acksfaq), but I'm not sure if it's right for your rig. If you can fit a larger battery then I'd say go for it. If you need lightweight, then just be prepared to accept a shorter-lived battery as a consequence -- in a mild climate that's likely OK.  But a big battery will help you get through a long, cold winter.  Also, check to see which side the (+) terminal is on so you can connect the cables easily. Viewed from the terminal side, most batteries have the (+) terminal on the left, like my Samurai. But there are plenty of installations that work the other way, like my Honda, which uses the 51R , with the (+) terminal on the other end of the battery from the BCI Group 51 specified for my Samurai.

Optima batteries are good, but rather expensive. If you're using the same battery for a winch, then by all means consider the Optimal deep cycle yellow top. It will work better and last longer.  This is a case where bigger is better.

I would like to get a larger battery , but I am worried about it being to tall and arcing out on the hood.
I do have a larger battery out of my 86' F-150 Ford. I guess I could pull it out and see if it is too tall.
Raz

I bought a $50 battery at walmart...or was it autozone?  Don't remember...still...it was the cheapest I could find, and I had a 500 watt stereo hooked up all winter.  Have the tracker a year now, and no problems with the battery at all.

what is the largest physical battery that would fit ?
thanks,
Raz

IMHO: unless you plan on hanging a lot of extras off the Suzuki (with engine NOT running), I wouldn't bother with a bigger battery. The low compression tiny 4-banger in the Suzuki's don't require much cranking AMPS. I used to be among the "bigger is better" crowd, but I've ran the cheapest (walmart) little batteries in my last two suzuki's, and they've lasted just fine. The oldest of the 2 I have is 7 years old and still works great. Optima batteries used to be awesome, but I think they've out-priced themselves. There's lots of other gel batteries that are just as good for much less $$$. But, for the money, I think you're better off just getting a conventional deep cycle battery for 1/2 the price.

About two weeks ago Kragen/Checker was clearing out their exide dry cell batteries.  They are wantiing to carry only Optimas. I got one for about 70 bucks with the core swap. Cool thing is that they are still fully warrented and if they die it will be replaced with a Optima.  You might check and see if theres any floating around in your neck of the woods.

what is the largest physical battery that would fit ?

Samurai here, so you'll have to measure your Trackick battery box to know for sure.
Here are some specs I got from recent forays to two cheap, local battery places.  They don't carry every battery size.  Instead they try to match most all the popular applications with just a few sizes. I used CCA as a factor because starting is most important for me.  Try to get a battery that is, at most, only a couple of months old -- the date code is usually on the top.

 BCI                                   Costco    Walmart
Group       L x W x H             CCA       CCA
----- -----------------------       ------     ---------     
 24  10.1/4   6.13/16  8. 7/8   660    (700?)24S
 25   9.1/16  6. 7/8    8. 7/8    640    (450) Std
 26   8.3/16  6.13/16  7. 3/4    ---      ---
 34  10.1/4   6.13/16  7. 7/8    795     660 MAXX
 51   9.3/8    5. 1/16  8.13/16  500    (435) Std
 58  10.1/16  7. 3/16  6.15/16  610    (450) Std
 75   9.1/16  7. 1/16  7.11/16  700     550 MAXX
 78  10. 1/4  7. 1/16  7.11/16  800     650 MAXX
 
Some side-terminal batteries included above. Winch-note: Optima explicitly states in their User's Guide that high-amperage accessories (e.g. WINCH) are NOT to be connected to the side terminals. Connections for the winch must be made using the top terminals only. Sometimes you'll see dual terminal batteries (e.g. 34/78) that can fit both BCI applications.  The side terminals can be useful for additional battery connections.
   
If I were again replacing the battery on my Samurai, I'd probably try the Costco group 25 battery, based on the above.  The longer group 24 battery that I shoe-horned in was not worth the hassle to make it fit (but width was OK). 
               

Correct me if I am wrong but the group 26 is the stock battery size correct ?
Thanks,
Raz

And - you can hammer down the lip of the stock battery box to fit a wider battery. I'm thinking about doing this to fit a deep cycle I have...