Replaced 12v battery with Optima

[Sandy]

That will be next for me

[hobbit]

I heard that they've fixed the positive terminal design to be
somewhat lower profile, since I did mine and wound up mounting
the fuse assembly on the lower side of the terminal piece to
restore something vaguely like the stock height and so the hatch
panel wouldn't be pushing it down. Any more recent installers
get pictures?
.
_H*

[F8L]

Originally Posted by hobbit

I heard that they've fixed the positive terminal design to be
somewhat lower profile, since I did mine and wound up mounting
the fuse assembly on the lower side of the terminal piece to
restore something vaguely like the stock height and so the hatch
panel wouldn't be pushing it down. Any more recent installers
get pictures?
.
_H*

I could go take a few. What specifically do you want to see? I'm missing my hatch panel so I'm not sure if the terminal junction would hit or not but I don't believe it would.

[tom1l21]

Just installed mine which went well except for I had to spread the clamps on the terminals before I could fit them on flush. Upon starting up and driving around, the voltage is around 13.7 while driving. Is this the normal voltage for a fully charged D51 or will it go higher in time. Definitely an improvement over my OEM which would read below 10 in accessory mode.

[brick]

Originally Posted by richard schumacher

The one possible problem is dis-assembling the Toyota positive terminal assembly. If you don't have a bench vise it may take a lot of hand strength.

Or a drill. I didn't have a vice but it was getting late and I did have one of those.

[ursle]

Originally Posted by F8L

Since the 12v battery is not used for engine cranking purposes .

You state that twice in this thread, and I ask if the car isn't starting on the twelve volt system, what's it starting on?

[alanh]

The 12v battery is used to boot the computers. Once they're up and running, the computer closes the high voltage relays and uses the high voltage battery to crank the gasoline engine. The 12v battery never cranks the engine.

[uart]

Originally Posted by tom1l21

Just installed mine which went well except for I had to spread the clamps on the terminals before I could fit them on flush. Upon starting up and driving around, the voltage is around 13.7 while driving. Is this the normal voltage for a fully charged D51 or will it go higher in time. Definitely an improvement over my OEM which would read below 10 in accessory mode.

That sounds pretty right to me. The term "float voltage" is the voltage required to hold a battery at full or near full charge. The exact value of the best float voltage depends on the battery design (electrolyte concentration) and temperature, but typical values for this type of battery are around 13.5 to 13.8 volts.

[Genoz World]

is this battery much better than the stock? is it better in providing power or holding power?

[brick]

The main reason some of us have gone to yellow-top Optima (or at least my reason) is that it is designed to stand up to relatively deep discharges at moderate discharge rates. This is a benefit to a car that is prone to running the battery flat.

The other reason is that the kit from elearnaid costs $160 vs. something like $230 for a stock Toyota battery. It takes effort to swap the clamps but you only have to do that once. I will also mention that the battery elearnaid sent me was brand-spanking new (july '09 manufacture) which is something you should look for.