Need Bigger 12V battery...

Hey everyone,

I was reading here that the manual states not to replace the 12V battery in the 2010 Prius. Any reasoning why????

I am planning my audio upgrades and will be needing more current for my 2 amps and was wondering if I could replace my battery with a kenetic or optima battery???

Thanks,

Chan

Chan, it has something to do with the charging if I'm not mistaken. I have 2 amps in my Civic Hybrid and I haven't had any issues in the 2 and half years I have owned the car. I plan on carrying over everything into the Prius. I have a Kenwood X1R and X4R along with the 9140 head unit. Definitely post some pics once you have everything installed. Do you plan on dynamating the car? It makes a world of difference when running higher psi's in the tires.

Thanks Jayhawker..

Charging. That makes sense but I changed the battery in my Nissan Altima Hybrid and things are fine. But it could be charge because once in a while I have to charge my 12V battery in my Altima. I plan on putting 2 PDX 4.150 or 2 JL HD600. So far I installed my Alpine W505 with Nav and a HXA-701 processor. BT coming soon..

I am using B-Quiet sound dampening. It is the lightest of all of them at about .30lbs/sq. ft. I have put B-Quiet in all the doors and Trunk. I will be tackling the floor and rear seat.

12V power in the Prius comes from a DC to DC converter, not from an alternator as in an ordinary car. The DC to DC converter is sized for the needs of the Prius. A bigger 12V battery can exceed the limits of the DC to DC converter. There have been a few previous posts about large amplifiers slowly discharging the 12V battery, so proceed with caution.

Tom

The Optima works fine NO troubles have in Gen II and Gen III, I use it because of two way radios 10+ amp draw.

Best price I found was from ElearnAid, many listings here on PC

What kind of optima battery are you using? Do you see any mpg differece before and after the new optima battery?

Thanks

I'm also interested in getting a more powerful battery. Those yellow tops look nice. I just hope it wont void any type of warranty.

snowykim
No change in MPG on genII or III

This is the optima:
Part Number: D51 (8071-167)
YellowTop®; Deep Cycle Battery; UNBOXED; Grp. D51;
Cold Crank Amp 450; Crank Amp 575; Res.
Capacity 66; Amp Hour 38; Top Terminal;
L-9 5/16 in.; W-5 1/16 in.; H- 8 15/16 in.;

Again Elearnaid beat all the local supply places by $15 > $30, shiped with all adaptors. Differant size post.


LulzChicken

Asked 3 dealer about warranty:
1. said did not see how it would as long as the min specks where met.
1. said as long as it vented out side OK
The last one had installed the optima for people but could not match the $.


{don't ask witch one they asked not to post it}

you do know replacing the 12V battery with another battery probably voids the warranty? see the notice on page 5 of the attached PDF file... The Prius requires a valve regulated absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery which is leak proof... I think they are primarily used for photovoltaic rechargeable systems. I think they are sealed, so they do not emit noxious gases. Unfortunately, they are very expensive, at least $200 for the average battery...

Pretty sure the Optima is a valve regulated AGM battery.
Really a very good battery, not needed for 99% of the people out there, but if you need it.
And no changing to a different battery will not void the car's warranty anymore than using Mobil 1 oil will as long as the replacement battery meets specs.

FYI, Prius does not require a bigger battery.
Prius DC/DC converter has max 120A charging capability any time in READY mode.

OTOH, a conventional car's alternator has very small charging capability at idling and we need 2500 rpm or more to get enough charging capability, therefore we need a bigger battery for powerful audio system on a conventional car.

Ken@Japan

It amazes me how many people suffer from chronic warrantitus. Of course the dealers know this which is why they develop the $400 30,000 mile service and the $700 60,000 mile service and watch the sheep line up.

I guarantee you there will be thousands of generation III Prius owners that will pay to have the timing belt replaced at 60k.

Thanks Ken,

Good to know there is 120A charging capability. Now I can move on with my audio upgrades. Battery will be the last upgrade priority for me.

So do you still hook up your amp to the battery or do you hook it up to the DC-DC converter?

Lord, I hope not

Battery, I'm sure, but it shouldn't matter since you would only be at the other end of the wire, still connected to the battery. I don't know squat about the BIG car stereo thing, but if your idea is to crank the stereo for extended intervals without leaving the car in "Ready" mode, I would go with the Optima.

A high wattage stereo system will eventually kill the stock battery if you're not careful and drain the battery a few times. I switched to an Optima after abusing my stock battery for 3yrs. I do run a rather large system though.

Hi Ken, that 120A capacity is for the Gen III only, right? Seems I remember the Gen II has only a small fraction going back into the Optima (or stock) battery.

For those not good with units, at the nominal 13.8 V for a 12 V bus, 120 A is 1,656 W, or 2.2 hp.

Tom

Yes, the 120A is for the Gen III since this forum is for the Gen III.
The Gen II DC/DC converter has max 100A supply capability in READY mode.

Ken@Japan