$137.95 + Shipping online from this site: Concorde PVX-420T Sun Xtender Battery 12 Volt 45 Amp Hour $138 + Shipping here: Sun Xtender PVX-420T AGM Sealed Battery $169.99 Including Shipping here: PVX Deep Cycle Solar Batteries by Sun Xtender Remember, you will still need the JIS posts that I linked to in a previous post so you need to add that also.
I was set to get a optima D51 today but I see in this thread the Werker 12v- 35ah {Werker SLAA12-35C.} It's for sale for $67.49 plus 16 shipping to me .. Thats apx. $84 vs $165 and Im not sure the shipping for the optima. My question is..... IS THE WELKER A ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE? Thats a huge difference in price... There is no vent pipe though.....
Model No. for vented battery is Werker SLAA12-35C. I couldn't find the vented one Online. If you could find a Batteries Plus nearby, call and ask. The vented one has grayish top. Werker is Batteries Plus's house brand. They are franchise owned. (Might be different from the Online store). So the franchise owner usually buys whatever they get cheapest and locally. I've heard some stores get batteries from Exide and East Penn(USA made). And Exide is not so good(maybe China). If you can, you should go and see for yourself to find a Quality battery. Plus it's $67.49 w/o shipping. (You'll need to RMA for Returns on Online purchases.) Oh yeah, remember to ask them to check the voltage on the battery before you buy since then don't maintain the charge for AGM batteries which they do for flooded ones. You shouldn't buy an AGM at full price if it's less than 12v. At least 12.5V is best. AGM loses 10% of charge per month on the shelf. It's recommended to charge them every 2-3 months. Check for Date of Manufacture. Probably shouldn't be month than 5-6 months. Quality AGM batteries should have Date info and provide MSDS papers. (You should be able to find the Manufacturer's Name on the MSDS as well.) The UB12350 batteries(33Ah) probably not a good choice if you have very cold winters. It has lower rating than the OEM with SKS(45Ah). UPDATE: Looks like the SLAA12-35C needs some sort of conversion.
So are the JIS post for converting a bolt from a larger to a smaller diameter? What's the size of the battery ring terminals on the 2nd Gen Prius? Thanks.
2nd Gen Prius has JIS posts that look like regular SAE battery posts but are smaller in diameter. That is why you need a battery terminal kit if you want to install a Optima D51 (the Optima has SAE battery posts). The JIS posts that I linked to in an earlier post convert from M6 threaded sockets to JIS battery posts. It is essentially a brass JIS post with a M6 stud on the bottom to screw into the threaded socket.
I will go with the Prius original when the time comes. Don't want to experiment with the Prius. I prefer to keep it original! H
I called Concorde Office in West Covina, CA. It's $110 plus $25 shipping(UPS Grnd). It'll be $145 /w tax for me for Northern CA. Not bad for a battery that suppose to be better than the Optima. Add another $12 for Conversion Parts.
Sounds good, let us know how it works out. I will be replacing my 12V soon, possibly next month (it will be 4 years in service). Concorde looks like a high quality AGM battery. Another good AGM battery is the Odyssey, but they do not have a model with the right form factor & terminal configuration.
More Update on the Werker Vented Battery. Case looks exactly like this linked. There are 2 left at the Store in San Francisco. Dated "E0", or May 2010. Doesn't say where it's made. It's does say it's from Ascent in Hartland, WI. and "Stationary Battery." These are use by UPS backup and Telecom. I'm guessing they mislabel it as WKA12-35C but it's actually WKHR12-33C since the case makes it fire retardant. Ascent is an subsidiary of Battery Plus. Werker is the brand name for Batteries Plus. One tested at 12.4V and the other 12.38V. Probably never been charged since they left the factory last May. Too bad they let them drop below 12.5V(when sulfation starts during self-discharge).
I'm was doing some reading and it seems all AGM batteries last longer if they are charge no more than 13.4V(Float) and top off (14V) once in a while. I wonder if there's a way to add a smart charging system for the AGM battery in the Prius. Plus AGM batteries might require up to 30 cycles to get max capacity. I doubt the UPS companies do that for their batteries which usually go straight to float. I would cycle a new battery a couple of times with a smart charger before I install it in the Prius to help it get max capacity. Also helps to get the benchmark of a healthy battery w/o using an EIS spectroscope. These two measures should add a couple of years to the life of the battery especially on long trip and in hotter temperatures.
wildbottom, I would be very grateful if you could post pictures! Also, did you get the JIS terminal kit from Concorde or Odyssey? As much as I love my Optima, having a replacement that doesn't involve hacking the positive terminal would be a huge benefit.
I think the Prius charging system is already adapted for AGM batteries. See this thread for more info: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...charging-12v-step-change-14-0-13-5-volts.html
Sounds like they do have a system and it's still somewhat a mystery to quite a few posters. One Post said "I'm pretty sure, when this 'feature' is working, that as long as the car is in drive and the cabin fan is off, the voltage stays low and if the rear window defroster is turned on, the voltage drops further to something like 13.2 volts." It happens to some people at around the 25th minute. But if you put it in Park or Neutral it goes back to 14V and the cycle starts over. I'll have to check it next time.
Wonder if anyone tried the Optimate 4(.2A, .5A, .8A) Charger/Maintainer. Recommend for 2.5Ah-30Ah batteries(50Ah Maintainer). It's also has Charge Current regulation with temperature.Optimate 4 info TecMate also make the Optimate 5(up to 2.8A) and Optimate 6 (0.4A to 5A)for bigger batteries. Lowest price Charger/Maintainer/Desulphator is CTEK US 800 (.8A)with High Temp. Reg [$33 at Amazon] Another choice is the BatteryMinder line. Model 12117(1.3Amp) without Temp. Regulation and Model 12248(2,4,8 Amp) with Temp. Regulation