Optima DS46B24R Prius Specific 12v. Battery

I am openly critical of Toyota for putting the 12 battery in the passenger compartment, but AZ will be an example of a bad idea gone good; a Prius battery may last longer than average in AZ because when being charged, it is being air conditioned as well. Not being in the high under-hood temps may be a benefit to the Prius placement in extremely hot climates. (One of only two times in my life when I lost unplanned weight was as a fry cook in a Phoenix high school with no A/C, the other time was walking up California and Oregon)

Many batteries will fit in the physical space, the issue is that your loved ones are also in the same compartment; only choose an AGM battery with external venting. To the best of my knowledge that leaves you 3 choices: OEM, the new Optima, and elearnaid's kit.

AGM greatly reduces the amount of sulfuric acid in liquid form, venting prevents the build up of explosive Hydrogen gas.

VRLA battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lead

 

You are absolutely correct, the cooler location for the battery will make it last longer, so maybe 5 to 6 years is a reasonable number. Thanks for your info and your patience with my rant. My other car is a Corvette and the Corvette people are just in love with the Optima battery even though it is heavier in that case, more expensive, and has a worse warranty. It's funny, I have the end of each spectrum of cars and I really like both of them. The Prius does everything very well, I've been extremely impressed with it so far! Of course, with my heavy foot the best I can seem to do on gas mileage is 45 mpg, but the Vette gets 18 mpg on the same route.

Thanks, you are a gentleman and a scholar. :thumb:

 

The mechanical key does apply power to the electrical door lock. If you have 12V power the electrical lock will cycle. However, it also works mechanically. Turn the key and pull the door while the key is turned; the door will open. You have to turn it farther than you do for electrical actuation.

Tom

 

Ha! It confuses people when I explain that the Prius is one of the most powerful cars I ever owned.

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1976 Yamaha RD400 44 HP [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_RD350"]Yamaha RD350 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

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1980 Mazda GLC SW 69 HP Mazda Familia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1985.5 Ford Escort SW 86 HP Ford Escort (North America) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1989 Toyota Corolla All-Trac SW 102 HP Toyota Corolla (E90) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Not much, but there is more resistance.

Tom

 

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. glennhl, even if one battery is five pounds heavier than another, how much would that weight difference impact fuel economy? As you've noticed, car batteries don't do as well in hot climates and physically smaller batteries are even more susceptible to damage from heat. If you are looking at the potential fuel savings from shaving five pounds of weight off your vehicle, I wouldn't suggest skimping on your battery, unless the other vehicle you referenced is a track-only race car and you've exhausted all other weight-saving measures. I know Corvette owners like our batteries for many different reasons, but C5 owners are particularly fond of them, due to the fact that the PCM & TAC modules, as well as several wiring harnesses are located directly below their battery and leaking battery acid can make quite a mess of all of that.

If any battery fails from a manufacturing defect, it is likely to do so well within the first year of use, if not the first month. Our batteries come with three-year, free replacement warranties, with no pro-ration costs. Pro-rated warranties begin immediately, so even if if a battery has a 24-month free replacement warranty, if it fails in month 25, you are paying something to replace it. I know how most standard pro-rated warranties work and on a $150 battery with a 24-month free replacement warranty and 60-month pro-rated warranty, a failure in month 25 would cost at least $62.50, while our warranty replacement is free through 36 months. Pro-rated warranties are confusing enough for many consumers (and some retailers) to calculate and that was one reason we eliminated them entirely and simply extended our free replacement warranty period on YellowTops. I don't know the structure of the “simple two-tiered price plan†on the batteries you referenced, but you'll always be paying something in the pro-rated portion of the warranty.

web1b, our batteries can last up to twice as long as traditional flooded lead-acid batteries. Hidyho, we are working to minimize the time it takes to process warranty claims for purchases made online and we do eventually expect these batteries will be available through other retail outlets, although I haven't been given a timeframe yet on when that might be.

duffasauraus, I'm sorry to hear about the problem you had entering our coupon code. Did you contact our customer service while you were placing your order and indicate that the coupon code was not working or were you asking customer service to retro-actively credit your order, after you had placed it, without entering the coupon code? I am glad to hear Daryl was able to assist you.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

As posted here, Optima battery is 1.5 lbs lighter than the stock one.

 

UGH! Not looking fwd to battery replacement on this car!! Had always thought it would be wise to replace this 12V battery BEFORE it fails on this car. But when might that be??? I've got 22 months of ownership, & 43K of miles, all seems to be fine so far! The price of the replacement battery is minuscule compared with ANY Toyota repair bills for installing the wrong, or shorting yourself/car on a battery! Those are my thoughts, for what they are worth, Ha!

 

Hi duffasauraus,

Just so I can make sure everything is functioning properly on our end, did you enter the coupon code when you originally placed your order or were you asking Daryl to credit your account after you placed an order, without entering the code? If you can, please PM me your first and last name, as I don't know if he'd know who I was referring to if I asked him to check on the credit for “duffasauraus.†Thanks!


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

I don't know how a spiral cell , deep cycle, AGM battery like the yellow top one advertised for the Prius will do. Atleast in the Gen 3 Prius, the 12V battery only handles accessory loads, as it does not normally crank the engine.
I read in my operators manual (2010) , that the big hybrid battery normally starts the engine, the converntionl 12V starter only is used in the rare occasion that the hybrid battery is totally discharged.
That should leave the conventional 12V starter still new when the car is worn out.

Will the Optima yellow top last longer in a Prius?
Good question, I use Optima red top starting batteries and Exide Orbital (A spiral cell AGM battery clone of the Optima) on most of the units on my farm (over 20 units) I really like them because they cause no terminal corrosion, they are very slow to discharge in seasonal use equipment that is parked for 10 months of the year, and they seem very long lived if properly cared for.

On my farm, conventional flooded cell starting batteries generally last about 6 years. Of the 20 or so spiral cell AGM batteries I own, only one has failed and that was at 16 years of abuse in a medium truck. Abuse = This battery was used to jump start large diesel engines dozens of times, plus it was totally discharged atleast a half dozen times due to a forgotten accessory left on in the truck.
In spite of the higher initial cost, I am sold on them.

 

Not "normally" Jon, always. There is no 12V starter. The 12V battery boots the computer and closes the relay that connects the HV battery to the car. The HV battery supplies MG1 through an inverter which turns the engine over. The 12V battery in a Prius has a pretty easy life unless, of course, things go wrong.

 

Could someone give me some instructions on how to install the Optima DS46B24R yellow top in an 06 Prius? I hear that it is a direct fit and doesn't require special installation, but what steps are needed?

 

Kinda crude but effective.

 

Anyone know if there will be another coupon code for this battery? The OPTIMA15 code expired at the end of September.

 

Six7390GT, I am not aware of any other coupon codes at this time. However, future codes will be announced on our Facebook page and special offers are extended to Optima's Power Pack Nation.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

I am a little confused. This thread is in the gen3 section but after reading, it looks like this battery is for the gen2. Or does it fit the gen3 as well?

 

It will fit both, 2004 through 2012.
Optima Announces Prius Replacement 12v Yellow Top Battery with Pencil Posts | PriusChat