Thinking about upgrading the 12V Battery on 2018 LEAF

[macarose]

Our dealership just got in a 2018 Nissan leaf that has a 51r 12 volt battery in it.

It will probably need to be replaced within the next couple of months. We're thinking about upgrading the battery to one with higher cold cranking amps so that it can handle the needs of the vehicle for a longer period of time.

I was thinking about either putting in a 58r or a 35 in it. We also can do an AGM but generally those cost more than twice as much and frankly aren't worth the expense.

Anyone have any experiences with this at all? We have upgraded batteries on Honda CRVs that had the 51R with a 35. But I'm thinking that the 58r would be a better fit given the wiring and terminal placements on this vehicle.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Nissan Leafs don’t have starters.

 

[Torrid]

I don’t think higher CCA isn’t going to make much difference in this application, but I could be wrong.

 

[atikovi]

The 12 volt battery in an electric car is just to power up modules, after which the high voltage battery takes over. I'd put in a motorcycle battery to save weight.

 

[ME_Andy]

Yeah, I don't think it's the cranking capacity that matters. More like overall capacity.

When we had a 2015 Leaf, the 12V battery died several times. Weak point.

 

[alarmguy]

I wonder if a deep cycle marine battery would be better for this application.

 

[Astro_Guy]

When we had a 2015 Leaf, the 12V battery died several times. Weak point.

One can only wonder it it is the battery or the charging circuitry that led to those failures.

 

[Torrid]

I wonder if a deep cycle marine battery would be better for this application.

I think the only reason that doesn't happen is for battery longevity. The battery looks small and slim in our car, but I think it's a 16V lithium ion from what I read.

 

[FlyingVan]

The 12 volt battery in an electric car is just to power up modules, after which the high voltage battery takes over. I'd put in a motorcycle battery to save weight.

The same with my hybrid Toyota Prius. It doesn't have a starter either, so any battery that fits can power up the computers just fine. When the 12v battery died I replaced it with a $20 lawn mower battery. The original was around $150. Works great so far, will see how long it lasts. But I bet I will not replace 7 of them lawn mower batteries in the time I would have replaced the original size battery. Saved some coin.

 

[Ken2]

Check summitracing.com for very good prices on ACDelco AGM batteries.

The capacity of the battery relates to how many idle days it can sit and keep the electronics ready until the next start.