Do I need to upgrade 12volt battery. (2015 Leaf S)

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SolarPeep

New member
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
2
If I want to upgrade my stereo system are people upgrading their 12v battery? My concern lies with the stock battery only having 38aH capacity. Isn’t this going to be a problem? Will the dc-dc converter be able to charge the upgraded battery say if it’s a 85aH battery to full state? Another question are people using the Optima yellow top batteries. Thanks for your feedback
 
A higher capacity AGM type battery would be a good idea. That, and NEVER use Accessory mode for anything - only Ready mode, because that keeps the DC-DC converter active.
 
I have been using yellow top Optimas as replacements for the original batteries in both 2011 and 2015. The Optima had been in use for about 14 months in the 2011 by the time the car was totaled and I would have kept it to put in the 2015 if the insurance company would have allowed it. The Optima in the 2015 is about 14 months old and working fine. It handles being discharged by running accessories without the car being in Ready mode much better than the original. Regarding a high power stereo, the DC-DC converter has plenty of capacity so just make sure you keep the car in Ready mode when playing the stereo so that the DC-DC converter is powering the accessories.
 
GerryAZ said:
I have been using yellow top Optimas as replacements for the original batteries in both 2011 and 2015. The Optima had been in use for about 14 months in the 2011 by the time the car was totaled and I would have kept it to put in the 2015 if the insurance company would have allowed it. The Optima in the 2015 is about 14 months old and working fine. It handles being discharged by running accessories without the car being in Ready mode much better than the original. Regarding a high power stereo, the DC-DC converter has plenty of capacity so just make sure you keep the car in Ready mode when playing the stereo so that the DC-DC converter is powering the accessories.
Which yellow top have you been using? Is it the D51R or did you put in a bigger aH battery. What about the yellow top H6?
 
SolarPeep said:
GerryAZ said:
I have been using yellow top Optimas as replacements for the original batteries in both 2011 and 2015. The Optima had been in use for about 14 months in the 2011 by the time the car was totaled and I would have kept it to put in the 2015 if the insurance company would have allowed it. The Optima in the 2015 is about 14 months old and working fine. It handles being discharged by running accessories without the car being in Ready mode much better than the original. Regarding a high power stereo, the DC-DC converter has plenty of capacity so just make sure you keep the car in Ready mode when playing the stereo so that the DC-DC converter is powering the accessories.
Which yellow top have you been using? Is it the D51R or did you put in a bigger aH battery. What about the yellow top H6?
I've had the D51R yellow top in my '12 Leaf for a couple years and it hasn't failed me yet :)
As the Leaf has a very robust 12v charging circuit I personally didn't feel the need to upsize the 12v battery, the HV battery is the big daddy should the 12v run low :lol:
 
I saw no reason to go larger so I bought the Optima Yellow Top D51R (direct fit) for the 2011 and then bought another one for the 2015. The DC-DC converter is capable of well over 100 amperes with very stable voltage (much better than a conventional alternator) so it will handle the 12-volt needs as long as the car is in Ready mode.
 
I swapped my battery to an XS Power 5100 when I added the stereo to my 2018 SL. I don't think it's entirely necessary but I had the battery from my last car.
 
There is no reason to put in expensive, high tech batteries in the Leaf. The car charges the original little one well, and has no problem powering the headlights, heat, and ac... A bigger stereo will work without modification.

When it is time to change the battery, put a bigger one that fits into the tray. That will be bigger..
 
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