Battery Upgrade Opinions: 31 vs 34

[Louisiana Overland]

What brand and model onboard charger are you thinking of? So essentially you would keep the fridge on and the onboard charger would feed the battery as well as the fridge?

Osessey has a list of approved chargers on their site. Im looking at the Powermania Turbo 108E. Its an 8 amp smart charger with an AGM+ setting that will feed the correct 14.7 volts. Im only considering installing it to be able to use it once or twice a month for battery maintenance. Its my understanding the odessey doesnt like to be at less than full charge all the time. It can reduce battery life. I work shift work so on weekends off i can just plug it in for a night. Also, i COULD plug it in at a campground if 110v is available. My long term plan is to stop using the t4r and have it as an RV only. It appears that if im driving every day for more than 30 minutes the battery is fully charging off the altenator. The voltage booster should help and also feed the recommended voltage to the battery. It should not be an issue on overlanding type trips where I am driving several hours each day.

 

[Redcx9]

Weight Difference

What is the weight difference between stock and Odyssey 34r 1500?

 

[Rack]

What is the weight difference between stock and Odyssey 34r 1500?

The stock Panasonic is 36 lb
The Odyssey 34R is 49.5 ib
The Odyssey 31m is 77.8 lb

I did the dual Battery mod a few years ago. One in the stock location and the other in the passenger side with a shrockworks battery tray. Note I didn't have the air pump in 2011 so it made it easy to install.

 

[TRUSTYAXE]

I had zero fitment issues with the 34 other than needing the height spacer, but I'm used to that after over a decade of using Optimas, the 34 fits great and no modification to the wires is needed

Another vote for the 34R, I've never had my Dometic shut off on me and it drops in without having to change any wiring.

 

[RIN84]

Another vote for the 34R, I've never had my Dometic shut off on me and it drops in without having to change any wiring.

Any reason why you didn't go with a 27(r/f) agm battery?

Not sure why everyone is "upgrading" from the stock 27 to anything besides the 31 agm. Based on my research, every other size mentioned in here seems like a downgrade.

 

[TRUSTYAXE]

Any reason why you didn't go with a 27(r/f) agm battery?

Not sure why everyone is "upgrading" from the stock 27 to anything besides the 31 agm. Based on my research, every other size mentioned in here seems like a downgrade.

That’s a valid point, I just went with what another member recommended and never looked back.

 

[DurangoMax]

Dual Battery vs Upgrade

The stock Panasonic is 36 lb
The Odyssey 34R is 49.5 ib
The Odyssey 31m is 77.8 lb

I did the dual Battery mod a few years ago. One in the stock location and the other in the passenger side with a shrockworks battery tray. Note I didn't have the air pump in 2011 so it made it easy to install.

So is it better to add a dual battery or upgrade to these bigger/heavier batteries? I am just starting my mods - winch, bar light, compressor,etc

A bit confused by the move to the larger battery instead of using a dual setup

Thanks

 

[N6WRV]

So I've already searched the forum extensively on battery upgrades...
I am looking to upgrade from the stock 27 Panasonic to a 31 or a 34 battery (Odyssey) and I am curious on some opinions...

The truck is 6 months old and I am slowly building it up to be a surfing exploration adventure rig, no rock crawling more overlanding type stuff. I won't be adding a winch and I plan on keeping stock bumper, but I will be adding lights and some electronics and upgrading the suspension...

31 Pros - Really High CCA and power
31 Cons - Weight, Mild maintenance, battery cable modifications to fit, bigger battery tray

34 Pros - Less weight, No battery cable modifications to fit, No battery tray
34 Cons - Less CCA and power then the 31 (but still better than the 27 stock)

I guess what I am asking here is, money aside, is the weight of the 31 worth the gains over the 34 on a rig for mild adventuring.

Everyone's Mileage May Vary...
but anyone with some experience with these in their truck goes further then my googled knowledge...

Don't buy Odyssey. Poor quality junk because Odyssey is made in Mexico.

24F AGM Made in the USA is the best way to go.

 

[BeelzeBuck]

Any opinions on the Interstate battery's from Costco? They have a Group 34 800 CCA with 36 month warranty for 88.99.
Was looking to swap my stock battery (still original on a 2011) for this as I just ordered a winch. BTW, Amazon has Smittybilt 10,000 X20 Synthetic on sale for $430 right now.

 

[Off-choader]

27f is what I’m going with!

 

[Rack]

So is it better to add a dual battery or upgrade to these bigger/heavier batteries? I am just starting my mods - winch, bar light, compressor,etc

A bit confused by the move to the larger battery instead of using a dual setup

Thanks

You might want to check out some of the threads about adding the bigger Battery in the stock location. At 77 lbs some members have had some metal fatigue issues in the fender wells.
To go dual battery in the later model 4R you will have to relocate the air pump and reconfigure your engine compartment space for anything else you intend to put there ( air compressor).
The dual Battery system can get pricey with all the components required for the build. Judging from what you intend to add to your rig You will need more reserve power regardless on what configuration you choose. Have fun.

 

[Cornerman]

How much weight risks cracking of the inner fender sheet metal?

The stock Panasonic is 36 lbs.
The Odyssey 34R is 50 lbs.
The Northstar/X2Power 24F is 57 lbs.
The Northstar/X2Power 27F is 68 lbs.

 

[jrandom]

I have always had a 31, I am on my second now, with a pelfrey cage, I thankfully haven’t had any cracking issues.

I believe most of the problem comes from the battery moving, jumping, hopping around.

If there were more room in the engine bay or best case, if alternate chemistry batteries (often with way smaller case sizes) were more reasonably priced, I would love to have smaller lighter battery up front.

 

[02SE]

Don't buy Odyssey. Poor quality junk because Odyssey is made in Mexico.

24F AGM Made in the USA is the best way to go.

Unless something has recently changed, I don't believe that's correct.

ODYSSEY Battery - About

Perhaps you're thinking of Optima.

 

[jrandom]

Don't buy Odyssey. Poor quality junk because Odyssey is made in Mexico.

24F AGM Made in the USA is the best way to go.

:doh:

 

[Cornerman]

I read a post where someone installed a 2XPower 27F in a Gen 5 4R.
The footprint of the 27F did not fit the stock battery tray, so he removed the tray and sat the 27F flat on the sheet metal and secured it with the stock hardware.
Question: Does this sound secure enough with out a tray or something under the battery?

 

[Bumbo]

So is it better to add a dual battery or upgrade to these bigger/heavier batteries? I am just starting my mods - winch, bar light, compressor,etc

A bit confused by the move to the larger battery instead of using a dual setup

Thanks

Dual battery, that would be my preference by a large margin…

Keep the starter battery stock and add a deep cycle of your choice with a DC-DC charger. It’s just easy worry free operation with zero concern about being able to start the truck again, plus you get more usable capacity than a single larger battery. With a single battery you wouldn’t be able to start the truck if you ran it to the same deep discharge levels.

 

[Bumbo]

How much weight risks cracking of the inner fender sheet metal?

The stock Panasonic is 36 lbs.
The Odyssey 34R is 50 lbs.
The Northstar/X2Power 24F is 57 lbs.
The Northstar/X2Power 27F is 68 lbs.

If you just operate on road the weight isn’t really a concern… the damage comes from throwing it around off-road.

If you spend any time in places where you might encounter some harder hits or some rough handling then I would consider managing weight.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I read a post where someone installed a 2XPower 27F in a Gen 5 4R.
The footprint of the 27F did not fit the stock battery tray, so he removed the tray and sat the 27F flat on the sheet metal and secured it with the stock hardware.
Question: Does this sound secure enough with out a tray or something under the battery?

That does not sound secure at all. Batteries leak fluids and corrosion, I would not want that sitting on bare metal. I have a 27F battery tray for sale here if anyone is interested.

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/for-sale-non-t4r-items/271006-universal-large-battery-tray-$30-pittsburgh-pa.html

 

[Cornerman]

If you just operate on road the weight isn’t really a concern… the damage comes from throwing it around off-road.

If you spend any time in places where you might encounter some harder hits or some rough handling then I would consider managing weight.

Most driving is highway. I'm not racing off road, but I want to be able to bounce around a little or a reasonable amount with normal 4-wheeling.
Probably not going the 31 battery route, but considering the 24 (57 lbs), and would like a 27 (68 lbs) IF that is considered a "manageable" weight that is not going to fatigue the metal and does not require a special Pelfrey Casge or something along those lines- perhaps just a larger plastic battery tray under a 27? Thanks.