51R Batteries and CCA's

need4swede

need4swede

Greenie N00B Member
Greenie Member
Hi folks,

I'm strapping a JBR 3.5" to my new build and I'm considering going with a 51R battery to make my life easier. The batteries I'm looking at produce about 500CCA.

Those of you who have done this mod, have you had any problems with cold starts? Has anyone ran this setup in colder climates?

Thanks!
 
I have had a 51R for more than 5 years now. I have had to frequently change them out though. I can't leave my car without a tender for more than 2 days or the battery is completely dead. Then again, I suspect my android head unit has a pretty bad draw to retain memory and settings. For now, i just keep a tender on it.
 
Your profile says you're in Cali what are you worries about colder climates about? Plenty people run them now I wouldn't run it of you plan on driving your car in ~5-10c or below and in this case would just strap your ECU on your fuse box and send it with the 3.5"...

This isn't the first thread discussing this topic.
 
iamareios said:
I have had a 51R for more than 5 years now. I have had to frequently change them out though. I can't leave my car without a tender for more than 2 days or the battery is completely dead. Then again, I suspect my android head unit has a pretty bad draw to retain memory and settings. For now, i just keep a tender on it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my guess is that you're dealing with parasitic draw, possibly from that head unit. Thanks for the input!

Awafrican said:
Your profile says you're in Cali what are you worries about colder climates about? Plenty people run them now I wouldn't run it of you plan on driving your car in ~5-10c or below and in this case would just strap your ECU on your fuse box and send it with the 3.5"...

This isn't the first thread discussing this topic.
Click to expand...

Car travels a lot - I wouldn't want it to be an issue after a few days of sitting in a colder environment.
That's good to know, though! I'll probably stick to the stock size and relocate the ECU, like you said. I was just curious what people's experiences was like with the smaller battery.

I tried searching for a thread like this, but I didn't find anything. Many posts about people simply stating that they're using a 51R battery, usually in a thread discussing an intake install, but nothing in particular about one's experience of living with one and any problems they may have encountered as a result. Perhaps I missed these threads? Either way, I appreciate the input!
 
My buddy had used is 51R at -5 to 0c on occasion to move it and it's certainly a hard crank, if it's been sitting for a day or so he needs to put the charger on it, if he's had a decent drive more than that short toot about and battery is topped of he can start it again if he's got to run into the store, he still wouldn't recommend it as a daily. Below freezing, especially if you have any sort of odd parasitic draw issues
 
Awafrican said:
My buddy had used is 51R at -5 to 0c on occasion to move it and it's certainly a hard crank, if it's been sitting for a day or so he needs to put the charger on it, if he's had a decent drive more than that short toot about and battery is topped of he can start it again if he's got to run into the store, he still wouldn't recommend it as a daily. Below freezing, especially if you have any sort of odd parasitic draw issues
Click to expand...

Very useful info, thanks for sharing! I came across a post of yours where you mentioned you knew someone who ran a JBR 3.5" with the stock box just fine (relocated ECU, taped to fuse box), so that's most likely what I'll end up doing.

Thanks again!
 
My experience might be very different since I'm in north GA, but I installed a JBR 51R tray and battery last November and didn't have any issues over the course of our very mild winter. I had some parasitic draw that killed my old battery over the course of just a few days but I did find some chewed up wires that I repaired along the way, and I haven't had any issues since. I probably wouldn't have done it if I didn't need a new battery anyways, and if i did have to do it again I would fab my own tray or just move the ecu to the fuse box like Awafrican suggested. I was pretty disappointed with the fit and finish of it - I had to bend tabs and re-drill holes for it to fit properly
 
i have a 4" intake so smaller battery is a must. Unless i relocate to trunk, but lazy.
 
iamareios said:
$630 bones! That's crazy. I'll stick with my $8 battery tender haha
Click to expand...

I mean it's a "smart" battery though lol. It'll keep itself from being discharged or overcharged. It's also a 51R battery. I debated buying it for my car but feel the same way you do.
 
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