I'm in need of a battery and am thinking either Costco Kirkland 51R or OEM Honda 151R. I believe the only "accessory" I need to fit the 51R is a battery post terminal extension cable, is that correct?

Question came to mind is how much of a weight difference is there between the two? Is there a severe weight added in the larger 51R? I have no need to run heavy loaded electronics and my stock 151R has served my needs well. I like that the 51R is cheaper (+ cable) but don't want any more weight. Anyone know the weight difference or estimated?

 

Anyone? To those who have converted to 51R, did the 51R feel significantly heavier or is there minimal difference?

 

guess I have to answer my owner question...

About ~6ish lbs heavier with the 51R and Wallyworld now carries 151R but the manufacture date on the only two left was 7/13! Safe to say there's not much demand for these oddities...

51R EverStart Maxx
$105
26ish lbs

151R EverStart Maxx
$115
20 lbs


How do I upload attachemnts on fitfreak or do I have to link it to a file hosting site?

 

silentnoise: just checking in so you didn't think we were giving you the silent treatment. Isn't the 51R at Costco like $75 or so? Although Consumer Reports likes the Maxx battery (I bought one for my Elantra Touring), it was smart of you to check the born on date. Batteries in WalMart will indeed sit around for a long, long time before being replaced or sold.

 

It sucks, the 151R is more money. I bought the advance auto parts brand - Autocraft, I believe. I've had it about 6 months now and haven't noticed any difference between it and the OEM.

 

@ BurntZ – NP. I haven’t decided if I want to go 51R or 151R but leaning towards 151R. While the scale officially has the 51R Maxx @ +6lbs (think of it as +30% heavier), it feels noticeably heavier than the 151R + the weight is forward of the front axle + added weight on driver side. It comes down to price first and foremost.

After a few calls, looks like I’ll be sticking with the 151R Napa battery. The 51R is very tempting as however I don’t like hack job installs and don’t want to dump money into adapters. Btw, has anyone looked to see if it is possible to unclip the POS terminal cable to get an extra inch or so of length? If there’s a way to avoid an adapter, I would go 51R. I recently stuck a group 34 Kirkland into the standard group 35 Mazda5.

For reference (local/store-to-store prices vary):
Honda OEM 151R: $135 + core/tax
Autocraft Gold 151R: $135 + core/tax (36 / 60)
NAPA (Decca?) 151R: $87.40 + core/tax (18 / 65)
Kirkland 51R: $71.99 + core/tax (36/60)

 

The Napa battery’s fit and finish is very good (FWIW, made in S. Korea). It is also smartly designed with a retractable carry handle and feels REALLY light! Now if only I was smarter and though to presoak the battery tie down nut so I could have returned the old core when I picked up the battery this morning.

 

hmmm.. upon further review, group 26R (slightly better rated than 51R) might work too. decisions.


Good overview of Kirkland battery specs and dimensions.
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/loca...teries-can.htm

 

The problem that I see with anything other than the 151R is the lack of clearance with the air box. You might be able to make it fit, but engine movement will result in the air box and battery hitting each other. I would go with the 51R if it would fit, but it doesn't.

 

I didn’t have a 51R to test fit but did have a 26R thatI test fitted. Without the plastic battery tray, the 26R can fit squeezeinto/between the vertical panels but rub and cannot reach the flat base. You caneither cut off the two vertical panels or use a thick piece of “something nonflammable”to lift the battery up. No issues with rubbing and lots of clearance all aroundbut and you need to mod/fab a bracket to hold the battery down. IF I werelooking to upgrade the battery, 26R would be my choice over the 51R.

Also, for those who have done the51Rand had to use an add-on extension cable, did you look to see if you can“unclip” some of the tie down fasteners to give more slack to the cable?!?!Again, I didn’t have a 51R to test fit but tome it seems there is more slack ifyou just unclip all of the fastens – wild assumptions without actually doing orhaving perspective of how large the 51R is once in there. Also, after having agood looksee, the metal battery carrier tray (not the plastic) can be easily modto fitall types/sizes of batteries – just need to be a little creative.

That said, the Napa 151R is in andfeels lighter than the OEM Honda battery (did not get to weight either, justusing my awesome feeling powers to judge). Off to Napa to get some monies back.

 

Quote:

121-R battery from Advanced Auto Parts is the same size as the 26R but with the battery polarity the same as the original Honda Fit installed 151R battery. This 121-R battery is an easy replacement and does not require any changes to the Honda Fit’s battery wiring system

Excellent!

 

300 CCA is plenty of power for starting the fit at -35*C. Although I don't leave the car unplugged unintentionally any more at those temperatures (but I'm sure that if I did, it would start no problem).

That being said, having the extra CCAs would be nice.

 

The original 151R battery in my 2007 Fit ( put on the road in nov 2006) was replaced with a NAPA battery, NAPA part # 151R-6, in Aug of 2012 at 74,000 kms.
After 38,000 kms and 2 winters it is now unable to start the car after a night at -25C and it did have some difficulty last winter. I bought the lowest price I could find and got a cheap non-performing piece of crap. The OEM unit did 6 winters and 74,000 kms. From that I would have to conclude that the original Japanese battery is a better deal even if more expensive. The 51R is available just about everywhere at a reasonable cost and under several labels. I am going to get through this winter with a block heater and trickle charger and change the 151R to something more reliable when things warm up and it is easier top work outside . I'll try and take some photos ot show what it takes to make it work.

 

Old thread, but just an update.
My battery died, and I replaced it with a 51R.
Little bit of cutting on the battery tray was all that it required.
I didn't need longer cables, or anything else.