Hello from BrianW. Dual battery for Disco 4

[BWooldridge]

Hello All
I am new member and have a Discovery 4 2010, live at Caloundra Qld. I am looking at installing a dual battery system to run a Waeco 50l fridge. I would prefer an under bonnet installation and have been recommended a 55ah Optima AGM battery as it will fit or a 85 ah SSB AGM battery by Traxide Tronics. This battery may be 208mm high instead of 200mm Optima.
Has anyone got a recommendation.
Cheers Brian

[josh.huber]

Hello All
I am new member and have a Discovery 4 2010, live at Caloundra Qld. I am looking at installing a dual battery system to run a Waeco 50l fridge. I would prefer an under bonnet installation and have been recommended a 55ah Optima AGM battery as it will fit or a 85 ah SSB AGM battery by Traxide Tronics. This battery may be 208mm high instead of 200mm Optima.
Has anyone got a recommendation.
Cheers Brian

You can't go wrong with the D4 , you can't go wrong with tim from traxide, heaps of info on the forum . I have the SSB hvt50, very happy. The bigger battery would be great,

Welcome

[BWooldridge]

Thanks Josh Much appreciated
Cheers brian

[drivesafe]

Hi Brian, the Traxide kits come with a stainless steel battery tray for discovery 4s.

Up until late last year, the tray was specifically designed for the Optima D34 Yellowtop battery, a 55Ah battery.

But over the last 3 or four years, a lot people using the Yellowtops were getting very pour performance from them and many D3 and D4 customers had replaced their Yellowtops with an SSB HVT-50D AGM battery, a 60Ah battery.

I was also informed by a number of customers, who bent one end of the tray flat, that this would allow the use of a slightly longer and bigger capacity SSB battery. This battery was still the same hight of the SSB HVT-50D, so clearance under the bonnet was not an issue.

I modified the production of the trays to allow for the use of this bigger battery.

But then a short time after this, I was notified by SSB ( Super Start Batteries ) that that specific battery would no longer be available.

With the trays redesigned, I left them in the new size.

Then a good customer in WA decided to carry out experiments with an even larger SSB battery, the SSB HVT-70LD. This is an 85Ah AGM but is higher then the HVT-50D.

He not only managed to fit the bigger battery, he took a video from inside the engine bay, of the bonnet being closed, showing the clearance available with the new bigger battery.

He needed a new longer cable to run from the isolator to the battery terminal, so a new kit setup was developed.

Also, to lower the hight of the battery even further, the battery terminals ( Studs ) were removed and the cabling was bolted directly to the top of the battery.

Both the SSB HVT-50D ( for D3s ) and the SSB HVT-70LD ( for D4s ) allow the battery studs to be removed, using a 6M Allen Key and both battery’s are supplied with bolts and washers, to allow the cabling to be bolted directly to the top of these batteries.

All latest versions of the Traxide D3 and D4 kits are now setup specifically for these two batteries.

While other batteries may fit, to get the maximum performance that the Traxide kits offer, when used with the large D3 and D4 alternators, these batteries need to be a cranking type battery with deep cycle capabilities, which the SSB HVT range of batteries are.


PLEASE NOTE, I have been notified by SSB ( Super Start Batteries ) that as of the1st of October, there will be a price increase for their batteries.

The SSB HVT-50D will have a recommended retail price of $245.80
The SSB HVT-70LD will have a recommended retail price of $278.65

[BMKal]

As per Tim's comments above - I also have his Traxide system in my 2011 D4. I have had two Optima Yellowtop batteries in the vehicle, both of which failed (the second one was less than two years old.

I have since installed a Fullriver DC85/12 Deep Cycle AGM Battery in place of the Yellowtop. It is higher than the Yellowtop and you have to opt for the version of the battery with no posts, and then reverse the positioning of the battery and use a longer cable to the positive terminal also as Tim mentioned.

This has worked well for me and easily handles the Engel fridge in the back - and so far (touch wood) it is looking like I will get a much better service life out of this battery than I did out of the Yellowtops.

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