Dakota Lithium 135ah Starter Battery Question

Looking to replicate this battery setup for my 3rd gen Tacoma. Stock alternator with 130amp charge profile.

https://www.takethetruck.com/blog/overlanding-battery

Somebody who knows more about batteries and electrical systems please tell me why this would not work...

Besides my main concern of the low-temperature shutoff since I live in Canada.

 

Except for cost, possibly extreme cold starting, I vote for lithium any day of the week. I have a different brand installed and it cranks much faster, and weighs a lot less. No cons since I haven't tried cold starting, but been with it for about a year without any hiccup. Would recommend!

 

Interesting… I’d heat not a concern under the hood with lithium starter batteries?

 

It has a heating element in it - since the LiFePO4 doesn't like (at all) charging under 0C. Reading their docs, the 15v high cutoff is very high, usually it is 14.2v, but they do reduce the expected life of 4000ish cycles to 2500. could be part of it. They say an 11 year replacement warranty. In AZ, I generally get 3 yrs out of a SLA, 1 50% replacement cost, so in 6 years I've spent $300ish on SLA. But the weight, that is kinda cool. I do have lithium and wouldn't even consider SLA for my camper, but then I'm limiting the charge/discharge to get me that expected 4000 to 5000 cycles.

 

It should work provided you don't plan to start your truck below -20F or -29C. Rather expensive at $1800 CAD + taxes and shipping: https://sportsheadquarters.ca/produ...a-starter-battery-plus-deep-cycle-performance

At 27 lb it isn't much lighter than an Optima Red 35 (32 lb). However, it is significantly lighter than dual-battery setups.

 

No way, even with a heated garage, I wouldn't consider this. Plus its likely a pain to even purchase or warranty.

Stick with AGM red tops that are abundant and only require a top off from time to time.

 

Never an issue so far, even with this recent heatwave. I'd definitely consider it just the performance alone is worth the price and plug and play. I think some AGMs need higher voltage to charge properly?

 

Yeah my Odyssey Extreme Group 31 AGM needs 14.4-14.8 charge. I had KD Max tuner set mine last year for correct charge voltage. My Odyssey is 3 years old this month and going strong byt I’ve always been interested in Lithium starter batteries but afraid of all the testing I’ve seen on YouTube about heat under the hood shutting them off

 

We're definitely on the bleeding edge with using this tech the way we are, but so far we're still really happy with this setup. I did decide to pull the battery and bring it inside when temps recently dipped down to -27F just to protect the cell's longevity. We don't make a habit of camping/traveling in sub-zero temps, and generally our region and the ones we travel to don't get/stay that cold so can't speak to the functionality long-term in those climates (yet). For us, the weight, space, and simplicity was worth giving it a chance.

 

Been interested in doing this myself. Did you end up pulling the trigger?

 

Dakota now has a 60AH starting battery for $600. This price point seems competitive with flooded as I replace my flooded battery proactively ever other year.

https://dakotalithium.com/product/d...r-starter-deep-cycle-lifepo4-battery-1000cca/