BeardedVermonter
Member
Looking into dual batteries for my Tacoma. See some run split dual batteries and some run side by side batteries. Is there an advantage of one compared to the other? Or is it distributing The weight evenly? Thanks guys.
Side by side vs split dual batteries
- Thread starter BeardedVermonter
- Start date
alanymarce
Well-known member
You need the batteries to be as close as possible to what they're powering: for the starter motor you need a short distance high current lead, and that's why vehicles with a single battery put it in the engine compartment. If you're running a refrigerator and add a second battery for this, then put it close to the refrigerator.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Since you're asking about a Tacoma I'll mention I did a back-to-back group 25 and 35 in my Tacoma because my goal was under hood redundancy and doing it this way was convenient as there's several established techniques to mount them.
From a strictly performance stand-point this is not ideal because it's a lot of weight in a spot that really isn't designed for even a stock weight battery and it limits the overall size of both. I ended up using Odyssey batteries because each of them alone is the equivalent of the stock Toyota flooded one so it wasn't cheap and about the most weight possible, double the idiocy.
So I won't advocate doing that other than for expediency. My truck is an early configuration, vacuum brake booster with an ABS module on the passenger's side fender so putting a secondary battery there would require moving brake hydraulics and/or intake air tubes. It would be easier with 2009+ trucks that all have electronic brake boosters and no stand-alone ABS module to work around.
If you want both under the hood and it's possible in your truck put the aux battery back in that open corner and replace the stock one with the smallest, lightest one you can that runs only stock loads.
The "some day" plan is to move batteries under the truck to the passenger side frame rail opposite the fuel tanks. But at the rate that's being achieved I'll probably end up rebuilding the radiator core support from fatigue first...
From a strictly performance stand-point this is not ideal because it's a lot of weight in a spot that really isn't designed for even a stock weight battery and it limits the overall size of both. I ended up using Odyssey batteries because each of them alone is the equivalent of the stock Toyota flooded one so it wasn't cheap and about the most weight possible, double the idiocy.
So I won't advocate doing that other than for expediency. My truck is an early configuration, vacuum brake booster with an ABS module on the passenger's side fender so putting a secondary battery there would require moving brake hydraulics and/or intake air tubes. It would be easier with 2009+ trucks that all have electronic brake boosters and no stand-alone ABS module to work around.
If you want both under the hood and it's possible in your truck put the aux battery back in that open corner and replace the stock one with the smallest, lightest one you can that runs only stock loads.
The "some day" plan is to move batteries under the truck to the passenger side frame rail opposite the fuel tanks. But at the rate that's being achieved I'll probably end up rebuilding the radiator core support from fatigue first...