Hi folks,
My daughter will soon be buying a 2015 Civic LX(std model/trim). This car being 3 years old still has the OE 51R battery and I'd like to swap it out with a larger battery.

1) I have a grp 24F battery and was curious if the 24F will fit in the battery space(even with a little wiggling) of the grp 51R?...I've seen youtube video where the owner replaced with a grp grp 35 but, haven't see a 24F replacement and I'm curious about the space available under the engine/battery box compartment so I can start planning.

2) I've learned that some year Honda's have to have their radio code# re entered after the battery goes dead or replaced. Will we have to re enter in a radio code on a 2015(std radio)?

I have not looked yet to see if there is a Radio Code# Card with the owner's manual(during the test drive) as we'll be picking up the car on Thu 5th-Fri 6th. I am only learning of this code re enter.

For curiosity sake, I recently replaced the grp 35(mazda3 below in sig) with a grp 24F and want to keep this 24F battery.

Thanks for any help,

CB

I can’t tell you if it will fit but can tell you something based on many Honda’s. Their are usually quite small and size wise most others just won’t go into the hole it sits in. Unlike most cars the civic batteries are almost a perfectly tight fit. Don’t give up hope till you at least measure it though just don’t be surprised if it’s a no go by a smidge.

I don't know why you need a larger battery. Unless some options were put on the car after it was purchased that use a lot of amps the battery should be fine. Three to four years is about right for the life of those batteries. I would just put the same size in as Factory. Just get a good one.

My 97 civic has a small battery tray. You may need to Mcgiver something to get a larger battery to fit.

It might fit if you want to hack up the battery compartment. There is not a lot of room around the battery so it might hit other things that can't be moved.

There is no need to put a bigger battery in it. I have had a lot of Civic's (and Accords with larger engines) that have all used the 51 size battery and have never had a problem.

Replace the stock battery with a high CCA battery and you will be good.


You will need to re-enter the radio code whenever you disconnect the battery.

Good news concerning the radio code...

The newer Honda radios are self-coding...

All you'll need to do is hold in the power button until it resets.

Is there a reason why your daughter needs a bigger battery unlike whomever has been driving the car for 3 + years since new?

I doubt you need a group 24, and I don't think it will fit. My '08 CR-V had a group 51 and had no trouble starting the 2.4 liter engine, I'm sure it will be fine starting a Civic. My CR-V did have some no-name battery from the factory that started getting slow to crank after 4 years, although it had never been discharged or had any problems.

My Pilot's radio only needs to have the key on, then hold the power button until it turns on again after the battery has been disconnected.

Honda has been known to undersize two important things, batteries and brakes. Getting four years out of a battery may perfectly be normal for Honda owners, but it is not a norm for others.

Plus, a weak battery is no fun to deal with during winter, especially when it fails to start your vehicle.

700,000 miles driven in the last 15 years on a 51R battery in Honda products - NO problems.

A 51R is fine. Use synthetic oil in the winter and it will turn over fine.

I've run the standard 51R battery in all my Honda's and have never had an issue.

Try living in the North East with the cold winters. They just don't last and/or give cold start issues in sub zero temperatures according to their owners.

Have you been in Florida that whole time with your Honda's??
Yeah heat does hurt batteries an awful lot. No doubt. But when it is -15 to -25F out that little battery gets even smaller. A lot smaller.

I can only imagine that the cold winters are brutal on car batteries.

Hot temps are harder on a battery. I've seen many batteries go 5+ here, especially OEMs. I have no experience with Honda batteries in particular. OEM batteries are imbued with magical powers. I would never change an OEM until it failed. I'll bet if that battery has never been abused, it has another two years minimum in it. Load test the battery to see what kind of shape it is in before you replace it.

I understand being overzealous with brakes, tires, or something that can actually cause an accident. Batteries are whatever, worst case you get it towed to a garage. Best case you change it when it starts acting funny, but that is usually shortly before the worst case.

Throwing money at a car does not make it any more reliable.