Battery Help $$$$$$
- Thread starter mikep
- Start date
JeepWrangler1999
New member
i would say get a a more expensive one, they are well worth it. and especially since your jeep sits for months at a time. that battery should hold =D
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
Napa auto parts sells an off brand gel cell battery that's comparable to the optima's and more affordable. I have set mine up on a dual battery setup with those and if i was to let it sit for a while, i hook up my motorcyle battery trickle charger to keep it at it's peak performance when i'm ready to drive it again.
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
The name on the battery is O2 but i don't have the part number. I drove my Dakota to work.
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
I'll get the part # when i get home tonight.
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
Okay, here's the latest. Instead , i called my local Napa store where i purchased my batteries from. As it turns out, The Orbital O2 gel batteries are no longer available. They only carry Optimas and the price is around $194.00. That aggravated me that they no longer carry the Orbital battery but the owner did say that if i needed warranty with the one's i have , he will warranty it with the Optima.
unless you have a need for an optima, get a stock replacement. If you do get an optima, stick with the red top. I killed a yellow top in less than 6 months by not using the vehicle. also, do not put a regular trickle charger on a deep cell battery, it too will ruin the cells. (how I killed my first red top)
My definition of a need for a red top would be,moderate amounts of winching, vehicle sitting at idle a lot with sudden bursts of throttle (trail rides/sparatic charging) or.... a huge ass stereo system that goes bump bump.
My definition of a need for a red top would be,moderate amounts of winching, vehicle sitting at idle a lot with sudden bursts of throttle (trail rides/sparatic charging) or.... a huge ass stereo system that goes bump bump.
phall92139
New member
Okay, forget Optima but since your rigs sits for so long at a time I would seriously suggest a battery designated as deep cycle/starting or recommend you use something like a Battery Tender to maintain the battery while it sits.
Odessey makes killer AGM deep cycle batteries but a PC1500 will run about $250 +/- a few bucks either way. A couple of years ago Sears contracted with EnerSys to carry a branded version of this battery. They sell it as the Sears Diehard Platinum P1 (single top posts) or P4 (top and side posts) for $189.99 plus all the government stuff and a killer 4-Year Free Replacement; 100-Month Prorated Limited Warranty, to boot!
These are very good batteries.
Odessey makes killer AGM deep cycle batteries but a PC1500 will run about $250 +/- a few bucks either way. A couple of years ago Sears contracted with EnerSys to carry a branded version of this battery. They sell it as the Sears Diehard Platinum P1 (single top posts) or P4 (top and side posts) for $189.99 plus all the government stuff and a killer 4-Year Free Replacement; 100-Month Prorated Limited Warranty, to boot!
These are very good batteries.
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phall92139
New member
xjmarc
New member
It was my understanding that the Optima red top wasn't a deep cycle battery anyway. I love my yellow top. Killed an altinator on a ride (at night of course) and it got me out of a 6 hour ride that included restarting due to other peoples stucks. Also Autozone has no way to charge or do a true test on them and just replaces them no questions asked.
phall92139
New member
The Red Top Optima is a "starting" battery designed to provide high current for short periods of time. If you run a lot of high power accessories on your rig (i.e.: a winch, stereo amps over 250 watts RMS, CB radios, GPS, auxiliary lighting, etc.) that drain the battery faster than the alternator can keep up with, you do a lot of re-starting your engine while on the trails, or the battery sits idle for weeks at a time, the Yellow Top Optima or Sears Diehard Platinum may be a better choice.
Here's some good information on the Optima web site that helps explain the differences between Starting, Deep Cycle and Marine batteries:
Optima Battery FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Now, as always, you're going to find guys that claim they do the opposite of what is accepted as standard operating procedures and never have problems. My guess is that they are the exceptions to the rules. It is always better to have the right battery for the intended application than to take a chance that you won't have problems or be replacing batteries more than necessary.
Just my
Team Twisted Off Road
New member
NAPA has got a legend 75 that is a very good battery i have one in my jeep that sets all winter long and it has a 18 month free replacement warranty and you can get it in top or side mount..
phall92139
New member
Thanks Mike. Since starting batteries are not as resistant to ill effects of shock from bouncing around off road, I usually just try and buy a battery based on the most CCA for the money. The pro-rated warranties are just about the same across the board, depending on how much you're willing to spend. I've had expensive batteries and inexpensive batteries and, honestly, they've all worked well with maybe just an occasional exception.
You mentioned that your rig sits between runs. For how long and is the rig garaged or outside? Is there access to electricity?
You might consider a battery maintenance charger, something like...
It's not just a matter of will your battery start your Jeep after sitting for weeks or months at a time but if starting batteries are allowed to become severely discharged over time their service life can be shortened due to plate sulfation.
I'm such an information *****! Check out these two links...
Frequently Asked Questions - Batterytender.com
Automotive - Batterytender.com
Anyway Mike, hope this has all helped a little bit. Let us know what you end up with.
AllKindsOfJeeps
New member
Hello, I have a few Jeeps and with that, cannot drive them all as much as needed. There are a few comments/replies, I'd like to add to. I have yellow top Optimas and they work fine. I also have dual red tops and that works fine as well. How ever, I'f found that the best battery out there for us with Jeeps, starting, and lights, and winches, the optima blue top by itself or dual. The reason for this is because optima made the blue (marine) top the same as the yellow deep cycle except they added the side terminals, which makes hooking up a winch and/or accessories a LOT easier.
Have a look at optima's site here. allpartsdistributing dot com
Another comment was about charging with a battery tender when you're not using the Jeep. This too is correct however, the battery tender jr. (shown) will only put a surface charge on the large batteries. These were made for motorcycle batteries (power sports) and only put out .75 amps. The one you need is the Power Tender, it puts out a 5 amp charge.
Thanks a lot,
Tony
Have a look at optima's site here. allpartsdistributing dot com
Another comment was about charging with a battery tender when you're not using the Jeep. This too is correct however, the battery tender jr. (shown) will only put a surface charge on the large batteries. These were made for motorcycle batteries (power sports) and only put out .75 amps. The one you need is the Power Tender, it puts out a 5 amp charge.
Thanks a lot,
Tony
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