Optima Battery

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:54 am

To use a winch the battery needs to up upgraded.

I've seen people on here use the optima yellow top. The optima website wants me to use a red top for a 2003 liberty.

Is there any difference between the two?

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

I think it depends on what conditions you drive your Jeep in.

scrambledKJ · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:21 am

I like the yellow tops if you use a winch. They have twice the reserve capacity that the redtops do. You lose some cranking amps, but with a gas motor, this won't be a problem. If you are trying to winch with the motor off, you will appreciate the extra reserve capacity.

Travis

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:24 am

Does the alternator need to be changed for a optima battery?

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:06 am

snowsport wrote:

no

I'm new at this battery thing :oops:

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

no worries, we're all new at something....

Alak · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:25 am

Just make sure you get the right post arrangement on the battery. You accually get to pick now-a-days.

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:29 am

Alak wrote:

Just make sure you get the right post arrangement on the battery. You accually get to pick now-a-days.

post arrangement?

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:49 am

yea.

My optima has both side and top. it would be cool to have the winch on the side posts and the regular hook-ups on top. thats how I would do it anyway.

Alak · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:56 am

I meant that you can get the positive and negative on either side. Like normally it might be + -

You can get it - +

I know a guy that got the wrong one and when he dropped it into his car he never looked. Yeah. Anyways.

I'd agree on the side post arrangement. Its good to have the winch on an independant post, incase you have to take it off in a hurry.

Maximum Carnage · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:09 pm

Can you upgrade the alternator instead of the battery?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:11 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

yea.

My optima has both side and top. it would be cool to have the winch on the side posts and the regular hook-ups on top. thats how I would do it anyway.

Do not use the side posts for hooking up a winch,they do not have the amperage rating the top posts have.Also Optima will not warrenty the battery if you hook a winch to the side posts,use the top posts only for the winch.Just thought you should know.

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

So you would use the side posts for other accessories, like lights? I didn't know that about not using the side posts for a winch. I guess I'm new to this battery stuff too! :lol:

Alak · **Posted:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:27 pm

On my Mazda Rx-7, I run the normal power wires off the side posts and run the MSD and Standalone off the top post. I also run the negative to the shock tower, then have a custom grounding kit thats about 8 wires to various locations.

I highly recommend a grounding kit when upgrading the battery and using high power devices. Can never have enough grounds, as power flows reverse to what you think it does (power goes through the negative, not the positive side)

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Can you describe the grounding kit? Who makes those? Thanks!

Wasatch15 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:52 am **Posts:** 242

Information I have from Optima states the following;

Red Top
Batteries for demanding starting applications including:
Performance vehicles
Trucks
SUV's
4x4's

Blue Top
Batteries for starting and deep cycle applications including:
Fishing Boats
RV's
Leisure Boats

Yellow Top
Batteries for demanding deep cycle applications including:
Running Lights
Car Audio
Winches
Hydraulics

Hope that helps,
Ron

callaway · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:07 am

would any of you w/the 2 post battery and trimmed battery bay be able to take some pictures of said battery and bay?

Alak · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:40 pm

snowsport wrote:

Can you describe the grounding kit? Who makes those? Thanks!

Groudning kits are more for performance cars, but availiable to anyone. HKS makes a kit thats over $100. You can make your own kit using high quality wire (the kind used to provide power to your high end stereo amp). I cant remember the guage, but its thick stuff.

I simply run a negative from the battery to the shock tower, then from the shock tower; I run one wire to the engine, one wire to a known ground on the chassis (see wiring diagram), one wire to the firewall. I'll also run a wire to the computer harness ground and/or injector ground which is usually on the engine somewhere. Performance gain is minimal but most people notice better starts and report better idle.

I've never done a grounding kit on a liberty so these are all best guess. Basically you ground what you feel comfortable with, or have the wire to reach too.

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Thanks! When the rain stops, I'll get under the hood and see what's what.

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