View Poll Results: Which aftermarket battery do you have?
Odyssey
14
5.76%
Optima Red Top
39
16.05%
Optima Yellow/Blue Top
139
57.20%
Other
51
20.99%
Voters: 243. You may not vote on this poll
Which battery
08-17-2008 | 08:19 PM
#22
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 359
Likes: 0
From: calgary alberta canada
Exide "purple haze"(yellow top clone)
as a long time heavy truck mechanic have seen full deep cycle style(ie blue top)not get along very well with high amp alternators,not sure if that stands true with all these gel cell types but that is why I went to a semi-deep cycle or hybrid style battery over blue top style
only bought"knock off"because no one had yellow tops in stock weekend I installed winch
as a long time heavy truck mechanic have seen full deep cycle style(ie blue top)not get along very well with high amp alternators,not sure if that stands true with all these gel cell types but that is why I went to a semi-deep cycle or hybrid style battery over blue top style
only bought"knock off"because no one had yellow tops in stock weekend I installed winch
01-05-2009 | 08:30 AM
#25
JK Junkie
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,466
Likes: 0
From: Pottstown, PA
So for a daily driver with occasional winch and air compressor use a Yellow Top is recommended over a Red Top? Just trying to get educated here...Or will either one do the job?
I think my stock battery is failing as the battery light came on today (and usually does during winching, airing up tires). But today I could not restart the engine which is a first in this JK.
I think my stock battery is failing as the battery light came on today (and usually does during winching, airing up tires). But today I could not restart the engine which is a first in this JK.
05-27-2009 | 05:00 AM
#26
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
Reviving an old thread, but I figure more folks are approaching the need to replace the stock battery and I wanted to discuss some info I gained researching batteries...
My stock battery gave up the ship yesterday and I had to jump the Jeep to get it started. It had been sounding weak starting up for a few days, so I knew it was coming and had thrown my jumper cables in the back just in case. If I drove for a while then started it within an hour or two thereafter, it started fine, but if it sat for more than a few hours (like overnight) it would crank very slowly. This was the sign that it was the battery not holding a charge and not a problem with the alternator.
I did some research and narrowed it down to a choice between the Optima Yellow Top and the Sears DieHard Platinum. Both are AGM gelcell batteries, which was important to me as I have had an acid leak in the engine compartment in a past vehicle and didn't want to go through that again. I went with the DieHard for the following reasons:
1) Saw some posts on other JK forums where Optimas were not lasting too long. I know that on this forum, most folks say they are lasting fine, but I did see several posts stating that they died within a year. For the Diehard Platinum, I did not see a single comment stating they had died early. There was a lot of speculation that the Optima did not like the high voltage coming from the JK alternator (between 14.5 - 15.0 v). Strike One.
2) One thing that I thought was interesting is that the Optima website, on their vehicle specific lookup for battery type, has the following comment for the JK, "Customer must know: Use Yellow Top Only". I am guessing that the Red Top cannot handle the voltage, or else they have found that the JKs are modified frequently and thus the electrical load can be high enough that a Deep Cycle battery is required. I do have a winch, but it is used so infrequently (maybe once or twice a year), that I would prefer not go deep cycle. Deep Cycle batteries are meant to be drawn way down and charged back up. The Red Top is designed for shallow power draws and being kept near full charge (as in a daily driver duty). My usual driving habits indicate that a starter battery rather than a deep cycle would work better for me. But, Optima says to only use the Yellow top. The contradiction worried me a bit...Strike Two.
3) Optima website lists the yellowtop warranty as 1 year full replacement. Sears Platinum is 4 years full replacement, 100 month prorated replacement. Strike Three against Optima.
They both cost about the same, so price was not a differentiator.
I got a DieHard Platinum P1. I know that several folks state to get a P4, but the P1 and the P4 are basically the same battery. The only difference is that the P4 has both top and side terminals, where the P1 has only the top terminals. I don't need the side terminals, so I went P1.
I will let you know how if it has any problems or dies early.
My stock battery gave up the ship yesterday and I had to jump the Jeep to get it started. It had been sounding weak starting up for a few days, so I knew it was coming and had thrown my jumper cables in the back just in case. If I drove for a while then started it within an hour or two thereafter, it started fine, but if it sat for more than a few hours (like overnight) it would crank very slowly. This was the sign that it was the battery not holding a charge and not a problem with the alternator.
I did some research and narrowed it down to a choice between the Optima Yellow Top and the Sears DieHard Platinum. Both are AGM gelcell batteries, which was important to me as I have had an acid leak in the engine compartment in a past vehicle and didn't want to go through that again. I went with the DieHard for the following reasons:
1) Saw some posts on other JK forums where Optimas were not lasting too long. I know that on this forum, most folks say they are lasting fine, but I did see several posts stating that they died within a year. For the Diehard Platinum, I did not see a single comment stating they had died early. There was a lot of speculation that the Optima did not like the high voltage coming from the JK alternator (between 14.5 - 15.0 v). Strike One.
2) One thing that I thought was interesting is that the Optima website, on their vehicle specific lookup for battery type, has the following comment for the JK, "Customer must know: Use Yellow Top Only". I am guessing that the Red Top cannot handle the voltage, or else they have found that the JKs are modified frequently and thus the electrical load can be high enough that a Deep Cycle battery is required. I do have a winch, but it is used so infrequently (maybe once or twice a year), that I would prefer not go deep cycle. Deep Cycle batteries are meant to be drawn way down and charged back up. The Red Top is designed for shallow power draws and being kept near full charge (as in a daily driver duty). My usual driving habits indicate that a starter battery rather than a deep cycle would work better for me. But, Optima says to only use the Yellow top. The contradiction worried me a bit...Strike Two.
3) Optima website lists the yellowtop warranty as 1 year full replacement. Sears Platinum is 4 years full replacement, 100 month prorated replacement. Strike Three against Optima.
They both cost about the same, so price was not a differentiator.
I got a DieHard Platinum P1. I know that several folks state to get a P4, but the P1 and the P4 are basically the same battery. The only difference is that the P4 has both top and side terminals, where the P1 has only the top terminals. I don't need the side terminals, so I went P1.
I will let you know how if it has any problems or dies early.
05-27-2009 | 05:19 AM
#27
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville, Florida
Reviving an old thread, but I figure more folks are approaching the need to replace the stock battery and I wanted to discuss some info I gained researching batteries...
My stock battery gave up the ship yesterday and I had to jump the Jeep to get it started. It had been sounding weak starting up for a few days, so I knew it was coming and had thrown my jumper cables in the back just in case. If I drove for a while then started it within an hour or two thereafter, it started fine, but if it sat for more than a few hours (like overnight) it would crank very slowly. This was the sign that it was the battery not holding a charge and not a problem with the alternator.
I did some research and narrowed it down to a choice between the Optima Yellow Top and the Sears DieHard Platinum. Both are AGM gelcell batteries, which was important to me as I have had an acid leak in the engine compartment in a past vehicle and didn't want to go through that again. I went with the DieHard for the following reasons:
1) Saw some posts on other JK forums where Optimas were not lasting too long. I know that on this forum, most folks say they are lasting fine, but I did see several posts stating that they died within a year. For the Diehard Platinum, I did not see a single comment stating they had died early. There was a lot of speculation that the Optima did not like the high voltage coming from the JK alternator (between 14.5 - 15.0 v). Strike One.
2) One thing that I thought was interesting is that the Optima website, on their vehicle specific lookup for battery type, has the following comment for the JK, "Customer must know: Use Yellow Top Only". I am guessing that the Red Top cannot handle the voltage, or else they have found that the JKs are modified frequently and thus the electrical load can be high enough that a Deep Cycle battery is required. I do have a winch, but it is used so infrequently (maybe once or twice a year), that I would prefer not go deep cycle. Deep Cycle batteries are meant to be drawn way down and charged back up. The Red Top is designed for shallow power draws and being kept near full charge (as in a daily driver duty). My usual driving habits indicate that a starter battery rather than a deep cycle would work better for me. But, Optima says to only use the Yellow top. The contradiction worried me a bit...Strike Two.
3) Optima website lists the yellowtop warranty as 1 year full replacement. Sears Platinum is 4 years full replacement, 100 month prorated replacement. Strike Three against Optima.
They both cost about the same, so price was not a differentiator.
I got a DieHard Platinum P1. I know that several folks state to get a P4, but the P1 and the P4 are basically the same battery. The only difference is that the P4 has both top and side terminals, where the P1 has only the top terminals. I don't need the side terminals, so I went P1.
I will let you know how if it has any problems or dies early.
My stock battery gave up the ship yesterday and I had to jump the Jeep to get it started. It had been sounding weak starting up for a few days, so I knew it was coming and had thrown my jumper cables in the back just in case. If I drove for a while then started it within an hour or two thereafter, it started fine, but if it sat for more than a few hours (like overnight) it would crank very slowly. This was the sign that it was the battery not holding a charge and not a problem with the alternator.
I did some research and narrowed it down to a choice between the Optima Yellow Top and the Sears DieHard Platinum. Both are AGM gelcell batteries, which was important to me as I have had an acid leak in the engine compartment in a past vehicle and didn't want to go through that again. I went with the DieHard for the following reasons:
1) Saw some posts on other JK forums where Optimas were not lasting too long. I know that on this forum, most folks say they are lasting fine, but I did see several posts stating that they died within a year. For the Diehard Platinum, I did not see a single comment stating they had died early. There was a lot of speculation that the Optima did not like the high voltage coming from the JK alternator (between 14.5 - 15.0 v). Strike One.
2) One thing that I thought was interesting is that the Optima website, on their vehicle specific lookup for battery type, has the following comment for the JK, "Customer must know: Use Yellow Top Only". I am guessing that the Red Top cannot handle the voltage, or else they have found that the JKs are modified frequently and thus the electrical load can be high enough that a Deep Cycle battery is required. I do have a winch, but it is used so infrequently (maybe once or twice a year), that I would prefer not go deep cycle. Deep Cycle batteries are meant to be drawn way down and charged back up. The Red Top is designed for shallow power draws and being kept near full charge (as in a daily driver duty). My usual driving habits indicate that a starter battery rather than a deep cycle would work better for me. But, Optima says to only use the Yellow top. The contradiction worried me a bit...Strike Two.
3) Optima website lists the yellowtop warranty as 1 year full replacement. Sears Platinum is 4 years full replacement, 100 month prorated replacement. Strike Three against Optima.
They both cost about the same, so price was not a differentiator.
I got a DieHard Platinum P1. I know that several folks state to get a P4, but the P1 and the P4 are basically the same battery. The only difference is that the P4 has both top and side terminals, where the P1 has only the top terminals. I don't need the side terminals, so I went P1.
I will let you know how if it has any problems or dies early.
Great evaluation...I too am going for with the Sears DieHard for all of the same reasons!
05-27-2009 | 06:51 AM
#29
JK Freak
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 523
Likes: 0
From: Fresno, CA
1) Saw some posts on other JK forums where Optimas were not lasting too long. I know that on this forum, most folks say they are lasting fine, but I did see several posts stating that they died within a year. For the Diehard Platinum, I did not see a single comment stating they had died early. There was a lot of speculation that the Optima did not like the high voltage coming from the JK alternator (between 14.5 - 15.0 v). Strike One.
