I am going to put the battery from My TJ into the Cherokee. Are there any good recommendations on a good quality battery for TJ it will get the new one! I was thinking on an Optima yellow top?
Thanks
Thanks
Battery Upgrade
- Thread starter Kevin E
- Start date
I was just about to say Optima. Those are nice quality batteries that don't leak!
I think Optima is about the best of the best in terms of standard batteries. Someone can correct me if I am wrong though.
Mudflat
TJ Enthusiast
I also like Optima batteries, but I seem to stay confused about which top is best for most vehicles, red, yellow or blue. I know that one of them is a deep cycle battery for use in boats & RVs. I just can’t remember which one. ‘Should be easy enough to find out. Heck. Somebody will probably tell me right here in the next few minutes. 
Same here, hopefully someone knowsI also like Optima batteries, but I seem to stay confused about which top is best for most vehicles, red, yellow or blue. I know that one of them is a deep cycle battery for use in boats & RVs. I just can’t remember which one. ‘Should be easy enough to find out. Heck. Somebody will probably tell me right here in the next few minutes.
Optima use to be a go-to but I seem to remember their quality dipping after they were bought out by Johnson Controls? I'm sure someone will chime in with specifics. Now the go-to is Odyssey or Northstar.
I'm still running an Optima red top from 2009.
I'm still running an Optima red top from 2009.
There are better alternatives than an Optima for an AGM battery, many of which are not nearly as expensive as Odyssey/Northstar.
My take on batteries for a Jeep TJ/LJ:
Top of the Line Pure Lead AGM: Pure lead AGM batteries such as Odyssey and Northstar. Rugged, high performance, high quality batteries but at a high price. Not for everyone, but not everyone needs one.
Mid Level Calcium AGM: Calcium AGM offerings by East Penn such as the O'Reilly's SuperStart AGM, NAPA Legend AGM and Duralast Platinum AGM store brands are highly rated and probably suitable for 90% of TJ/LJ owners looking for an AGM battery. My recollection is that the Duracell AGM battery also falls into this category.
Conventional Flooded Lead Acid: I have used Interstate batteries from Costco for years with great success. The Costco Interstates are identical to the Interstate batteries at the Interstate Store but with a better "no questions asked" 42-month full replacement warranty and a lower purchase price.
Optimas: Not on my list because people are flogged mercilessly on this forum for even suggesting that an Optima may have positive attributes. I haven't owned an Optima battery for 20 years or more so I have no current information
From a February 12, 2019 post in a similar thread regarding AGM batteries:
I am currently running a Costco Interstate (Costco item # 850241) conventional lead acid battery. It starts my jeep on the first crank every time, illuminates all of my lights, and keeps up with my Warn M8000-S winch. What's not to like? However, my next battery purchase will probably be one of the mid-priced calcium AGM's from East Penn if for no other reason than an AGM will eliminate any risk of damage from battery acid in the event of a tip- or roll-over.
Happy battery shopping.
My take on batteries for a Jeep TJ/LJ:
Top of the Line Pure Lead AGM: Pure lead AGM batteries such as Odyssey and Northstar. Rugged, high performance, high quality batteries but at a high price. Not for everyone, but not everyone needs one.
Mid Level Calcium AGM: Calcium AGM offerings by East Penn such as the O'Reilly's SuperStart AGM, NAPA Legend AGM and Duralast Platinum AGM store brands are highly rated and probably suitable for 90% of TJ/LJ owners looking for an AGM battery. My recollection is that the Duracell AGM battery also falls into this category.
Conventional Flooded Lead Acid: I have used Interstate batteries from Costco for years with great success. The Costco Interstates are identical to the Interstate batteries at the Interstate Store but with a better "no questions asked" 42-month full replacement warranty and a lower purchase price.
Optimas: Not on my list because people are flogged mercilessly on this forum for even suggesting that an Optima may have positive attributes. I haven't owned an Optima battery for 20 years or more so I have no current information
From a February 12, 2019 post in a similar thread regarding AGM batteries:
I am currently running a Costco Interstate (Costco item # 850241) conventional lead acid battery. It starts my jeep on the first crank every time, illuminates all of my lights, and keeps up with my Warn M8000-S winch. What's not to like? However, my next battery purchase will probably be one of the mid-priced calcium AGM's from East Penn if for no other reason than an AGM will eliminate any risk of damage from battery acid in the event of a tip- or roll-over.
Happy battery shopping.
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I recently just put a Napa AGM in my TJ. So far I’m very happy with it. I already have a trip to Rausch Creek under my belt with it and the AGM is nice peace of mind.
My superstar agm lasted almost 5 years exactly. I picked up an X2 by northstar as my replacement
Avoid Optima like the plague. Odyssey/Northstar/Bosch Platinum are at the top end but any AGM type battery (other than Optima) with a good warranty will be fine.
1997JeepTJ
Member
I'm not particularly a fan of Optima batteries as they have become failure prone over the last few years. They used to have a no question asked 5 year warranty but I think it's just 3 year pro-rated now. (Speaking as a former warehouse distributor employee who used to sell them everyday.)
Regarding top case colors and usage:
Red - everyday starting battery
Yellow- deep cycle battery
Blue - marine battery
Deep cycle batteries are for vehicles that sit long enough between uses so the batteries tend to discharge, like on boats. Deep cycle batteries are less damaged by those deep (cycle) discharges. They're not made for high current need like a traditional SLI (starting/lights/ignition) batteries are. For a typical Jeep you want a traditional SLI type of battery, which is especially the right choice if you have a winch. If your Jeep tends to sit a lot between uses, as mine unfortunately is now, keep a battery maintainer/tender connected to it.I also like Optima batteries, but I seem to stay confused about which top is best for most vehicles, red, yellow or blue. I know that one of them is a deep cycle battery for use in boats & RVs. I just can’t remember which one. ‘Should be easy enough to find out. Heck. Somebody will probably tell me right here in the next few minutes.
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Yep you have the uses correct & also their lack of quality. I too use to be a HUGE supporter of Optima. But it's been longer than a few years. I bought 2 Yellow tops in 2005 for my TJ and they one lasted 4 years. I replaced it and then the other one failed a year later. So I replaced it and 4 years after that BOTH were shot.
The sad part is that I had a red top I'd gotten in 1993 and it sat on a storage shelf until 1998 and then I put it in a rig and it started that rig. Which was why I use to like them. I use to install them in phone company rigs I was building for a place I worked at plus we had them in some of our military rigs.
I had an optima yellowtop for like 9 years in another vehicle and it was great. Despite being a deep cycle, it could crank the starter just as fast as any other battery. Deep cycle batteries are a good idea if you have high draw equipment like compressors and winches. Starter batteries are easily damaged if you draw too much power before recharging again.
Actually, deep cycle batteries are not designed for high ampere draw devices like winches. They're just designed to not be damaged as easily by deep discharges. I'm no fan of Optima, obviously, but even Optima used to have a flag warning that the warranty of a Yellow Top or Blue Top deep cycle battery would be voided if it was discovered that a winch was connected to it. They made a point that if you had a winch that they only recommended their Red Top SLI type battery.
The more ampere load that can be expected to be pulled out of a battery, like from a winch, the more you want a standard SLI battery. The more often you expect your battery to die due to lack of use, the more you want a deep cycle battery.
I don't flog the folks who own and run Optima, I will however mercilessly berate Optima for their bullshit batteries.
If one is a critical thinking individual, then perhaps they can explain Optima's logic of strongly recommending other than a red top for any vehicle with a winch when thousands of TJ owners winch quite often without harming their factory and aftermarket flooded cell SLI batteries. We all see it, most of us have done it, almost no one has suffered from doing it and yet Optima recommends against a red top. That means they don't believe it can handle it and if so, that means it isn't as good as your standard flooded cell piece of shit that spills acid in a roll-over. In discussions on a few other boards with the Optima rep, he related repeatedly that the reason that the Optima Red Top was a pathetic piece of shit is because folks used it while winching and something like the Yellow or Blue was required.
If you draw a deep cycle battery past 50% of it’s amp hour rating you will damage it and lose future capacity. If you don’t recharge or keep it charged it right away it will fail. I have 3 equipment trailers with 8K winches and all I use are standard batteries on them. I personally do not know anyone who has killed a standard car battery by using a winch. How often do most of you uses your winches for a long duration any way? The only downfall of AMG batteries is the must have the proper charger and charging rate or they can be destroyed. My son has rolled my YJ twice, that I know of, and my regular lead acid battery did not leak.
Is it because they are the higher trim level Mercedes batteries?