Sorry to plug sears but what about the die hards. I work for sears auto and have had nothing but luck with my diehard platinum. Trailer lights system inverter everything iv thrown at it its still truckin. It is a AGM which is absorbed glass mat. In between each lead cell the glass matt has acid absorbed in it which one allows for no free floating acid and the ability to stuff the battery with virgin lead giving it the extra punch you need not to mention 8 year warranty half of which is a full replacement. Had mine since they came out five years ago if ya don't believe walk into a sears auto and just feel the sheer weight difference good ten to twenty pounds heavier then most oe style batteries. More lead more power all the benefits of a optima none of the hasle with them iv seen in my experience

 

Old thread here but I was wondering what group size DieHard Platinum/Odyssey you are running in an XJ? I can't seem to find anything that fits my battery tray and has the power I'm looking for.

I have a fairly powerful sound system with dual amps, a 750w inverter, heated seats, ARB air locker and when all my forward facing lights are on at once it's about 600w of light. I'm also planning on adding winch soon, which is why I'm shopping for batteries now. I've also already upgraded the battery cables and have a 136A alternator.

 

It should be noted that the purpose of a battery in a vehicle is to start the vehicle, not really anything more. If you frequently use your electrical accessories while the vehicle is not running I would suggest a deep cycle battery.

Running all those accessories you mentioned you'll want more than a 136A alternator- probably 200A minimum.

The key selling point of an Optima is it's low internal resistance allowing it to charge more quickly and more efficently than a normal lead acid battery. As for the quality of them these day I can not say. I've owned several Optimas and they have all lasted well beyond their warranty period. Full repacment for first 3 years- just like many other good batteries on the market. Anytime you make more of a product, the quality will suffer.

 

i have a yellow top and it is the best battery i have had. my old battery couldnt crank my xj over once it got below 0 degrees. the yellow top has cranked it with no issues at -20 degrees many times from a cold start.

 

Hardly any of those would be used with the vehicle not running. Maybe the stereo and inverter but neither for extended periods unless I was going to be somewhere that I knew I could jump it or charge the battery. If I'm wheeling or camping, I'm very careful about not getting stranded. And the winch, if I were stuck and for some reason couldn't leave the vehicle running.

As far as the alternator, I just picked it up at the JY so I would have something better than stock with the accessories I'm running currently. I've already been researching higher amp alternators as part of the entire system upgrade.

I used to sell Optimas right around the time when the quality first started to drop. Just from that experience alone, I wouldn't buy one. I'm really liking what I've been hearing about the Odyssey batteries and from what I can find, the DieHard Platinum is just a re-badged Odyssey.