The Four Wheeler's Battery

By James Hasler

 

I think four wheeler's demand more out of their batteries than most any other user. We want them to pump out hundreds of amps of current to run our winches, auxiliary lights and on-board welders. We beat them silly as we pretend to be Ivan "The Ironman" Stewart while driving down desert washes and we pretty much submit them to the kind of stresses no Die-Hard engineers ever even imagined.

Well we have a battery that will stand up to that kind of abuse. Optima Battery's last longer than conventional batteries, they require zero maintenance, can be mounted upside down and/or in the cabin since they don't leak toxic fumes or leak acid and are nearly impervious to vibration which is the number one cause of battery failure. They also recharge faster than conventional flat plate batteries, last a lot longer and also perform better in extreme temperatures.

As shown above, they come in various sizes to fit your needs and come in 3 different varieties. The red top (or starter) is what I installed in my Jeep YJ. It is rated at 800 CCA at 0 F. The yellow top (or deep cycle) is useful for winches or other sustained high current draw applications since the yellow top has the lowest internal resistance of any of Optima's batteries. Finally, the blue top (or marine) is used in...umm...marine applications. This battery is optimized for long life since boats just float around most of the time while their owners are driving their cars. It is also optimized for vibration resistance to the constant pounding of the waves.

So, I installed the red top in my 94 YJ and my 4.0 Liter requires less cranking to start compared with my old battery. It's also just nice to know that I have a little extra protection when it comes to something as critical as a battery.

Here it is installed in my rather dirty engine compartment. Notice the top AND front terminals on the unit I got. The front terminals are nice ways to add additional accessories.

So, if you need a new battery or are looking for something better and a piece of mind, go get yourself an Optima battery!