Dual Battery setups

http://www.jeepersandcreepers.com has a good kit

ur red top now should be good enough to keep and use for a few more years
...maybe

just look at getting another one
as u should do any damage to either with one new and one used

i use the mean green setup on my TJ, with Wrangler NW wiring kits....

red is for starting and sometimes has top and side post GM style mounts
yellow is deep cycle and sometimes has top and side post GM style mounts
blue is deep cycle with an extra pos and neg post on top

i use two blues, optima told me when using dual setups you need to run the same color battery together.

FWIW I'd steer clear of Optima's....ever since Johnson Controls bought them the quality and warranty have gone in the toilet. The warranty currently is a 1year replacement unless running "accessories", which includes anything down to foglights, in which case it is reduced to 3mos. Also, optima deep cycles (yellow and blue) are _not_ rated as starting batteries and using them as such will void the warranty immediately. Do a search on pirate or any of the big forums and you'll find the same stories of bad cells/killed batteries and ignored warranties.

For less $$ and the same AGM (absorbed glass mat aka "gel") technology I'd recommend the Deka Intimidator. I went to one in my TJ when my old yellowtop finally bit the dust (it was a pre-johnson control battery and outlasted two blues and one red 'new' versions in my car) and have been very happy. You can find them rebadged as Astro-lite batteries at the battery place on old baltimore pike if in N DE.

Now if you're a cool guy and have $$ burning a hole in your pocket the battery to go with is an Odyssey dry cell...

--Ian

Quote from 4x4fun

when you do it you need to wire them cortectly or you make it 24 volts and your system is only 12, i cant remember but i wanna say parrelle but google it first

Actually you should use an isolator or you negate the benefit of having duals. With two batteries in parallel (series would make it 24volts) you simply double the reserve capacity of your charging system. With an isolator both batteries are charged but only one is used at a time...flip a switch and you can either use both (like when winching or other high-load activity) or the second (self-jumpstart).

My parents boat was wired with dual batteries. They had a switch that gave them the selection of running off one or the other. You could probably find what you want at a marine store.

Quote from clendaniel

Now if you're a cool guy and have $$ burning a hole in your pocket the battery to go with is an Odyssey dry cell...

--Ian

you are correct about this, Quadratec can also get the odyssey batteries....they are the shat!