new battery w/ new lights?

[phatyaspen]

ok so i just ordered the tough stuff hood rack and light kit.... this means ill have 10 55w lights and 2 100 watt lights.all sets of lights will be hooked up to seperate switches. so i will have 4 sets of switches will i need a new battery....thinking optima red top

 

[XJNick]

Hi,

If you plan on using the 750 watts of lights all together for any good length of time, I'd really look to get a Deep cycle battery such as the Optima Yellow top. Also, you may need a new alternator as these lights would pull 62.8 amps @ 12 volts if all used at the same time! Most stock alternators only output 66-100 amps depending on the model.

It is amazing how inefficient halogen and incandescent lamps are....

-Nick :!:

 

[Nymisus]

Can I ask you one question? Why in the world do you need 12 lights??? I understand maybe 6-8 but 12??? I personally wouldn't put more than 4 more on...I already have 2 110 on my bumper....but really doubt I will put but maybe 2 more on....the 2 I have are brighter than I really need....No offense or anything, but damn thats alot of lights

 

[XJNick]

Can I ask you one question? Why in the world do you need 12 lights???

I was thinking the same question :mrgreen:

-Nick :!:

 

[phatyaspen]

have you ever seen a jeep w/ 12 lights? thats why im doin it because ive never seen it and i want that many....just that many more lights to blind someone w/ when they flash their high beams...i will not likely use them all at the same time normally i run the two sets of 55 watts when wheelin at night and if it gets bad i use the 100 watts these would mainly be just for really dark wheelin and blinding the living hell outta people

 

[cewtwo]

I had wondered about that as well. I love my fresh coffee in the morning (in the afternoon, in the evening...) Before we got the YJ, we had a Ford Ranger (still do). Lot's of room in there, so we always carried a generator with us. Well, you may have noticed that there is not much storage in a Jeep nor do we wnt to carry the gasoline for the generator (we have a swingaway bumper system but the add on item costs are somewhat high).
The solution we are thinking of now is to get an Optima yellow top, an isolater and an inverter to run the coffee grinder and the drip coffee maker. Of course, I already have the generator, but that is neither here nor there...

Will it work? Do I need to upgrade the alternator as well? OR... Would it just be cheaper to get a small trailer? (hehehe)

Opinions?

 

[XJNick]

Hi,

Well, it all depends on what kind of load (meaning what size inverter) you plan to hook up to your 12 volt system. If all you plan on using are coffee makers, just getting the optima yellow top, or any deep cycle battery should be fine. You may even be able to use the battery you already have, provided that you watch the voltage and run the Jeep to help keep the battery charged if/when it begins to drop.

You only need to upgrade your alternator if you'll be using the inverter alot while driving and/or pulling heavy loads through a large inverter. Also note that the inverter will draw MORE power than it outputs due to the inherent losses associated with power transforming/converting/inverting. :mrgreen:

-Nick :!:

 

[ROGLSTUBB]

Most inverter have an automatic shutdown if the battery voltage drops below 10 volts. I run a 600/1200 watt in my 94ZJ off the stock battery without any problems. works nice for powering a laptop charging cell phones. The best advantage is that since I live in an apartment I dont have to drape a extension cord over the balcony to power a drill or small hand tool.