i have a brand new optima battery from my 1980 caddi that i would like to switch to my sebring. i am going to relocate the battery from behind the wheel well to the trunk. will this battery work?

 

Any 12 volt battery of sufficient size will "work". Keep in mind that when the starter is cranking a cold engine the current draw is in the range of 100-200 amperes. To draw that kind of current from that far away you will need some VERY big cables. Don't try to stick a larger battery into the wheel well. There just isn't enough tire clearance to do it.

 

As mentioned, make sure that the battery is the same spec. ie. CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) say 700 ?

 

My red top optima is 720 CCA.

 

So I'm going to get a battery box off of eBay and bolt it in the trunk and put the optima back there. All I will have to do is extend the positive battery cable from under the wheel through the body and into the trunk similar to how you would install an amp and bolt the negative to the frame in the trunk. Should be pretty straight forward. Don't even need exhaust as optimas are sealed and let off no gasses.

 

There are several aspects to consider BEFORE moving a car Battery to the Trunk instead of leaving it in the original location (closer to the engine starter):
1) A car battery would need to be MUCH more powerful in order to even reach the effective current delivery of a smaller battery located much closer to the engine starter. This is because the DC resistance of a cable when operated at 10 volts (an assumption of true voltaje when delivering more than 200 Amperes to the starter motor) produces more losses... DO THE CALCULATIONS BEFORE!
2) Using TWO copper cables (positive and negative) would produce even more losses, as the chassis return is several times more conductive that even the heaviest copper cable that you could possibly install in a car, and that cable would be costly by the foot, heavy and very stiff.
3) Any cable sheating cutting will produce a tremendous short circuit capable of burning the entire car, beware.
4) An Optima battery is a highly OVERRATED product, not really deserving to be installed in a permanent modification. While it is considered a "sealed" battery, and it seldom produces any vapor or emmits any liquid, its real life performance has been highly exaggerated. It needs a higher voltaje that the alternator does provide in order to be FULLY recharged, so it never meets its "published" specs in regards to its reserve capacity (don't ask me how I found it, the hard way!). [a matter of discussion in itself, on a separate post]
5) Should a crash happen (Accidents DO happen), the trunk mounted battery is instantly converted in a very heavy projectile, that no battery box I've seen ever, will keepsecurely anchored to the trunk floor. That projectile will break through ANY back seat into the cabin, killing any person it strikes.


Only in Drag Racing cars, there is an advantage in relocating the battery to the trunk: weight transfer. Otherwise, having it closer to the starter AND the alternator is much more advantageous. If you have any doubt, just install a battery connected to a pair of long jump start cables and measure the TRUE voltaje at the battery when running the engine, against the voltaje of the under Hood battery terminals... even with very heavy duty cables, the voltaje drop will enlighten you.
Best Wishes, Amclaussen. P.D.: I have a 2002 Stratus R/T Sedan Turbo (only available in Mexico), and would NEVER consider relocating my battery to the trunk!

 

I actually did this install a little over a week ago. Strangely my original battery started giving me problems starting and then started cutting my volume up and down on my stereo so it was really a no brainier I needed a new battery and this had been in my mind as I wanted to install a new sub and amp and don't like the fact that I have to take out piece of my wheel well to access the actual battery. If the battery was actually in my hood I wouldn't even bother but I dont like it there I actually had to remove the wheel to get it out so I left the ground cable connected and just extended the power cable with 1/0 welding cable and attached it to hydrolic tubes all the way to the trunk and grounded it there I put it in a battery box mounted to the far side and since I have two "12 subs in a box covering the whole base of the back seat there's no way the battery would travel through the cab in an accident. I connected it and everything started and runs great no stuttering or slow starting and connecting my amp was much easier since the battery is already in the trunk. I Imagine even if optimas aren't the best battery they are probably better than the who knows how old cheap duralast that was failing. Also I'm the kind of person that likes a lot of accessories in my car (just installed a Wii) so having the battery there makes access to inverters and power supply is much more convenient than routing it through the hood or the wheel well. So this wouldn't be needed, wanted, or necessary for many people but for me it works really well.