Thinking about upgrading to optima battery's. someone once had told me that you need a special holder for the base of the battery to keep it secure (due to the funky shape). Is this accurate and if so who sells them?
I had them in my 98 3500,They went in alright, the only thing I had to do was turn the top bracket upside down. You can find them at Batteries Plus, Sam's Club, or go to their site and use store locator
I've never had them in my Dodge, but I would recommend using the correct mounting brackets. I ran one in my offroad buggy and after to outtings it wouldn't hold charge. Took it back under warranty and they denied the warranty because there was a small crack under the sticker. If the housing cracks at all they're junk. The mounts I fabbed up apparently put too much pressure on the casing. Great batteries, I'd just recommend mounting them correctly
I've had red tops in my truck for over 5 years and have blue tops in my boat. Never a problem with either type. The benefit of Optimas is they won't spray battery acid across the top of your fenders like regular lead acid batteries do. The only thing you need to do is cut part of the hold down bolts off so they won't screw down into a wire bundle under the battery tray.
I have had good luck with all of them. The only problem I have ever had was when I let a red one die wasn't able to get it to recharge. When i went to buy a new one I was told the red ones are known for that and should use yellow ones in the vehicles that aren't driven much.
I have done some research and most say the newer ones are not as good as the old Optima's. I has a pair of red tops in my old ford IDI that lasted 7 years till I sold it and got my dodge. Mostly looking for a maintenance free battery. I'm not too concerned what brand it is.
Red tops are the only battery I buy anymore, I don't like dealing with corrosion.
At last count I had 23 of them.
The set in my 2500 went for 13 years before I replaced them. One is still running my arc welder, the other one an electric fence.
Friend of mine dropped the red top for his generator, the entire case fell off.
He made a plywood box for it, last I heard it was still going five years after the drop.
Only thing I've found with Rams and Optimas is since they are shorter watch out where the bottom end of your tie down bolts go. They stick out further and can penetrate a wire loom under the battery.
Don't put a spacer under them, the bottom of the battery has to make contact with the temp sensor on the bottom of the battery box.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Cummins Diesel Forum
8.8M posts
379.2K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to all things Cummins Diesel! Originally founded for owners and enthusiasts of Cummins powered Dodge pickups, the Cummins Forum has expanded to include ALL Cummins Engine applications! Come join the discussion about reviews, drivetrain swaps, turbos, modifications, classifieds, builds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!