The big Optima battery

[15w40]

After almost a two-year wait, I finally found a source for the BIG Optima battery. Summit Racing is finally selling this group 31 battery for $189. 95. The good news is the battery is a drop in replacement for the stock group 27 batteries. The only small problem is getting the battery hold down bolts started, but with a little persuasion it worked. Last winter my ’98 stock batteries just barely were able to start the truck after a two day soak in -20*F temperatures. I am also sick of dousing these batteries with baking soda to keep the acid off the electrical add-ons connected to the terminals.



Here is a comparison of batteries.



The stock, group 27 battery installed by DC:

Length: 12 1/16”

Width: 6 13/16”

Height: 8 7/8”

CCA: 750

Reserve Capacity: 150 minutes



The Optima, group 31 battery:

Part number: D31A

Length: 12 13/16”

Width: 6 ½”

Height: 9 3/8”

CCA: 900

Reserve Capacity: 155 minutes



By the way, the cold cranking ampere (CCA) rating refers to the number of amperes a battery can support for 30 seconds at a temperature of 0°F until the battery voltage drops to 7. 20 volts.

The reserve capacity of a battery is defined as the number of minutes that it can support a 25-ampere load at 80°F until its terminal voltage drops to 10. 50 volts.



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[15w40]

Here is a picture of the drivers side battery installed.



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[ToolManTimTaylor]

OhboyOhBoyOhBoy! Finaly! WHat was shipping ~ Ish?

 

[15w40]

Each battery weighs 68 pounds but the shipping is free from Summet. The UPS man complained when he brought them to the door.

 

[nickleinonen]

cool cool cool... . hmm, now 3 or 4 of them mounted in a custom battery box mounted outboard of the pass. frame rail would be neat... now just have to wait until the price of them comes down [say $150 canadian each] and until i get my 04... !

 

[BreaksEverything]

Originally posted by ToolManTimTaylor

OhboyOhBoyOhBoy! Finaly! WHat was shipping ~ Ish?

Tim autozone can get them also & some allready carry that one along w/ others & I think it was less $$$

 

[Cooker]

15w40

Are you running one or two of these batteries?

 

[BreaksEverything]

900 cca you can run 1 battery in the summer months , no problem



but in the winter you'll need 2 as those cold winter nights put the bite on you motor oil , fuel & turn it into J E L L O :-{}

 

[Cooker]

BreaksEverything,

I'm thinking one might work if it was a little bigger, like this battery). I think the 1st gens only had one battery.

 

[BreaksEverything]

Cooker



BreaksEverything,

I'm thinking one might work if it was a little bigger, like this battery). I think the 1st gens only had one battery.



----------------------------------------------------------------

1 might work but it would have a short life

they do make a 1700 cca battery too

as for the 1st gens only havin 1 ya got me

but every diesel I have ever owned &/or worked on

has had at least 2 or more , not that 1 wasn't a reallity for the 1st gens

do the 1st gens have a heater grid ???

my 91 & 93 6bta ctd chippers don't , just wondering , not important

 

[satmike]

My 92 had 1 battery and heater grids. Never had a problem starting even in the cold

 

[JohnE]

I've towed with the idea of mounting a single 8D batery in the box. The 8D is the commercial battery the size of a small suitcase and does around 1700 CCA with 180 minutes RC.



The commercial group 31's by Trojan, Delco, Interstate, are 1150 CCA with around 130 minutes RC.



Why two batteries instead of one?

Two batteries will take a higher voltage regulator setting than a single battery. Higher voltge regulator setting usually means faster recovery from discharge.

 

[Got Smoke?]

I've had to put two#@$%! battery's in my truck in the last year (the same side) and each time they were dwarf size batteries but rated correctly for the truck. (what they looked up in the computer )



I really need two GOOD batteries before winter gets here. I can't afford $150-170 a battery though. I've been toying around with the idea of going to Tractor Supply Company and getting 2 tractor batteries. I've heard of guys with CTD's around my area doing this. What is y'alls opinion on this?

 

[Matt42]

BIG, Honkin' Optimas

For those willing to drop $400 on a pair of batteries, the big Optimas are available over the counter at Copper State Battery in Phoenix. If I recall correctly, they are about $189 each, plus tax. I am still using the red top "standard" Optimas, which are just dandy in an Arizona Winter. Their real benefit is that they will survive four-plus Arizona Summers.



For those not willing to spend $400 on a pair of batteries, tractor batteries that fit are a gooid choice. They tend to have thicker plates and separators, and are more resistant to vibration than normal passenger car or pickup truck batteries. They still need to have their electrolyte looked after like regular batteries, though.



I used to manage a small fleet of vehicles, including a couple of early 1980s Dodge pickups used in LE. They got usage best described as awful. The continual vibration was so bad that just about everything cracked, including bodies, windows, wheels, and alternator housings. We couldn't buy heavy duty batteries. After the low-bid type 24s would invariably explode due to an arc in a cracked internal circuit, we could buy new cheapo low-bids. At 90,000 miles, we'd auction these trucks off, and get top dollar from people thinking that they bought someting special!

 

[15w40]

Sorry for the bad photo quality. I was using a borrowed camera and didn’t realize it was set in lousy mode.



Cooker, I am running two batteries. I would not dare run one in cold temperatures. I bet the price on these will get better as more stores start carrying them. This Optima battery is the only group 31 size that does not require surgery on the battery tray. That was a plus in my mind.

 

[y-knot]

I have been running OPTIMA batteries for the last 5-6 years, they are absolutly bullet proof. I have them in my dodge, ford (I know?), and before that I had them in my chevy( I know again). I even put two of them in my trailer to run the converter, and they work great at it. Shipping can sometimes be expensive, but it you can get it for free, great. I once ordered two red topps, and when they shipped them they put both in the same box, and used large plastic bubble tape to pad them. Well the first time the ups through them around, the plastic bubbles poped, all the next throughs there wasn't any padding, and by the time they got to me, they had several damaged spots, nothing bad just cosmetic. I called the vender, told him what happened, and he told me to throw those two away, and he sent two more. I never threw them away, and they are still going.

 

[illflem]

Not sure how it works with Tractor Supply Company but with other battery suppliers I've used in the past there is no warranty for a battery installed in a tractor. Part of the reason I started using Optima in my tractors.

 

[Jamie Attridge]

Already had them now for about 8 months I didn't know people wanted em that bad.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Originally posted by BreaksEverything

Tim autozone can get them also & some allready carry that one along w/ others & I think it was less $$$

Yeah but we all know the quality people that work at autozone arround can't speak normal english either..... nevertheless get out a book and look something up for ya. SO with that in mind is there an EXACT # for the battery in question?

 

[TomGolden]

So what are the differences between these new "big" Optimas and their "regular" red/yellow/blue tops?