Optima battery questions - Fitament?

[Anger]

I purchased an Optima red top at Pep boys yesterday at a good price as an OEM replacement for my 00 4.0 Ranger.
Trouble is, the battery is a little taller & narrower than stock. It doesn't bolt down securely in the engine compartment w/out me making mods.

Are all Optima(s) like this or did PepBoys give me the wrong battery?

 

[MikeWild]

not sure if the red top comes with the extra tabs that you have to clip on the bottom when mounting it, I just bought a yellow top and that's what I had to do, fit like a charm

 

[Anger]

Thanks,
Now just where to find those tabs.
That helped.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

thats the problem with those battery's,you have to buy the $30 mounting kit.
i sell an AGM battery made by EAST PENN that's alot better battery imo.
clocks out 200 or more CCA than the optima,has a 2 year replacement verses 1 year.
more reserve and use's stock mounting hardware if you want.
we are optima dealers but the owner choose's to sell the EAST PENN AGM.
i dont even stock them anymore.

 

[shadetree]

I have an Optima working on it's 6th year. It came with the hardware to make it fit, didn't have to buy anything.shady

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

the company i work for recycled 4 million pounds of batterys last year,i've seen alot of optimas come thru at only 3 years old.
like i said before jmo.there is an option if you so choose.

 

[Will]

I believe in Optimas. I bought my diesel with a governement installed pair of red tops and I have had it for four winters and 50,000 miles. My old truck killed the batteries every year. A diesel is savage on batteries in the winter--one new battery won't start a 6.2 diesel in the summer. The Optimas crank hard for longer and aren't delicate. A flooded battery will just tank it in all of the sudden after a few cold mornings. I'll bet I get another 5 years out of the Optimas and will replace them with another identical pair. There may be other good AGMs but I have only had these. A red top would last forever on a Ranger.

I will say this--old S. Toyoda, founder of Toyota Industries is the inventor of the Five Whys. It's a method of trouble shooting. For instance:

Why did they buy an Optima?
-because their old battery failed

Why did their old battery fail?
-because (insert reason here)

The point is, whatever killed the original battery will kill an Optima if you bought it because you thought your old battery was insufficient. I wouldn't be suprised by them being in the recycle stacks. I wouldn't be suprised by similarly built AGMs being just as good.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I believe in Optimas.

I heard really great things about the older ones, but lately I'm hearing more stories of the new ones not lasting worth a crap, (at least the red-tops).

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

either brand,an AGM is a great upgrade from flooded.

i think i'll call the warehouse and see if they have any red top's in stock.do my own little torture test and see which one holds up better
i have a load tester that will pull 75 amps and time it,it shuts off at 50% discharge.

 

[kevinsranger]

i have a red top in mine, the brackets were in the little top that comes on the battery, turn it upside down and the little brackets should be in there.

 

[mudranger]

I have red tops in all three of my vehicles, and they have held up great. The one in the V8 Ranger goes off-road all the time and runs a winch, and generally gets the snot beat out of it and just keeps going....I made a mount with some threaded rod and a piece of 1/2 aluminum square stock. the bar lays across the battery and is botled to the rod ends, which are through bolted in the bottom of the battery tray. Nice and secure, never moves.....

When the red top finally dies I'll get a yellow just for the deep cycle feature.