I just replaced my original Motorcraft battery today with an Exide Orbital deep cycle battery. I replaced it since it is almost a 10 year old battery, was still going strong too! Just didn't want to risk it dieing on me. I was really set on buying an Optima yellow top but decided not to after reading numerous threads on how the Optima's quality went down the tubes after the company was bought out. So after hearing a lot of praising about the Exide orbital from 4x4 & off-road forums I went out and bought one.

Now my big question is how do you guys keep your Optimas from sliding around in the battery tray? The Exide Orbital pretty much has the exact same dimensions/footprint as the Optima but mine moves around too much. I looked into the Optima battery holders that Summit Racing has but they won't fit the Orbitals. The battery posts are in a different location. Any ideas on how I can mount this thing securely? I used a couple pieces of wood to wedge in between the battery and the tray but it can still topple over if I take a turn to fast.

Here's what it looks like:

 

If you can't find a "universal holddown" at an autoparts store, you may have to get one made for you. It shouldn't be TOO expensive.

- Jack