If your fully charged battery drops below 10.8 volts while cranking replace it. Fully charge your battery, put a load test on it, if it drops below 10.8 volts the battery is junk. For racing if it dropped below 11.4 volts I would replace it.

Cab, I have a self exciting 60 amp Bosch alternator. Battery stayed charged just fine street driving with lights on. Now the only lights I have are tail lights. All other wiring has been removed.

My Ram's battery made it from 2005 until earlier this year, couldn't really complain as it didn't owe me anything at that point.

I also have an old prototype red top Optima that was made in the fall of 2001. It will still start a car, and has been in about 10 different vehicles.

Must be nice to have batteries last as long as some of you guys. They really don't like the heat out here in the desert at all. We are lucky to get three years out of batteries a lot of the time

And trailer tires too. Lol. I just changed the battery in my 2003 Chevy Malibu that still had the stock on in it. I figured I was pushing my luck and would get caught some cold winter day

Have you thought about the 16 volt battery? I switched to it this season and am very happy with it, no alternator and we hot lap once past second round, its held up so far, we run ethanol and when it got cold out would be difficult to start first fire up in the morning , with the 16 volt it fires right up , turns the motor over like the plugs are pulled out

I've thought about it many times. I just don't know if I'm ready to buy a generator and take it to the track. If I do buy one, it's gonna be an inverter style, I don't need that loud annoying engine blasting when I'm working on the car.

Or can you run a whole day on single charge?

I also will be racing in the dead of winter so it has to be able to start the car in -5°-20° weather, with 13.8:1 compression.

Put a 16V battery in it and go buy a 2000watt Predator brand inverter from Harbor Freight. It's only $449 and the guy there says same people make them that make the Hondas. Don't know if that's true, but I have one and it has been great. VERY quiet, like a Honda and uses little fuel. I would think you need a generator anyway to keep a pad on the pan for some heat. I know I wouldn't be firing my engine in temps that cold with the oil and water that cold as well

As far as your battery, if it is pulling that much now, it likely has no chance of cranking the car in cold weather

What's a good 16v battery? What should I look for? What should I stay away from?

I too had my '04 Ram diesel batteries last until two years ago! I went to Seattle for two weeks and left my trailer hooked to the pickup with the trailer interior lights on. If you have a slanted parking spot, make sure that you alternate between pulling in and backing in as the constant lean will sulfate that high side of the battery. I use XS Power 16 volt in the race car and they have been good since 2012. They are actually stamped with a 2011 date. The first time I hit the starter button when going from 12 volt to 16 volt, it scared the crap outta me! Never heard a starter run so fast! I actually replaced one (the car has two for the weight) in early 2015 when I was chasing an electrical gremlin. Turns out that it wasn't the battery. I keep them fully charged at all times. I would replace that crusty old Duralast that has done you well with an XS Power 16 volt from FigSpeed!

Use a high amp, constant duty solenoid, wired to be on only with the ignition on, in the trailer battery charge line. Shut the truck off and it isolates the trailer battery from the truck.

Don't even get me started on tires out here..Holy crap I have never bought so many tires in a short time as I have had to here in 4 years..

Like a 30amp relay? Amazing that they would probably still be in service to this day. The parking on a slant thing is a real battery killer, 99 Durango taught me that lesson the hard way...

Read this and rock on! I agree with Cab 110% If you don't run an alternator you are crazy--the Winners run one!!

Diving on those hot roads wear 'em out quick huh?

Which winners would that be? Aside from a Stocker, don't think I ever saw a class car with an alternator on it. If you are talking about bracket cars, sure it's likely a good idea if you get where you can't charge the batt fully between rounds. But my own experience doesn't reflect Cabs at all. It takes power to turn the alternator while it's charging. In every instance we have tested on the dyno or the track, the alt cost you power and ET. If it helped even one tiny iota or anybody THOUGHT it would, every Pro-Stock car on the planet would have one. These are the same guys who think throwing the chute a little early helps "push" the car at the stripe. Ever seen a pro stocker with an alternator?

Good HD 80amp (or higher) to carry the charge current from the truck charging system.

I would bet that 95% or more on this site are bracket racers
Bracket racers can give up that 1/2% to make damn sure they make call in the 7th round and are the same from round to round--now if they are racing Pro Stock they were not checking this thread
and on that....after very day on here since this site opened --and after aiming to help my fellow Mopar guys I see they are in good hands I sign off Ya'll have a good time!

Crabman! Dude! you ok? I think Monte said that if you are bracket racing it's fine. I don't run one and I've never had an issue. Although, I intend to do more bracket stuff next year and less division stuff. I've always thought about running one, just never got around to actually doing it. I have a very close friend that runs one on a bracket '69 Dart. He actually went some rounds one day and when he went to start going to the water box in the 4th round the car wouldn't start. He depended solely on the Alt. to charge the car which is virtually impossible if you are constantly running the starter moving up through the lanes. It only charges going down the track and what little idle time it is to and from the pit spot. You probably run the starter 4-5 times just making 1 run! Any alt. is going to need some help trying to recover the amps lost in the short time that the car runs. Guys that run an alt. and go rounds still use a generator and batt. charger.