Battery Replacement...AGM or Lead

Thinking of going with an AGM battery (Optima/NorthStar). I'm not running anything additional on my truck, so it's stock. Any benefit to an AGM over a lead battery?

 

No leaks!

 

Not really. Kinda nice if you are in the habit of laying the truck in its side. I don't do that, so I don't see a need.

 

No leaks, no maintenance, no fumes coming off the sulfuric acid corroding terminal connections, etc.

I pulled my OEM battery and swapped for an AGM a few days after purchasing the truck.

 

Less of a chance of corrosive outgassing against the hold down components including the metal under it.

I have seen battery trays and hold downs surrounding the battery get absolutely destroyed because of lead acid batteries. Not to mention X2power is a rebranded Northstar battery and you can find those locally very easily at Batteries Plus Bulbs. Odyssey and Northstar batteries are very high quality and will last you a very long time. I am on year 5 of my AGM and it is still testing out like it is new. Do it!

 

AGM (northstar, anyway) requires a voltage your 3rd gen cannot meet for 100% charge... You'll only be at 80 cap. according to the info out there... I'm still trying to figure it all out... Someone here will correct me, im sure... But im running two AGM Northstar batteries and the reason i chimed in.

If you aren't running anything special (accessories) , you aren't relying on your battery other than normal operation, there really isn't a need to spend the extra cheddar on an AGM... I quess what i should say is the pros arent worth the extra money.

 

If you off-road your truck much I’d recommend an AGM. In vehicles I drive off-road I’ve had bad luck with conventional ‘wet’ batteries. Mainly with them shaking apart or leaking from their vent caps. For anything which stays on the road I just stick with a wet battery.

 

^ A completely fair statement given the fact the lead acid battery has been doing just fine for the last century and a half.
However, the disadvantages of the lead acid battery (mentioned above) are equally irrefutable.

Pricing is, of course, subjective.

 

AGM

 

@WVTacoma08 This right here ^ is the BEST argument against AGM as starting battery!! And in worst case scenario, when battery fails , manufacturer can (and very much possibly) will NOT honor warranty due to undercharging.
That being said... I fell for standard 3rd gen forum peer pressure and am sporting a Northstar 27F under my hood. However, I do periodically plug it into ACDC charger hoping that it'll make a difference. Also, one of main reasons I bought it, is because I have a winch and was running a few extra thing off of it.

Now, I believe Optima has some kind of Dual Purpose starting/deep cycle battery. Maybe that is something you'd be interested in?

 

Yeah, after reading it sounds like something along that line my fill my need more so. Anyone have any experience or suggestions on this type?

 

^^^this

 

Optima is crap. Been there done that. Warranty is shit also. Most places here stopped carrying them because Optima wasn’t supporting their warranty. The ones that still do say you have to deal with Optima directly for warranty issues. Save your money and go get one from Autozone in the upper tiers. Been running them for years and they stand behind their warranty. I’ve only had 1 fail in just under 3 years and free replacement on the spot.

 

My coworker is running one of them as a second battery in his Silverado, that's the only reason I know about them. He has it (as 2nd battery) because he's sporting a fridge. Also, his Silverado puts out over 14V, so he doesn't have to worry about voltage.

 

Keep in mind you can discharge an AGM down to 20% several hundred times. It's not advised to even do it once with a lead battery.

 

He's got a point I forgot about. 80% charge will be your top out.

 

That still doesn't justify the price.

Serious off roading seems to be the only reason I'd have one.

 

It's whatever you want to buy. Some people complain about a $300 AGM battery, but have a $6000 suspension.

For me the price is justified knowing I can drain down the battery and still start the truck.

 

This makes no sense to me.

Why would you routinely drain down the battery?

 

There are some really fine lead acid batteries. The ones that come on our trucks are not them. But my stock one is still going.

The Panasonic battery in the 4 runner is much better construction and doesn’t off gas. the Panasonic that came in my 2010 FJ cruiser lasted 7 years until I sold it and may still be in it.