Is an AGM battery worth the cost?

I run a group 27 AGM for a fridge that runs 24/7 in my gen 3 for work. I have a Lensun hood solar panel run to a charge controller in the engine compartment that keeps my battery topped off.

It’s a little more money, but fixes the alternator problem without messing around with too much. The panel keeps the battery well at charge for days without running the truck. I put the fridge in last August and it’s run non stop since then. No issues with the battery, cold water and lunches for work, and cold beer for camping.

 

I run 24F AGM as common everywhere due to the vibration, sealed, and heat as they seem to handle it better (in FL).
Last one ran it for 5 years no issues and no altered charge circuits. Changed out as preventative.
Cost is only about $25-75 more than the higher end lead acid types but yes much higher than a bottom level one.
A cheap way to watch the battery is a simple plug in USB charger with a voltage meter on it.
Many opinions out there on all this. Enjoy.

 

batteryuniversity.com

 

I run a fridge on a separate deep cycle LiFePo4 battery. Running a fridge on your starter battery is a good way to get stranded. Despite the marketing mumbo jumbo, AGM batteries are not deep cycle batteries.

 

I had a XS Power AGM battery last me 7 years without any modifications to my charge system. It was a fantastic battery. I only paid $245 shipped for it back in 2015. Unfortunately, the cost has gone up a lot. It's now $400, so I decided to try out an Interstate AGM. It was $350 shipped from Amazon. I don't run any extra accessories. I just have a decent sound system. Everything has been running great as usual.

 

AGM battery is sealed so it won't spill acid in hard cornering/braking and off-road. You can usually find equal or better CCA (compared to stock) in a smaller AGM size, saving weight. These are the two main advantages I see that prompted me to change to an Optima Red Top 35.

The charging voltage is easily increased when flashing an ECM tune on the truck.

 

A whole thread on this:

The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade | Page 01 | Tacoma World

 

I just popped a 24F EVERSTART MAXX AGM in my truck. Flashed a tune for AGM batteries to boost the charging.

when looking at batteries(everstart Maxx specifically), it was only $40 more to go to AGM. My lead acid EVERSTART Maxx is going on 4 years so I decided to preemptively upgrade the starter battery and I’m now using the lead acid in the toolbox hooked up to a solar controller to run bed accessories and my fridge.

 

I use AGM batteries in two vehicles I have no problems going on 5years now.

Yes I do have a AGM charger the only time i use it is for electrical troubleshooting and one time I left the ignition switch on for a few days.

At no time did the Deka or Interstate sales people say anything about needing to upgrade the alternator in the vehicle . As a vendor for both companies I never had to deal with any complaints in this area .

Which would be brought to our sales persons attention.

 

I upgraded to an AGM on my 1st gen because I was sick of the standard ones corroding everything in sight and never lasting more than 2 summers.
So far it seems to hold its charge a lot better too.

 

Pay the extra money for a bigger lead acid battery vs agm.

 

FWIW, the 24F AGM Everstart from Wally World is only about 4lbs heavier than stock and still fits in the oem plastic battery tray. Too much weight on the front end and you'll risk damage/cracking the sheet metal.

 

Biggest advantage and reason I run AGM in all my vehicles is they will not dead-cell you and leave you stranded somewhere (or much worse your wife/family). I really don't care about all the other benefits. They work just fine on any healthy stock voltage alternator. I do run one in my tractor for the high vibration benefits though. Well worth the price for that extra insurance.

 

it’s like $20 more at Costco than a normal battery, but you should get the alternator tuned to charge at AGM specs…think I paid $125 for my Interstate AGM H46

 

Are you meaning AGMs aren't as deep a cycle as a Lithium battery? Cause AGMs can come in both starting and deep cycle format. Obviously you can't discharge 100% like a lithium, but you can get many cycles down 50% percent on an Deep Cycle AGM.

I was actually planning to hop into the convo pointing out not all AGMs are deep cycle, which the OP seems to be more interested in.

 

That's way cheap! Can't comment on the price for that size battery you listed, but an Interstate AGM Group 24F (stock size) is $180 at Costco. I just went and checked on Saturday to get one...they had none so I went with the Walmart EverStart AGM for the same price.

 

XS Power are very nice quality racing batteries , a friend of mine is running one of their 14 volt batteries in his street / strip bbc chevelle with no issues

 

Is 3rd Gen the same? I was thinking that only worked on the 2nd gen. It's exactly what I did. Had the Australian voltage booster, and it made a MASSIVE difference on my Yellow Top optima, and my 2x Blue Top house batteries (all wired to my alternator).

I'm running just the one big X2 Power battery under my hood, since I don't need the house batteries anymore. Love having it though. OEM battery would hardly run my air compressor without the engine running, the X2 (and the optima before that) would run it perfectly fine without the engine running. The test they do at Toyota for CCA when doing their multi point inspection was always funny. CCA is supposed to be like 730 or something, and mine was consistently well over 1100. I always forgot to link my house batteries, woulda been hilarious to see what number would pop up on their test with 3 batteries hooked up.

 

Absolutely worth it.

+1 on the Everstart AGM for the great deal that it is. Just check the battery before taking it home with a voltmeter. It should be standing at 13v or so. Sometimes they have some returns or duds on the shelf and don't pull them (happened to me).

Get a tune and have them raise your charging voltage to 14.5-15v. Messing around with charges to top off is a pain in the ass and doesn't give you the full benefit of the battery.
Besides, the tune will bring a smile to your face when you drive your truck.

As soon as you fire up the truck, you will hear how much easier it cranks over with the little extra voltage. That means better starts and less wear and tear on your starter motor and just about anything else in the truck. Bonus as well, normal incandescent lighting will also be brighter.

I worked on auto electrical and electronics for 30 years if you feel like doubting my observations on this, that is your call.

 

It’s not an issue if you keep the battery topped off. I have no issues, friends of mine have no issues. It all depends on how you use the truck, how you’re set up. I’m stoked to not have the weight of an extra battery, cost of an extra battery, and space for more fun stuff. To each their own, but it’s more than feasible to run off your starter battery if you run your shit right.