So for my new to me 2007 SAAB 9-3 I need a battery. I can get either. I understand the difference in terms of how they are made but what are the differences in terms of performance and care and feeding of these batteries.
In terms of performance the AGM is 780 cca but cost about $160
The top of the line lead acid is 730 cca but costs about $130
In short Learn me AGM batteries.
In my experience AGMs seem to perform better all around and last longer if taken care of. I tend to buy them for my mom's car but usually not my own. My stuff will go forgotten and sit dead for months at a time and that will kill an agm just as much as a lead acid. So for me, it's usually $49 walmart Valuepower lead acids. lol
I prefer AGM over traditional for anything. They seem to last much better in the toys (atv, pwc, motorcycle) that get occasional use and are on trickle chargers. Years rather than one season.
AGM has been hit and miss for me.
Optimas are garbage, we barely get two years out of them at work but they're the only 6V AGM option.
Have had incredible results with Odyssey batteries. The one in my Guzzi is over 10 years old.
I never understood the following Optima has.. I never liked them and I always hear horror stories. Odyssey are some of the very best. I like AGM because they don't puke all over when they get too hot or slightly overcharged
I also had terrible luck with Optimas, will never buy again.
After reviving my “racecar” last year I decided to give an Autozone Duralast Platinum AGM a try. So far so good. I disconnected the ground over the winter (October through April… ugh) and the car fired right up this spring. Did not even put a charger on it this winter because I wanted to see how well it held the charge… I was impressed.
I've owned three Optima yellowtops, they've been great and I've had no problems with them. The first one in the Miata lasted 6.5 years, the second has 3 years on it and is still going strong, and the third is in the FD (2 years on it, also still going strong). They tolerate massive abuse in terms of running them low, and they always start the car.
You're certainly not the first people I've heard complain about premature death on Optimas, but they've been great for me. It's worth noting that when you get them down really low, many "smart" chargers will refuse to charge them. You can fool them into doing it by putting them in parallel with another, charged battery.
We've only used the 6V optimas and I think they just don't have the power required to crank these big old engines over properly. Sometimes the car will fire just as you release the starter, like there is enough juice to crank or to feed the ignition but not both at the same time.
They are half the size of a comparable lead-acid battery so we often wire two in parallel to double the cranking amps. We have decent results when we do it this way but we still only get a couple years out of them.
Some of the cars don't have the space for two like this. Duesenberg and Cadillac battery trays are long and skinny and you can't quite get two into them.
I think Optima had a great product at one time but over the years, the quality has dropped off.
Some people have great luck and others don't.
I think part of the problem with 6V batteries is low demand. Not enough people want to pay for a good quality battery so we're stuck with whatever junk they put out.
Had 2 Optimas crap out just after the short warranty expired, one red top and one yellow. I've also got a blue top marine that's done well in a small sailboat as a trolling motor battery that's rarely used. (Reminds me, I need to check on it.)
I gave up on AGMs on daily drivers. I'd rather have the longer warranty and cheaper swap out of the lead acid. Widespread availability when traveling is also good. I think the car charging systems designed for lead acid may contribute to the short lifespan of AGMs.
OTOH, in something like a track car I'd probably look more seriously at the Odyssey type.
something else to think on your front heavy saab, AGMs are usually significantly lighter
Most of the Optima hate started when Johnson Controls sent production to Mexico. Horrible quality control from cost cutting mba’s. If I remember the scuttlebutt, it nearly cost them to close the plant.
If the had an AGM as OE I would stick with it. Otherwise I vote lead acid from Interstate.
I was literally putting a new flooded lead acid (conventional) battery in my motorcycle every year. I went ahead and spent a little more on a Chinese cheapo AGM. That was at least four years ago. It still cranks the bike.
The Optima Red Top in the RX-7 is way older than that. I'd say 6 or 7 years, at least.
When the vehicle is driven infrequently, I'd say AGM batteries do SIGNIFICANTLY better than conventional flooded lead-acid batteries.
The Napa legend AGM battery that I put in the Falcon always blew me away. It would sit for 11 months and still turn the car over like I had just shut it off.
I have a Odyssey AGM and it amazes me how long it will hold a charge. AGM’s can also be mounted on their side, end if space is a problem and are usually smaller for same amp hours as lead/acid. More expensive but seem to last longer.
Are there any good AGMs to use as your storage battery on your trailer?
mad_machine said:I never understood the following Optima has.. I never liked them and I always hear horror stories. Odyssey are some of the very best. I like AGM because they don't puke all over when they get too hot or slightly overcharged
Oh the opposite side, I've never understood the stories.
Optima in my Triumph (very infrequently driven) lasted 6+ years and was still fine when I sold the car
Optima in DD WRX (trunk mounted with long cables so it probably got more of a workout than original location) lasted 8 years. The OEM lead-acid before it lasted 2.
Optima in the tow rig Sequioa has been fine for 2-3 years since I got it, and that truck sits for weeks at a time and often sits for hours at events with floodlights running, etc.
Optima in the rally car lasted for 7 years of rallycross, stage rally, and the car generally sitting around in between events. Now it has a new yellow-top in it..
I got one for the Miata at Batteries Plus down the street. It is whatever the popular replacement for them is, Westco, Wesco maybe. Too hot and smokey to go out and check. A bit over a benjamin if memory serves
I just bought a new Optima for my 99 GMC Z71 used daily. The other Optima is going on 6 years old with no issues. I had a used one as a spare that was 6 years old that went into another persons car as a donation - what was temporary lasted another 4 years - so 10 total. I have not had any issues. It is not phased at all by colder temps.
I have a XS Power battery that I really like for my 78 Z28. It sits more than it sees dragstrip duty or street use. Its 3 years old and no issues. It weighs about 15 lbs. I keep a cheap Harbour Freight trickle charger on it. It is the 680
https://4xspower.com/shop/12v-agm/s-series/s680/
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