# Drastic difference in AGM batteries?



## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

I was under the impression that XS Power is the best, and planned on buying a D3400 for Under Hood with my 1500rms 2 amplifier install I'm doing in spring. Is a cheaper, lesser known AGM (autozone or advanced auto parts battery) going to hurt me in the long run? Or will I not be able to tell the difference between the two? I understand there are "elitests" who will laugh at the question. But realistically, I don't need something solely because everyone on the internet says I do. I'm looking for unbiased, informative opinions on the subject. I'm spending A LOT to do this, so cutting a corner here and there if the expense isn't a necessity would be nice. D3400= $259 or DEKA Intimidator SALE$113? 

http://www.batteryprice.com/deka-9A3...FWGCQgodOB8AMw


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## Hoptologist (Sep 14, 2012)

peenemunde said:


> I was under the impression that XS Power is the best, and planned on buying a D3400 for Under Hood with my 1500rms 2 amplifier install I'm doing in spring. Is a cheaper, lesser known AGM (autozone or advanced auto parts battery) going to hurt me in the long run? Or will I not be able to tell the difference between the two? I understand there are "elitests" who will laugh at the question. But realistically, I don't need something solely because everyone on the internet says I do. I'm looking for unbiased, informative opinions on the subject. I'm spending A LOT to do this, so cutting a corner here and there if the expense isn't a necessity would be nice. D3400= $259 or DEKA Intimidator SALE$113?
> 
> http://www.batteryprice.com/deka-9A3...FWGCQgodOB8AMw


The link you posted is dead.

The DEKA Intimidator is a great battery for sure.

A lot of us, including myself, use Diehard Platinum batteries from Sears. They are rebadged Odyssey AGM batteries. If you can, wait for another friends & family or battery sale. I got mine for 25% off around this time last year. You could make a Slickdeals account and setup up a deal alert, if you have time to wait.

edit: O MAN, it's your lucky day, they are on sale right now, 25% off, LOL. And quoted from SD: "You can also get another $5 off using coupon code SEARS2013". Search here or for the Slickdeals thread if you want to read more info about them. For their current sale prices, I'd say they are the best. A no brainer for sure.

Now, the real question, why am I still up at 4am pst? Maybe the universe wanted us to meet. Although it was only a matter of time until another member here pointed you in this direction


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Hoptologist said:


> The link you posted is dead.
> 
> The DEKA Intimidator is a great battery for sure.
> 
> ...


I can most certainly wait  I'm really leaning towards the Diehard Platinum, I've read about them off and on. If the XS Power D3400 doesn't come down in price over the holiday season I'll be getting a different brand FOR SURE! Thanks for a quick reply, it eased my nerves on the battery subject



WAIT, THEY ARE ON SALE TODAY?! WHERE AND HOW? LOL


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## Hoptologist (Sep 14, 2012)

peenemunde said:


> I can most certainly wait  I'm really leaning towards the Diehard Platinum, I've read about them off and on. If the XS Power D3400 doesn't come down in price over the holiday season I'll be getting a different brand FOR SURE! Thanks for a quick reply, it eased my nerves on the battery subject
> 
> 
> 
> WAIT, THEY ARE ON SALE TODAY?! WHERE AND HOW? LOL


Haha, you know, Sears and with a monetary transaction of course!

You can order online and choose in store pickup (I BELIEVE) and that way you can be sure that you can use the coupon code. I think they ship them too. If you just purchase in store, they may, or may not, let you use the coupon code, ymmv etc.

Automotive Batteries: Shop for Car Batteries at Sears GOGOGO you have 10 seconds left to order!!!

Haha, ok, seriously going to sleep now!


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Hoptologist said:


> Haha, you know, Sears and with a monetary transaction of course!
> 
> You can order online and choose in store pickup (I BELIEVE) and that way you can be sure that you can use the coupon code. I think they ship them too. If you just purchase in store, they may, or may not, let you use the coupon code, ymmv etc.
> 
> ...


Thanks for looking out  I appreciate it


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## Hoptologist (Sep 14, 2012)

peenemunde said:


> Thanks for looking out  I appreciate it


Yeah for sure. BTW I have one myself and I'm running about 1600rms potential watts on a ~90amp alternator and I have no problems. Car starts up super fast every time too  They sure are heavy suckers tho lol

Sleep commencing for real this time!


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I have an advance auto agm that I got for an awesome price. It's been flawless since I got it. But they only have some sizes in agm. Search around for advance auto coupons as well. They usually have a $40-50 coupon.


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

I second the DieHard Platinum. It is in a different league than the Optima it replaced in both turning the engine over, lights dimming, and drastically better runtime. I used to only have 5 minutes of runtime with the engine off literally. Now I've done 45 min to 1hr tuning sessions by accident with the engine off. I've never had the car not start with this battery even when I left all of the interior lights on for about 12hrs or more. It's a very, very good battery especially for the money and with the 4yr free replacement warranty and 100 month pro-rated warranty you'll probably never have to pay full price for a battery again and if you do you got your money's worth. Also, totally non scientific but the DH got rid of my lights dimming. It wasn't until I added the 3rd amp that I got a little light dimming and that was an additional 600w which is more than my subs get and the midbass soak it all up. 

Not that it matters at all but Enersys makes the Odyssey and the Platinum. The only real difference is the label but technically the Platinum is not a rebadged Odyssey. Totally worthless info I know.


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## ShaneInMN (Sep 27, 2013)

My understanding is that the AGM batteries will deliver a more consistant voltage to our amps. That being said, is there any major drawback w/o doing the big 3 when upgrading to AGM battery?


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## nickt (Sep 22, 2013)

I have a DH battery. After turning my engine on and running my car for 5 minutes, the volume gets 20% louder all a sudden. Is this because the battery got charged and deliver more output?


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Some amplifiers are noticeably more efficient when warm...

I use DH Platinum in my truck and I will be using one in my Fiesta if I can find one that fits. To put the DH Plat in my truck I had to rewire the stock cabling because my truck uses the reverse post battery but it was totally worth it. My truck lights up like its excited to go for a drive and there was a noticeable difference in bass output from my amp at the time. I keep the stock battery on a trick charge for when I sell the truck.


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

ShaneInMN said:


> My understanding is that the AGM batteries will deliver a more consistant voltage to our amps. That being said, is there any major drawback w/o doing the big 3 when upgrading to AGM battery?


I have not done the big 3 and I have an AGM. I know many will say it's the placebo effect but my system seemed to sound better, more dynamic after the battery install. I have 1200w available to the front stage and 500w available to the subs and it's all class D power so I haven't needed to upgrade yet.


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## ShaneInMN (Sep 27, 2013)

Yeah I didnt really understand what the big 3 has to do with the AGM aside from delivering less voltage drop from the alternator to the battery. I thought the battery is what's powering our system anyway, and the alternator keeps the battery charged.

Seems like even with a 4ga power wire running from the alternator to the battery in that short length of cord, I'm not really sure what a 0/1ga power wire is going to do to noticably improve the performance of the AGM battery with the overall system. I'd think a bigger alternator would be a better solution to pair up with an AGM if the total RMS watts are high, and then change out the power line according to AWG recommendations based on max amps.


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

Wire should be upgraded based on the current going through it. Upgrading the charging wire between the alt and battery is probably useless if the stock wire will handle the output form the alt with no major voltage drop. Same thing goes for the big three: if you are using the car body/chassis/frame to ground your equipment then it could make a huge difference. If you have a dedicate ground line for all of your aftermarket equipment that returns to the battery then there's no reason to upgrade the factory ground. However, on some cars the stock grounds can be poor and borderline insufficient, so any equipment grounded to the car that seeks ground through a stock wire might create a ground loop.

As for the sudden increase in volume after the car warms up, it sounds like a faulty headunit or EQ or amp (something in the signal chain). It could also b a loose or faulty signal cable.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

I was told the Autozone duralast platinum AGM and Oreilly AGM gray batteries are made by DeKa. 

The whole idea about the big 3 and AGM battery is that the battery needs to be a Deep Cycle battery, I have not heard anyone mention it. There is no point on getting an AGM start battery for your stereo system, it will not make any difference compared to a regular battery with the highest CCA.


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

I checked my local farm supply shop, and they had Road Runner brand AGM batteries in my group for $130!!! The clerk said they were made by East Penn. Can I expect it to be on par with their other products such as Deka?


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Alrojoca said:


> I was told the Autozone duralast platinum AGM and Oreilly AGM gray batteries are made by DeKa.
> 
> The whole idea about the big 3 and AGM battery is that the battery needs to be a Deep Cycle battery, I have not heard anyone mention it. There is no point on getting an AGM start battery for your stereo system, it will not make any difference compared to a regular battery with the highest CCA.



Even if you're only running one battery under hood? Won't an AGM be more beneficial than a regular battery?


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

peenemunde said:


> Even if you're only running one battery under hood? Won't an AGM be more beneficial than a regular battery?


An AGM type has extra benefits, it will not leak and it will last longer. If an AGM battery is not a deep cycle battery, it will not benefit you that much for car audio use and you will kill it sooner due to the power being used when the engine is off and the alternator having to work hard to charge it every time in the case that you have multiple powerful amplifiers. 2 batteries can be used only if you upgrade the alternator to keep up with the charging and if just one deep cycle one does not keep up with the power needed.


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Alrojoca said:


> An AGM type has extra benefits, it will not leak and it will last longer. If an AGM battery is not a deep cycle battery, it will not benefit you that much for car audio use and you will kill it sooner due to the power being used when the engine is off and the alternator having to work hard to charge it every time in the case that you have multiple powerful amplifiers. 2 batteries can be used only if you upgrade the alternator to keep up with the charging and if just one deep cycle one does not keep up with the power needed.


I'll be running a 1200rms class D, and a 120.4 rms for my front stage. You think a deep cycle will benefit me with a stock 160 amp alt and big 3? For 130$ and an 84 month warranty it's hard to pass up that East Penn Road House


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

peenemunde said:


> I'll be running a 1200rms class D, and a 120.4 rms for my front stage. You think a deep cycle will benefit me with a stock 160 amp alt and big 3? For 130$ and an 84 month warranty it's hard to pass up that East Penn Road House


Sounds like you have a good alternator, and ready for the tasks. That is the first step, AGM DC battery and the big 3. If you have issues afterwards, you take other steps you might as well worry about them later.

I am not sure about that battery you mentioned, you may want to search for reviews, most batteries are made by 3 or 4 companies. If you have an Autozone the price for the duralast plat is similar but the warranty is less than half of the East Penn one. If you feel it is a good battery then go for it since it has a better warranty than almost anything in the market. DC batteries usually come with less than a 30 month warranty


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Slight thread jack. Does anyone use 2 deep cycles and throw there vehicle on a trickle charger at night? I'm to a point where anytime im in my truck im listening to music and w a 15 minute drive im not sure any alt is going to keep up w usage.


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Alrojoca said:


> Sounds like you have a good alternator, and ready for the tasks. That is the first step, AGM DC battery and the big 3. If you have issues afterwards, you take other steps you might as well worry about them later.
> 
> I am not sure about that battery you mentioned, you may want to search for reviews, most batteries are made by 3 or 4 companies. If you have an Autozone the price for the duralast plat is similar but the warranty is less than half of the East Penn one. If you feel it is a good battery then go for it since it has a better warranty than almost anything in the market. DC batteries usually come with less than a 30 month warranty


Rock on, thanks for your input!


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

Alrojoca said:


> I was told the Autozone duralast platinum AGM and Oreilly AGM gray batteries are made by DeKa.
> 
> The whole idea about the big 3 and AGM battery is that the battery needs to be a Deep Cycle battery, I have not heard anyone mention it. There is no point on getting an AGM start battery for your stereo system, it will not make any difference compared to a regular battery with the highest CCA.


This is incorrect, and will lead people to buying the wrong batteries. A "starting battery" is called so because it has an extremely low internal resistance, which serves two purposes. The first is that it will recharge at a faster rate, and conversely will discharge at a faster rate, which is important not just for starting but for keeping voltage stable during heavy transient peaks in music (or test tones, or whatever). Typically these batteries have thinner lead plates, and more of them. This makes them more prone to damage when "cycled" to a low voltage situation and back repeatedly. Deep-cycle batteries work the other way. They have fewer and thicker lead plates that increase internal resistance and can't provide short bursts of transient power, but will incur less damage when dropped to low voltage and back again.

Both have different uses, but deep cycle batteries should really only be used if you plan on playing with the car off and running the voltage down <11v many times. Also note that this will put a huge strain on your alternator when you eventually start the car (somehow) and it has to recharge those batteries.

All AGM batteries (or at least the ones in this thread) contain superior quality lead ,better chemical composite, and more precise tolerances when manufactured. There is no comparison to a standard vented battery.


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

SPLEclipse said:


> This is incorrect, and will lead people to buying the wrong batteries. A "starting battery" is called so because it has an extremely low internal resistance, which serves two purposes. The first is that it will recharge at a faster rate, and conversely will discharge at a faster rate, which is important not just for starting but for keeping voltage stable during heavy transient peaks in music (or test tones, or whatever). Typically these batteries have thinner lead plates, and more of them. This makes them more prone to damage when "cycled" to a low voltage situation and back repeatedly. Deep-cycle batteries work the other way. They have fewer and thicker lead plates that increase internal resistance and can't provide short bursts of transient power, but will incur less damage when dropped to low voltage and back again.
> 
> Both have different uses, but deep cycle batteries should really only be used if you plan on playing with the car off and running the voltage down <11v many times. Also note that this will put a huge strain on your alternator when you eventually start the car (somehow) and it has to recharge those batteries.
> 
> All AGM batteries (or at least the ones in this thread) contain superior quality lead ,better chemical composite, and more precise tolerances when manufactured. There is no comparison to a standard vented battery.



That makes a lot of sense! So you suggest I run a standard AGM under hood instead of a deep cycle?


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

It's amazing how someone can say something is wrong and they basically said the same thing the other person said. Clearly not understanding what the other person said


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## Pitmaster (Feb 16, 2010)

Alrojoca said:


> An AGM type has extra benefits, it will not leak and it will last longer. If an AGM battery is not a deep cycle battery, it will not benefit you that much for car audio use and you will kill it sooner due to the power being used when the engine is off and the alternator having to work hard to charge it every time in the case that you have multiple powerful amplifiers. 2 batteries can be used only if you upgrade the alternator to keep up with the charging and if just one deep cycle one does not keep up with the power needed.





SPLEclipse said:


> This is incorrect, and will lead people to buying the wrong batteries. A "starting battery" is called so because it has an extremely low internal resistance, which serves two purposes. The first is that it will recharge at a faster rate, and conversely will discharge at a faster rate, which is important not just for starting but for keeping voltage stable during heavy transient peaks in music (or test tones, or whatever). Typically these batteries have thinner lead plates, and more of them. This makes them more prone to damage when "cycled" to a low voltage situation and back repeatedly. Deep-cycle batteries work the other way. They have fewer and thicker lead plates that increase internal resistance and can't provide short bursts of transient power, but will incur less damage when dropped to low voltage and back again.
> 
> Both have different uses, but deep cycle batteries should really only be used if you plan on playing with the car off and running the voltage down <11v many times. Also note that this will put a huge strain on your alternator when you eventually start the car (somehow) and it has to recharge those batteries.
> 
> All AGM batteries (or at least the ones in this thread) contain superior quality lead ,better chemical composite, and more precise tolerances when manufactured. There is no comparison to a standard vented battery.


There are some similarities in both posts, but I think SPL was trying to say that an AGM battery is very well suited for car audio due to it's low internal resistance.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Thanks and I am not disagreeing with anything said, there are some factors why I would choose a DC over as starting battery, for sure AGM is better, better technology and that is why it costs more.

Being on the west coast , I see no benefit for a high CCA or AGM starting battery, for people on the East coast or Canada with 20 or below 0 degrees temperatures it will be worth while to go with a starting one over a DC battery to not be left in the cold one night and having to wait to be rescued by a AAA truck.


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## peenemunde (Aug 31, 2013)

Alrojoca said:


> It's amazing how someone can say something is wrong and they basically said the same thing the other person said. Clearly not understanding what the other person said


It makes most sense to me NOT buying a deep cycle battery for my main bat. After reading what SPLeclipse said, I feel like it will benefit me most having a normal AGM instead of Deep Cycle because I plan to run only 1 battery for 3 amplifiers. My stock alternator is 160amps, but it also has 200,000 miles on it so any help in the charge/discharge area I can get will be a great help indeed


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