Are Li-ion battery batteries worth the extra expense over a traditional deep cycle lead-acid ?
Batteries; is the juice worth the (pocketbook) squeeze?
- Thread starter The Traveling Shepherd
- Start date
IMHO I'd put the money into an AGM for their resilience. I do carry a Li-ion jump pack though and it has saved our backside multiple times.
Plain old interstates from Costco for me. I beat the deep cycle up with the fridge and have been able to make it 2 years before it goes weak on me. This is using it quite a bit, fully charging after trips most of the time but when I use it the truck is charging it off and on for 2-4 days at a time when traveling and the fridge is plugged in. We have Costco everywhere in ca so I can easily exchange it for a warranty issue even away from home if necessary. At $100 every couple years I feel like it’s been a good buy. I don’t know if the fancy batteries do much better, I’ve heard nothing but mixed reviews, some swear by them and others say their a waste of money, so I stick with cheap and easy. The factory Toyota battery is still going strong, but when it goes I’ll be heading to Costco for an interstate for that too.
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About to expand to a 2 battery system. Thinking of going optima yellow top on both. Thoughts?
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2 - 6 volt batteries $500 bucks lasted me 10 years what are them fancy Li-ion ones worth at least $1000 bucks x2 each? and how long would they last 40 years I doubt it to be equivalent price wise in the long run..
Now the batteries I wished we had here in Canada are Lead crystal batteries but alas the shops here were totally clueless as to their existence price no idea but they have a 20 year lifespan and can be 100% drained without damage or so I hear funny thing we are the only continent where you can not get them so much for being up to speed on tech...
Now the batteries I wished we had here in Canada are Lead crystal batteries but alas the shops here were totally clueless as to their existence price no idea but they have a 20 year lifespan and can be 100% drained without damage or so I hear funny thing we are the only continent where you can not get them so much for being up to speed on tech...
Enthusiast III
Lithium doesn't do well with plain old 12v alternators. I also went the Costco Interstate route with a 27dc battery with plenty of deep cycle juice and enough cca for California weather. Less than $100 abd I know plenty of people who have optimas that have crapped out on them after a few years that cost 3x as much. Only 12 month warranty on deep cycle but worth it. I will also be more diligent with charging it with a good deep cycle charger before a trip. Bought new, the charger registered as 85% charge. Overnight, got it to 100%.
I second the Optima series being overpriced and not all they’re alleged to be. I’d take an AGM over an Optima but it really depends on what you’re looking for in a battery. Here’s some info on AGMs...
Advantages
Spill-proof through acid encapsulation in matting technology
High specific power, low internal resistance, responsive to load
Up to 5 times faster charge than with flooded technology
Better cycle life than with flooded systems
Water retention (oxygen and hydrogen combine to produce water)
Vibration resistance due to sandwich construction
Stands up well to cold temperature
Less prone to sulfation if not regularly topping charged
Has less electrolyte and lead than the flooded version
Limitations
Higher manufacturing cost than flooded
Sensitive to overcharging (AGM has tighter tolerances than gel)
Capacity has gradual decline (gel has a performance dome)
Low specific energy
Must be stored in charged condition (less critical than flooded)
Advantages
Spill-proof through acid encapsulation in matting technology
High specific power, low internal resistance, responsive to load
Up to 5 times faster charge than with flooded technology
Better cycle life than with flooded systems
Water retention (oxygen and hydrogen combine to produce water)
Vibration resistance due to sandwich construction
Stands up well to cold temperature
Less prone to sulfation if not regularly topping charged
Has less electrolyte and lead than the flooded version
Limitations
Higher manufacturing cost than flooded
Sensitive to overcharging (AGM has tighter tolerances than gel)
Capacity has gradual decline (gel has a performance dome)
Low specific energy
Must be stored in charged condition (less critical than flooded)
Most of the off the shelf charging solutions don't charge at a high enough voltage (over 14.4V needed for most AGMs), heck my factory alternator needs a diode to trick it to charge at a higher voltage. And what happens is the AGMs since they don't get the full charge fail prematurely. Standard lead-acid is prob your best bet for the money unless you're sure your charging setup provides the right voltage, in which case AGM all the way. Northstar though, not Optima. Just my opinion of course.
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