I just replaced an acid-type battery with a new gel-type. First time for me. Are gel-type better? They’re more expensive and carry a similar 3-year warranty.
What was your reason for choosing a gel type battery? For average automotive use, they offer no advantage over a standard battery.
Folks who need something for rough service seem to prefer them. 4WD vehicles operated over rough roads, steep slopes, etc. This topic has been discussed here several times. Click on the forum search link, upper right this page.
2 Likes
I bought a gel in the hopes they’d outlast a regular battery. I’ve been through regular batteries every 2.5 years, so I just thought I’d try something different and hopefully better.
Do you live in a very hot climate? Like Florida, New Orleans etc? If so, 2.5 years wouldn’t be that unusual.
In ordinary circumstances no, gel isn’t superior to wet but in unusual circumstances like the Miati where the battery is strored in the trunk, replacement of the OEM glass mat battery with a similar is important
It’s not better, and probably won’t last any longer. You’d be better off spending a few bucks on a “battery tender” which will keep your battery fully charged and less likely to suffer premature death.
Without liquid they can be installed off vertical. Some motorcycles take advantage of this. AGM are also supposed to recover better from deep discharge. In most cases its probably a toss up between agm and wet cell for durability but since they are sealed I like that they don’t grow fuzz on the posts.
Gel battery or AGM battery? They are not the same although they seem to be referred to as the same. An AGM battery is cheaper and more readily available.
They are more rugged to vibration. Not always a longer life. One brand seems to clearly superior to any other battery I have used. Optima. But they don’t make sizes for every car.
Batteries that fail in vehicles that are daily drivers fail due to constant over charging, vibrations, and reaching the end of their cycle lives. Putting a charger on it will just end its life even sooner! Now if the vehicle is parked most of the time it’s a different story.
Not where I live. In southern states heat ends batteries lives quicker than any other reason. 3 year life is very common.
As for overcharging… no longer a thing with compter controlled charging with battery tenders, chargers and ECU controlled charging in autos for the last 20 years.
Battery tenders are low current float chargers that drop the voltage to maintain the battery without overcharging it. Great for cars that are short tripped since currrent draws when cars are just sitting can easily be 50 milliamps and short trips just are not long enough to do a full recharge.
5 Likes
@DFilice please ignore the comment by thewonderful90s above. It’s BS.If you accept my suggestion and use a battery tender, you’ll probably get a lot longer battery life, assuming that, as @Mustangman said, you’re not in a very hot climate. Btw I haven’t seen a battery fail due to overcharging in many years, due primarily to the adoption of solid state voltage regulation in modern cars.
3 Likes
I’m not such a fan of those optimas
They seem to cost about twice as much as conventional batteries
But they don’t seem to last twice as long
Not only that, but they’re harder to charge if the battery is allowed to go dead . . . for whatever reason
Even with the proper type charger, they often just don’t “take a charge” . . . and some of these optimas are only a year old
So no . . . I’m NOT recommending them, unless your car actually requires an AGM battery
My 2012 Camry still ha the original, lead acid battery that came with it but many websites say it requires a AGM.My daughters @911 Corolla still has the original in it and I know that she has let it go dead 3 times by leaving the lights on.
How many engine running hours do you think are on that battery? 2000 to 3000 hours is typical for a battery.
Batteries that expire in 2.5 years generally have been exposed to high temperatures and charging systems that elevate the battery’s temperature. A battery tender will not help this. A battery that has been discharged during lack of use can be recharged.
Do you have a comment about this topic or are you trolling?
IMO all batteries in the engine compartment are overexposed to heat. I have to replace all of our engine compartment batteries every four years. We had two Chevy Cobalts with batteries in the trunk and never replace one in 10 and 11 years respectively.
1 Like
A properly designed maintenance charger won’t hurt anything, in fact it could be optimum. Leaving an old style charger on too long will shorten life.