2002 Toyota Tundra 6 cylinder SR5
Just curious. My truck needs a new battery and I’m wondering if there is any real value in buying the more expensive of these two batteries -
or
I am replacing a Super Start Extreme, which lasted me 7 years. Is there any advantage or benefit to having the battery with more CCA or CA? I live in a mild climate in the SF Bay Area.
The cheaper battery is a flooded cell battery and the more expensive battery is an Absorbed Glass Mat battery.
AGM batteries are usually used when the vehicle is exposed to high vibration conditions.
Tester
Thank you for your response. I hadn’t even noticed the AGM designation. After researching AGM, it sounds like the AGM battery would be a better choice even if my truck isn’t going to be shaking much.
I really buy batteries by comparing cca and price. Just make sure whoever does the battery uses a memory saver.
The last battery I put in my old Toyota pickup was an Everstart Maxx from Walmart. It lasted 9 years so I just bought another one for my car.
Do you belong to a warehouse club? The one I belong to offers 24F for about $70 less than the battery source you listed.
I’m curious what other opinions are on this:
What would motivate you to buy an AGM battery for a vehicle that didn’t ship with an AGM from the factory?
I see people choose AGM when their vehicle does not require it, and I don’t see it as being worth the extra money.
I concur, even off-roading when I had a CJ5 ( a real Jeep) I used a conventional flooded cell.
Only times I would consider AGM if vehicle OEM was AGM or deep cycle AGM for marine use. Switched from AGM to LiFePO4 for trolling motor, time will tell if it is better, but is much lighter.
CDI electric site has a warning to not use AGM batteries with older outboards. Appears you can only use wet cell lead acid batteries that you can add water to, maintenance free, glass matt, AGM etc have to high of resistance for older outboards. They can only be used with outboards wit alternators on them
I buy all my car batteries from Walmart. Their prices are usually the best in my town, and the return policy works at any Walmart. I’ve only had to return a bad Walmart battery once or twice, but both times I was thankful for the warranty.
I got an AGM for my last car. The difference in price for that vs. a standard flooded was negligible, and I thought why not get the “nice” battery since I was planning to keep the car indefinitely.
Of course, earlier this year I had a wreck in the car with the AGM, and traded the car in on something else. The battery stayed with the car. Oh well. Another reason not to spend a lot of money on a car; it could get wrecked tomorrow.
I haven’t bought the battery yet and after reading opinions here, I have another question: The reason I thought AGM might be a good choice for me is that one source I found said that it can sit in storage longer. Since I only drive this truck once or twice a week (mostly on the highway) but sometimes it might sit for two weeks, would AGM be the better choice? Or is the difference negligible?
Yes.
This is from the Interstate battery web site.
On the other hand, an AGM battery can drain deeply and still crank engines.
Tester
Thank you, Tester. I probably should have mentioned at the beginning that I don’t drive the truck every day. Unless someone gives me a good reason not to, I think I’ll go with the AGM. I plan to buy tomorrow so other people here still have time to change my mind… 
(thanks to everyone for your responses)
Agree with this. I have an Optima AGM battery in my truck for exactly this reason. I had one in a summer-only convertible I used to own. I’d ignore it and the battery would run down. Charge it back and all was well, many more times than I should have but the battery was 6 years old and going strong when I sold the car.
I do use a dash mounted solar panel plugged into the power port to keep the charge up these days since it sits outside.
No experience w/the AGM type, but I’ve purchased the flooded type car batteries from the big three over many years: Sears Diehard, Costco, and Walmart. It seems like the more expensive versions last longer, but not proportionately longer compared to their extra cost. In other words a battery that costs twice as much does indeed last longer, but not 2X longer.
Currently my Corolla has the $50 Walmart version (their less expensive version), 5 years old, and my truck has a 9 year old Costco battery. Both are nearing the end of their lifespan.
OP, you might search this forum’s past posts for other posts about AGM batteries. I seem to recall comments that the AGM version has both upsides and downsides. Search link upper right this page.
I will. Thanks.
The Everstart Maxx ay Walmart in that size is $134.99 at Walmart and usually tests at or near the top of the flooded battery class in Consumer Reports.
Might want to edit the price🤪
Thank You.
Personally, I wouldn’t change the fundamental design of the battery from that intended for the application unless I had a good grasp of the design and how it would behave with a different battery composition. There are differences in how to charge and maintain an AGM battery compared to a traditional flooded cell. If your vehicle is newer and uses a control scheme for charging, it may not be designed to properly handle an AGM battery-
Flooded Batteries vs. AGM Batteries: Understanding the Differences - Power Sonic.