“Enhanced flooded battery” ???

[Elkins45]

I’m thinking it’s getting to be time to maybe start thinking about replacing the factory battery in my 2017 Nissan Titan. It’s still testing fine but since this vehicle is used exclusively for driving a long way from home to remote areas it’s the one with the greatest potential to cause a big PITA if it won’t start. The factory battery is H6 (group 48) size and the Walmart battery finder says this about it:

Note: OE battery is EFB (Enhanced Flooded Battery)., AGM RECOMMENDED: this vehicle is identified as having high electrical loads by a leading researcher,​

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I’m wondering what an “enhanced” flooded battery is, and if there’s any particular reason not to just drop in a regular old Rural King group 48 made by Exide.

 

[proveitwithdata]

is the titan equipped with a start stop system? Thats usually where i have seen oems apply the efb label

 

[mk378]

EFB has a better surge capability than regular flooded battery but lower price than AGM. As noted they are usually associated with start stop systems.

 

[Elkins45]

is the titan equipped with a start stop system? Thats usually where i have seen oems apply the efb label

No start-stop.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Replaced an oe Nissan advanced flooded battery with a super start platinum AGM from O'Reilly auto.

 

[Carmudgeon]

EFBs were developed as a lower cost alternative to AGMs for more demanding applications, like those with stop/start systems. They're more durable than standard flooded batteries and can handle the additional duty.

But, they haven't been heavily adopted in North America as of yet, with a limited selection on store shelves.

I believe Exide is the only supplier making them here, and even when they are available, don't offer much cost advantage.

A Duralast H6 EFB from AutoZone is $240, only $10 less than their AGM H6.

Then, consider that the Walmart EverStart Platinum H6 AGM is $180, and has a 4-year replacement warranty, vs. the 3-year warranty of the two Duralast options, and that EFB becomes even less compelling.

 

[Elkins45]

EFBs were developed as a lower cost alternative to AGMs for more demanding applications, like those with stop/start systems. They're more durable than standard flooded batteries and can handle the additional duty.

But, they haven't been heavily adopted in North America as of yet, with a limited selection on store shelves.

I believe Exide is the only supplier making them here, and even when they are available, don't offer much cost advantage.

A Duralast H6 EFB from AutoZone is $240, only $10 less than their AGM H6.

Then, consider that the Walmart EverStart Platinum H6 AGM is $180, and has a 4-year replacement warranty, vs. the 3-year warranty of the two Duralast options, and that EFB becomes even less compelling.

The (Exide) Rural King conventional lead acid battery is $120. Do I get an extra $60 worth of benefit from an AGM?

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

I use an EFB in my Tacoma because I have a winch. I figured a little extra robustness couldn’t hurt. It works great and I don’t have to deal with the extra charging voltage schenanigans that AGMs require.

 

[SubLGT]

The (Exide) Rural King conventional lead acid battery is $120. Do I get an extra $60 worth of benefit from an AGM?

The AGM will have a higher rate of charge acceptance, higher CCA, and will not leak acid at the battery posts. The flooded battery will have higher heat tolerance than the AGM.

 

[4WD]

The AGM will have a higher rate of charge acceptance, higher CCA, and will not leak acid at the battery posts. The flooded battery will have higher heat tolerance than the AGM.

Sometimes a longer warranty …

 

[SubLGT]

.......since this vehicle is used exclusively for driving a long way from home to remote areas it’s the one with the greatest potential to cause a big PITA if it won’t start......

do you bring a jump starter with you on these long trips?

 

[proveitwithdata]

interesting why nissan specd efb for this platform with no start stop. Does the vehicle have a higher then normal sleep state draw? Or they had these in bulk so why not.

 

[Elkins45]

interesting why nissan specd efb for this platform with no start stop. Does the vehicle have a higher then normal sleep state draw? Or they had these in bulk so why not.

It can’t have much of one, or it’s a really good battery, because this truck often sits for a month or more without being started.

 

[Elkins45]

do you bring a jump starter with you on these long trips?

I usually am pulling my boat, which means I could use my trolling motor battery with jumper cables.

 

[Carmudgeon]

The (Exide) Rural King conventional lead acid battery is $120. Do I get an extra $60 worth of benefit from an AGM?

You'll have to consider your use case, and the vehicle's needs to reach that conclusion.

Even though the Nissan doesn't have stop/start, it could have higher idle current consumption, or its intended duty cycles might call for a more robust battery that can handle repeated heavy draws.

The engineers must have had their reasons to spec an EFB battery as OE, over a cheaper normal flooded battery.

Would you regret not spending that $60 if, on one of your long trips to the wilderness, you found the regular battery you substituted didn't hold up?

 

[bullwinkle]

Think I would spring for a good sized lithium-ion jump starter, bring it along & keep it charged, and keep using the battery I had until it starts testing bad! If you’re lucky, maybe EFB batteries will become more common. I sure wouldn’t replace it with Exide ANYTHING!

 

[proveitwithdata]

id ask on a titan platform forum to see what they have been using. Most car groups seem to crowdsourced best parts and practices online.

edit titan talk has folks dumping agms into the vehicle, and efbs. You can roll with any battery in these vehicles it seems, i would not get too hung up on the type of battery walmarts vendor specifies

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Modern vehicles are more demanding on batteries not just start/stop.. big screens fancy tech heated this heated that cameras radar equipment you name it. How about the motor to move one of those big panoramic glass roofs.

 

[Elkins45]

Modern vehicles are more demanding on batteries not just start/stop.. big screens fancy tech heated this heated that cameras radar equipment you name it. How about the motor to move one of those big panoramic glass roofs.

My truck doesn’t have any of that stuff.

 

[Snuckster]

I bet it's due to Nissans "smart" alternator implementation which is not exactly an ideal use case for a traditional flooded battery. EFB are a cost savings at the macro level for a automaker compared to an AGM but that's it. just a half measure to shave another $15-20 per unit when an AGM is better suited.

oh and an easy way of getting around the "smart" charging on Nissans is to just turn the headlights on or run the AC. Disconnecting the sensor puts it at a flat 13.8v which isn't enough either.

I use a 20w solar panel suction cupped to inside the windshield connected to the constant on 12v receptacle in my truck when I know it's going to sit for awhile. Keeps the battery topped off even here in the winter with only a few hours of direct sunlight. Checked it this morning after sitting in 40f overnight and it read 12.9v in the dark.