For someone with just one battery (not a dual battery setup) is there a real world benefit of having an AGM battery fully charged beyond what the vehicle's charging system can charge it to?
As I understand it, most vehicles' stock alternator / charging systems can't completely charge an AGM battery... they will only bring it to a certain state of charge. To charge it to 100% capacity, one needs to use an aftermarket battery charger that is sophisticated enough to do so.
Imagine this hypothetical situation. You have charged your AGM battery to its full capacity. You head out for a day trip (or overnight, or weekend) of wheeling and exploring. You drive an hour or two to get there, using your headlights, stereo and HVAC. You air down your tires, then spend hours driving around having a great time, still using electrical accessories, maybe even using your winch. When you're done and it's time to go home, you air back up (using your electrical compressor) and drive an hour or two back home.
Wouldn't your battery now, or more importantly, at some point during this trip, be back to where it was had you not used the charger at all... at the state of charge you'd get from your vehicle charging system alone? Or does the battery somehow hold on to the higher state of charge through all that electrical draw?
As I understand it, most vehicles' stock alternator / charging systems can't completely charge an AGM battery... they will only bring it to a certain state of charge. To charge it to 100% capacity, one needs to use an aftermarket battery charger that is sophisticated enough to do so.
Imagine this hypothetical situation. You have charged your AGM battery to its full capacity. You head out for a day trip (or overnight, or weekend) of wheeling and exploring. You drive an hour or two to get there, using your headlights, stereo and HVAC. You air down your tires, then spend hours driving around having a great time, still using electrical accessories, maybe even using your winch. When you're done and it's time to go home, you air back up (using your electrical compressor) and drive an hour or two back home.
Wouldn't your battery now, or more importantly, at some point during this trip, be back to where it was had you not used the charger at all... at the state of charge you'd get from your vehicle charging system alone? Or does the battery somehow hold on to the higher state of charge through all that electrical draw?