I am about to put my vette away for winter. It will be stored in our garage and I will be able to start and drive it around the block once a week or so. Do I still need to put a battery tender on it?

 

A battery tender will extend the life of a battery by at least 2x if used all the time. It eliminates the cycle down and up which isn't good for the plates in the battery.

 

Even disconnected, lead acid batteries self discharge and driving it around the block won't charge it up very much. Buy a battery tender and save yourself from buying a battery in the Spring becaue dead batteries that sit very long become sulphated and are only good for holding doors open!!!!

 

my battery tenders are on the vettes year round. no problems with the batterys, and they last alot longer than three years.

 

I use mine 365 Days a year.


Matt383

 

I Have A Battery Tender Jr, It's Hooked Up All The Time, And Haven't Had Dead Battery Years.

I Also Have Another One On My Generator, And They Prolong The Life Of Your Battery. It Works!

 

For those of you that own the early C4s (84-91s) and find the alternator failing or just getting hot all the time, your battery was probably low and the alt was working real hard to charge it. A battery tender will help that situation.

 

Wish I would have bought my Battery Tender years ago.
Mark

 

www.harborfreight.com

AUTOMATIC BATTERY FLOAT CHARGER


Skip the aggravation of a jump-start by keeping your vehicle's battery fully charged. Use on 12V batteries while in storage or during cold weather. The floating circuit maintains a full charge without overcharging. Includes automatic safety shut off.
Leads: 10 ft. overall length



ITEM 42292-1VGA


$7.49

 

Is this a good one? ANyone recommend any others?

 

Just make sure its an automatic trickle charger
Trust me on this

 

I use the Battery Tender Plus and it works great! I've had for a little over a year now and it keeps the battery charged and keeps the alternator from working overtime after the car sits. Its well worth the $50.

 

Battery Tender Plus from Deltran. My current battery is going on 7 years old and has been on it's Battery Tender for 5 of that 7 years. They DEFINITELY extend the battery life. I used to replace batteries every 3 years or so. These guys seem to have the best price:
http://www.mawonline.com/BATTERY2.HT...nder(r)%20plus
$38'ish

Mick
Tucson

 

BATTERY TENDER(R) PLUS
battery tender(r) plus ...
Constantly monitors the battery without the damaging effects of trickle chargers; a trickle charger will eventually boil dry or overcharge a battery Battery Tender Plus` voltage output compensates for temperature changes, providing additional protection Initial charge brings battery to full charge at approximately 14.2V After full charge is reached, converts to float charger and monitors battery at 13.2V Although a constant charge is being applied to the battery, there is little or no current (approx. 10mA) Periodic maintenance is recommended, but Battery Tender can monitor a battery for years without the fear of boiling or destroying the battery Optional pouch for safe and easy storage or transportation 12V Battery Tender Plus has fused quick-disconnect rings with a weather cover

Order #.................... Price...... Description......

0210128 $ 37.95 BATTERY TENDER PLUS

That is a great price!!
Mark

 

I installed a battery tender in the lower section of the battery box. I plug it in every night. Works great. My 2 motorcycles are also on tenders starting in the fall. No fuss, no muss!!!! DO IT!

 

I just bought one of these a couple of weeks ago from Sears for $29.95. It plugs into the cigarette lighter so you don't even have to raise the hood.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ery+maintainer

 

Thanks, just ordered one!

 

I use the BatteryMinder made by VDC electronics. I have model number 12112; it has been replaced by model 12117 (same thing, just a slight update). Paid $30+shipping (for a new one on that auction site). Do a web search and you'll find various vendors selling these.

I have two of them: one for a 1987 Iroc-Z 5.7L with an Optima Redtop battery and the other for a 1988 C4 Vert with a Duralast Gold battery. If you do not drive your car daily, these maintenance charger WILL save and extend the life of your battery. Before I started using these, I found out the hard way when the first Optima battery in the Iroc died after 2 years; I used to do the "disconnect" maneuver to try to preserve the battery but that did not work in the long run (good thing that Optima made good on the replacement warranty but it was a pain to be stranded at the exit of our development when the battery died).

The BatteryMinder is a "smart" charger that automatically switch in/out of trickle mode. In trickle mode, it also has a maintenance feature that pulses the charging signal to prevent "sulphation" of the battery (basically, what kills most batteries).

Bottomline, it works. Unless your car is a daily driver, do yourself a favor and use a maintenance charger. It will pay for itself. Your car will never have a dead battery when you go in the garage to start it up.

There are several brands out there; I'm sure they all do a decent job. My only experience is with BatteryMinder and I can safely recommend it to anyone based on my own experience of using two of these.

 

I bought the Snap On one and I am pretty sure it is made by Solar. Don't buy the cheapest thing you can find.

 

Anyone have experience with prioritystart?