Battery maintainer?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: BGM NY
Battery maintainer?
I drive my C4 about 3-5 times per month
. I just installed a new Interstate
battery Friday. I put the battery maintainer on everyday. Is this ok or should I just use the maintainer during winter storage? Thanks
. I just installed a new Interstate battery Friday. I put the battery maintainer on everyday. Is this ok or should I just use the maintainer during winter storage? Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,356
Likes: 2
From: No HOA, New Hampshire
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
It wouldn't hurt but is not necessary. My 17 year old Blazer gets driven maybe once a month and it starts right up. A tender is a good idea for long term storage.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,604
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, Arizona
I have it (Battery Tender Plus) permanently wired in (rather than using the alligator clips) and use the weatherproof plug. When I get home w/ the car, I just plug it in and it sits fully charged until the next time I drive it. No dead battery worries for me.
Highly recommended.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 53,804
Likes: 5,634
From: Plantation Florida USAF(Retired) 1966-1990
U.S. Air Force
St. Jude Donor '05 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,212
Likes: 10
From: Sun City West Az
Same here.
I have it (Battery Tender Plus) permanently wired in (rather than using the alligator clips) and use the weatherproof plug. When I get home w/ the car, I just plug it in and it sits fully charged until the next time I drive it. No dead battery worries for me.
Highly recommended.
I have it (Battery Tender Plus) permanently wired in (rather than using the alligator clips) and use the weatherproof plug. When I get home w/ the car, I just plug it in and it sits fully charged until the next time I drive it. No dead battery worries for me.
Highly recommended.
I've done the same thing to mine and works great.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 626
Likes: 2
From: Coquitlam British Columbia
Same here.
I have it (Battery Tender Plus) permanently wired in (rather than using the alligator clips) and use the weatherproof plug. When I get home w/ the car, I just plug it in and it sits fully charged until the next time I drive it. No dead battery worries for me.
Highly recommended.
I have it (Battery Tender Plus) permanently wired in (rather than using the alligator clips) and use the weatherproof plug. When I get home w/ the car, I just plug it in and it sits fully charged until the next time I drive it. No dead battery worries for me.
Highly recommended.
I do the same..have done this on my present Vette and my last car; I would buy a new battery every 7-8 years..not that they were bad but was more of preventive medicine.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Every Spring we get a bunch of posts about dead batteries on stored vettes over the winter. Car batteries do not like sitting idle even disconnected, they form lead sulphate on their plates and fully sulphated, you have a dead battery that cannot be charged up. If your car sits for longer than 4 weeks at a time, get a battery tender (commericial name of a battery maintainer) and use it. Battery maintainers charge the battery when it detects a 10% drop in capacity and then turn off. This prevents sulphating. If you use a maintainer, you will experience long battery life!
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,791
Likes: 3
From: Maine
When my car goes into winter storage I just remove the battery and hook it up to a Deltran Plus battery tender. My 1996 still has the original battery the car came with when new. If you remove the battery for storage purposes, buy 2 GM battery bolts from the dealership or an auto parts store and screw them into the battery terminals when the battery is out so you can easily attach the battery tender aligator clips. Then you will not need to remove the bolts in the battery cables.
C3 Corvette Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 3
Either you're very lucky or I'm doing something wrong.
I use a Black & Decker battery maintainer. I plug mine in via the cigar lighter. I use separate units for the Vette and the Mustang during the winter.
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
I use a battery maintainer on my 87 all the time if the car sits more than a week it goes dead, seems to be common on the C4
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,376
Likes: 111
From: Cherokee National Forest TN
Battery life depends on geography. The ideal temperature for a battery is 40 degrees. Those that live in the northern regions will get twice the life out of a battery than those that live in the southern regions.