Anyone Using a Priority Start and Battery Tender?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Anyone Using a Priority Start and Battery Tender?
The reason I ask is because the Priority Start is only good for about 4 weeks I am told.
I have the Priority Start installed on my C6 and will be putting the car away for the winter. I have a Battery Tender Plus which I used with my C5.
Since the C6 will be in storage can the Battery Tender be used with the Priority Start in place, or should the Priority Start be removed first?
I am thinking of hooking the Battery Tender cables to the positive and negative posts of the battery.
I have the Priority Start installed on my C6 and will be putting the car away for the winter. I have a Battery Tender Plus which I used with my C5.
Since the C6 will be in storage can the Battery Tender be used with the Priority Start in place, or should the Priority Start be removed first?
I am thinking of hooking the Battery Tender cables to the positive and negative posts of the battery.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by AceVentura
Going to use both but no time yet to install. PS folks suggested that I disable it when the charger is connected. Please call them and see what they say to you.
J
J
I just went ahead and hooked it to the positive and negative posts of the battery. Left the Priority Start on but unplugged the negative wire of the priority start. Instructions say that this is the way to "disconnect" the Priority Start. The Battery Tender red charging light is on now.
I spoke with the guy at Battery Mart before I purchased my Priority Start. He told me how to hook up the Battery Tender with it in place but was vague as to if the positive cable from the Battery should go directly to the battery or to the Priority Start.
I can't see any good reason for running the positive cable of the Battery Tender to the Priority Start as opposed to the battery itself.
Last edited by '06 Quicksilver Z06; Nov 24, 2005 at 11:45 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 7,289
Likes: 445
From: Texas Where God intended me to be.
2023 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Winner - Unmodified
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08 thru '11,'22 thru '26
I just want to know What the heck are you talking about. Is this because you are parking your car for the winters to protect the electrical system. 
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by Burnt C6
I just want to know What the heck are you talking about. Is this because you are parking your car for the winters to protect the electrical system.
The Priority Start is added insurance against potential DBS when the car is actually in use. The Battery Tender Plus is a common item among us cold weather Vette owners to use during the months when the car will be put away for the winter.
Hope this helps.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,179
Likes: 97
From: Palm Coast, FL
Just be safe, disconnect the Priority Start completely and hook up the Battery Tender, with the negative cable to a bolt coming up from the frame and you'll have your ground. I use the Battery Tender on my C6 this way whether the car sits for a week or a month or longer.
Never had DBS since!
Never had DBS since!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 7,289
Likes: 445
From: Texas Where God intended me to be.
2023 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Winner - Unmodified
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08 thru '11,'22 thru '26
Originally Posted by EB20003
Parking the car for the winter and don't want the battery to run down as a result as a result of the car going for several weeks, months even without being started.
The Priority Start is added insurance against potential DBS when the car is actually in use. The Battery Tender Plus is a common item among us cold weather Vette owners to use during the months when the car will be put away for the winter.
Hope this helps.
The Priority Start is added insurance against potential DBS when the car is actually in use. The Battery Tender Plus is a common item among us cold weather Vette owners to use during the months when the car will be put away for the winter.
Hope this helps.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,284
Likes: 3
From: Southwest Florida
I've had a Battery Tender connected with my Priority Start enabled for months. The battery tender will keep the voltage up so that the Priority Start doesn't care. Both work together fine without disconnecting.
Mike
Mike
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
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
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 458
Likes: 0
From: Arlington VA
Hooked up.
Originally Posted by mikeyc6
I've had a Battery Tender connected with my Priority Start enabled for months. The battery tender will keep the voltage up so that the Priority Start doesn't care. Both work together fine without disconnecting.
Mike
Mike
J
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 593
Likes: 1
I am confused as what people are doing with this.
If they are installing this bypass then why are they still adding a battery tender for isn't the bypass to remove the current drain from the battery to preserve it power ?
Then as to the bypass mod every time it cuts off the 12 volts then it also means almost every module in car loses its memory which also means the internal smog tests are back to non passed state, all PCM relearn to fuel trims, knock and misfire learns are lost and each time this happens everything has to relearn all over again and again and again.
If power was off for a few months then it could be worse, BCM needs resync, radio security code lost and tire pressure sensors need to be relearned.
If they are installing this bypass then why are they still adding a battery tender for isn't the bypass to remove the current drain from the battery to preserve it power ?
Then as to the bypass mod every time it cuts off the 12 volts then it also means almost every module in car loses its memory which also means the internal smog tests are back to non passed state, all PCM relearn to fuel trims, knock and misfire learns are lost and each time this happens everything has to relearn all over again and again and again.
If power was off for a few months then it could be worse, BCM needs resync, radio security code lost and tire pressure sensors need to be relearned.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by boosted_z06
I am confused as what people are doing with this.
If they are installing this bypass then why are they still adding a battery tender for isn't the bypass to remove the current drain from the battery to preserve it power ?
Then as to the bypass mod every time it cuts off the 12 volts then it also means almost every module in car loses its memory which also means the internal smog tests are back to non passed state, all PCM relearn to fuel trims, knock and misfire learns are lost and each time this happens everything has to relearn all over again and again and again.
If power was off for a few months then it could be worse, BCM needs resync, radio security code lost and tire pressure sensors need to be relearned.
If they are installing this bypass then why are they still adding a battery tender for isn't the bypass to remove the current drain from the battery to preserve it power ?
Then as to the bypass mod every time it cuts off the 12 volts then it also means almost every module in car loses its memory which also means the internal smog tests are back to non passed state, all PCM relearn to fuel trims, knock and misfire learns are lost and each time this happens everything has to relearn all over again and again and again.
If power was off for a few months then it could be worse, BCM needs resync, radio security code lost and tire pressure sensors need to be relearned.
The Priority Start is designed to prevent battery drain if you leave your lights on for instance. Or if something is coming on and causing DBS.
It is not a substitute for a Battery Tender or a trickle charger. If you just leave a battery sit for months its liable to run down.
The Priority Start is insurance against being stranded on the very, very very rare chance that one should get DBS during normal use of the car.
The Battery Tender is for keeping the battery charged over the winter.
BTW, if you have LS2 edit or HP Tuners aftermarket programming done on your car, if or when your battery runs down, or if you were to deliberately disconnect your battery, would you lose your tune?
