Battery tender | FerrariChat

Battery tender

Discussion in '360/430' started by Rostami6, Sep 9, 2014.

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  1. Rostami6

    Rostami6 Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 24, 2013
    530
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Amir
    Hello everyone?
    I need to get a battery tender and I know most people recommend the ctek. Is there a particular model that would work best on both 430 and a Testarossa. I am normally very good at driving my car on a regular basis. However I have a feeling I won't be putting as many miles on the F430 with the arrival of the new TR. I also have an incoming 308 in a couple of weeks, so the 430 may not get a whole lot of use in the near future. Any recommendation on a particular one that can work on all three? or should I just get one for each one?
    Thanks
     
  2. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 22, 2002
    18,772
  3. howl

    howl Formula Junior

    Apr 10, 2011
    505
    Chicago/Boca
    Full Name:
    Tom
    I have both multi 4.3 and 3300 by ctek. Both are good. They are not that expensive. I have one for each of my cars.
     
  4. Tally Ho

    Tally Ho Formula Junior

    Jul 4, 2007
    719
    Niceville, FL
    Full Name:
    Bill
    Another vote for the 4.3.
     
  5. yronZFF

    yronZFF Formula Junior
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Dec 21, 2009
    749
    FIVE-O
    Full Name:
    Ron
    I have the same ctek 3300 that I've been using for about 5 years ... 2 years on my former 355, and now 3 years for my 430. It's always been connected all the time and both cars have always started right up.

    I would get either a 3300 or 4.3 for each of your cars.
     
  6. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,645
    Silicon Valley
    CTEK 7002. It can handle AGM batteries. Lesser models can lead to AGM battery failure. If you have a 360 or 430, which mounts the battery in the passenger compartment, consider an AGM battery. Can't leak.
     
  7. F456 V12

    F456 V12 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 13, 2004
    4,730
    Coto de Caza
    Full Name:
    Christian
    I used a Deltran Tender Plus, rock solid, cheap enough to use one per car. My Mclaren came with a CTEK, seems to do much better than the Ferrari OEM, but 325 per unit, save the money and get a Deltran unit.

    MB
     
  8. Graz

    Graz Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2012
    2,289
    New Jersey and Florida
    Full Name:
    Graziano
    +1
     
  9. handdoc

    handdoc Karting

    Apr 3, 2014
    154
    ctek 4.3, get one for each car, about $60 shipped on ebay each
    ctek is what ferrari uses
     
  10. English Rebel

    English Rebel Formula 3

    Aug 13, 2013
    2,158
    Piedmont Area of NC
    Full Name:
    Alan
    I concur. Wonder if you can get the mating connector so that you can hook it up to the factory connector on the 430. CTEK should be able to supply it because as handdoc said they make the one for Ferrari. You may want to get the CTEK comfort pigtails and hook one up to each car. It has lights on it to let you know when to hook up the tender -- that way you only need one tender. Just a thought.
    Alan

    Accessories - CTEK Battery Chargers
     
  11. Rostami6

    Rostami6 Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 24, 2013
    530
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Amir
    Thank you guys, All very helpful.
     
  12. Bob in Texas

    Bob in Texas F1 Rookie

    Apr 23, 2012
    2,665
    Just East of Weird
    Full Name:
    Bob
    You can never have too many F-cars, Amir!
     
  13. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    These are the best I have ever used.

    I used to use a number of others and settled on the Deltran for a while but had a few of those fail too.

    I buy, use, install and sell a LOT of tenders. Never used one as good or reliable.






    Granite Digital - Save A Battery

    I use the 9999
     
  14. Rostami6

    Rostami6 Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 24, 2013
    530
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Amir
    This^^ :)
     
  15. marky1

    marky1 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2004
    1,119
    Full Name:
    Mark
    My Scuderia came with the 3300. It's not up to the job, hardly ever fully charged the battery. I bought the CTEK MXS 7.0 (US model is US7002) and works perfect now. Has a setting for gel batteries too.
     
  16. jimmym

    jimmym Formula 3

    Sep 30, 2008
    1,967
    Northeast U.S.
    Full Name:
    Jim
    +1. I have used Deltran the Tender Plus as well as the jr for years without a problem.
    Batterymart sells the jr for ~$23. The Plus is more, but still very reasonable.

    Battery Tender Plus 12 Volt 1.25 Amp Battery Charger: BatteryMart.com
     
  17. rbellezza

    rbellezza F1 Rookie

    Jun 18, 2008
    2,792
    Henderson, NV
    Full Name:
    Roberto Bellezza
    I have a CTEK 4.3 and i am fully satisfied. Highly recommend it ...
     
  18. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    I own close to a dozen various brands of battery tenders, including a Granite....I have not found a significant performance difference in spite of claims of desulfation modes, and multiple charging steps...they seem to all do the job adequately, from a $20 Schumacher, to the ones that cost $150 or more. I say get whatever floats your boat and makes you feel better. Though you might heed Rifledriver's advice, since he obviously sees and uses way more of these than the rest of us...



    When it comes to battery replacement, I have found absorbed glass mat (AGM) designs do seem to last longer. I like the East Penn and Sears Platinum brands...
     
  19. BigJay2050

    BigJay2050 F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2014
    7,144
    I use the same exact unit; and I tweaked one of the extension cables for it so I could plug into the factory charging port with some help from a thread I found here -- works like a champ.
     
  20. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren


    Yeah, they don't seem to sell the Ferrari pigtail - probably some silly licensing thing.

    Anyway, I have just (yesterday) parted with my Murcielago and gotten a 599. This means I need to build myself another CTEK to Ferrari cable. I could probably build some extras if folk are interested, but they would probably be somewhat pricey ( ~$89) because of the cost of connectors, time, etc. If enough folk are interested I'll look into doing this.

    Instructions on making your own:
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347563
     
  21. Falcon Wing

    Falcon Wing Formula 3

    Aug 4, 2010
    1,294
    Colorado Springs
    #21 Falcon Wing, Sep 13, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  22. BigJay2050

    BigJay2050 F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2014
    7,144
    I actually used your thread to make mine for the Granite Digital. Thanks for the detail! :D

    Also, the Granite Digital that RifleDriver mentioned includes the Wall Mount bracket.

    Amazon carries them too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MUHIIW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008MUHIIW&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwmicr02-20&linkId=SOG2QFR2V4LZPFT5
     
  23. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    You are most welcome! Glad it helped.
     
  24. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    #24 wkumari, Oct 3, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    And I ended up making another for for my 599GTB. The pinout is the same as for the F430, but (obviously enough) the indication that it is plugged in is different.

    Picture of the icon on the dash
    [​IMG]

    The cable
    [​IMG]

    And plugged into the charger port in the trunk
    [​IMG]
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