430 - When to use a battery tender? | FerrariChat

430 When to use a battery tender?

Discussion in '360/430' started by azzurribaggio, Jun 14, 2019.

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  1. azzurribaggio

    azzurribaggio Formula Junior

    New owner here guys, when should one hook up a battery tender? My car currently does have one, does one hook up tender if the car won't be driven for like two weeks? OR do I need to hook one up all the time?

    Thanks
     
  2. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,561
    Central NJ
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    Dominick
    It is good practice and to keep your battery in top condition to basically come back from a drive and hook up to tender

    Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
     
    LP360, Tamahal, vinny84 and 3 others like this.
  3. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    You will get to know how long it takes for the battery to go down, cars in the US dont have trackers so less drain on the battery. Some people have tenders on all the time, mine is connected via a timer and comes on every 2 days. Just experiment till you get it right
     
    whatheheck likes this.
  4. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Dec 7, 2003
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    C9H8O4
    If it's an actual battery tender and not a dumb type trickle charger, leave it plugged in all the time. It'll only supply juice when the battery needs it and won't overcharge it. It's simple insurance vs the royal PITA of jumping or charging a flat battery.
     
    Walt Gamble and E60 M5 like this.
  5. E60 M5

    E60 M5 Moderator
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    Jan 2, 2006
    8,061
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    Robert
    As others have said, plug it in every time the car is parked at home, not in use.
     
  6. BlacktopRacing

    BlacktopRacing Formula Junior

    Sep 18, 2016
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    Pittsburgh
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    Dale
    I normally start and/or drive my F430 every weekend, so I've only been hooking my battery tender up if I won't be able to one weekend. That said, I like mike32's timer idea, although I'm thinking 12 hours every day.
     
  7. ShadowLAP

    ShadowLAP Formula Junior

    May 15, 2017
    544
    SW Suburbs of Chicago, IL
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    Lawrence P.
    I keep my 360 Spider on the battery maintainer when not driving it. Since I have maintainers for all of my 'toy' cars, why not use them and get the benefit and piece of mind.
     
  8. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    You don't need a timer or anything. Get a tender that monitors your battery and only charges when it needs to. Plug it in and forget about it until you go for a drive.
     
  9. azzurribaggio

    azzurribaggio Formula Junior

    Ok with that said anyone have any recommendations for a good battery tender?
    I was looking at this one on Amazon: CTEK
    4.7 out of 5 stars 558 Reviews
    CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using FerrariChat.com mobile app
     
  10. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,561
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    Dominick
    I have used the Ctek 40-206 mxs 5.0 and the granite digital (save a battery)

    Both served well

    Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
     
  11. Dicecal

    Dicecal Formula 3
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    Nov 15, 2015
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    Phoenix, AZ
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    Rob
    CTEKs are good, thats what I use. I have the CTEK plugged in whenever parked in the garage regardless of how much I drive it. These cars are very finicky with low voltages and electrical problems. For some reason, F cars have high electrical parasitic draw. Take a look at the 488 thread on parasitic draw... something Ferrari does not do well!
     
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  12. Kevin Rev'n

    Kevin Rev'n Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2009
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    I am a fan of these guys. I am using the 12 Watt version now but have used the 50 Watt also. It looks nice in the garage with a wall mount and puts out a nice blue hue.

    https://www.batterysaver.com/
     
  13. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Yes and no to that- leaving a tender on for weeks is fine but does it give the battery a decent charge now and again or just float charge it- i use the timer so the battery discharges a good bit, then it gets a good few amps for a while. Trickle charging a battery for weeks just sulphates the plates, hence i lean towards the timer. We all have different opinions
     
  14. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    If i remember correct a 430 should be about 30mA in the uk, bearing mind we have trackers fitted
     
  15. vinny84

    vinny84 Formula Junior

    Nov 20, 2008
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    Vince
  16. Continental AutoSports

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    Aug 22, 2006
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    Bobby Williams / Parts Manager
    +1 to this. Full disclosure: we sell these at our dealership BUT we swear by them.
     
  17. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Overcharging sulfates the battery depending on how much juice you pump into it. Battery tenders...good ones...do not overcharge because they stop charging when the battery is topped off. Trickle charging is not the same thing as a battery tender.

    Even a simple $25 battery tender by Battery Tender won't cook your battery. If you don't believe me, measure how much juice it's sucking out of the wall when the light is red. The one on my truck is pulling a whopping quarter amp out of the wall in charging mode. Take a guess at how much juice it is using while it is not charging. At this rate, it will sulfate the battery at about the same time Sol stops glowing in a visible manner.

    P.S. Have you rotated your cam belts lately?
     
  18. shad99

    shad99 Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2013
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    Japatul Valley, CA
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    Andy
    +2 on Granite. I bought one three years ago based on recommendation of Brian Crall after my CTEK died. Very happy.

    Another reason to keep your battery on a tender is to avoid repeated charging with the car's alternator through the associated wire harness, which appears to have inadequate ampacity. A number of posts on this problem.
     
  19. BlacktopRacing

    BlacktopRacing Formula Junior

    Sep 18, 2016
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    Dale
    #19 BlacktopRacing, Jun 14, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2019
    I already have one... it's the actual Battery Tender brand by Deltran. It's just a little inconvenient having to disconnect and reconnect it every time I drive the car.
     
  20. I'm 360 Canuck

    I'm 360 Canuck Formula 3

    Nov 21, 2015
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    Lars!
    Noco Genius

    And more importantly, a good AGM battery like Odyssey. Made the biggest difference for me.
     
  21. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
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    Aug 22, 2002
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    i dont use tenders on my 430s anymore - just turn the battery off with the knob. tender is pointless. no fancy ECUs in that generation.
     
  22. whatheheck

    whatheheck F1 Rookie
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    Mar 27, 2006
    4,138
    Seattle, Wa
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    Dan L.
    As others have said, its best to have a fully charged battery all the time as these cars are sensitive to voltage fluctuations.

    If you drive your car every weekend you wont need to hook it up to a tender.

    I've experimented. I go on a trip for 3 weeks, come back and my F430 starts right up.

    But like I said above a fully charged battery is always the best way to go.

    I too use the NOCO Genius. Works fantastic.

    Dan
     
    I'm 360 Canuck likes this.
  23. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Who is saying a tender will cook a battery ? Not me for sure and if you think a 430 has cam belts, you need new glasses mate
     
  24. I'm 360 Canuck

    I'm 360 Canuck Formula 3

    Nov 21, 2015
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    Lars!
    Yup, I learned how sensitive they are last month in my thread about my 360. What looked like a repair of $1000’s, and time in the shop, seems to have been cleared with a new battery. Although I was good about keeping it on a tender, the tender was covering up a weak but not dead, battery.
    I’ve had a lot of cars, never seen one so greatly and weirdly affected by battery power as this.
    I’m too thrifty to have listened to others on here who replace their batts regularly every 3 years or so...but after this, I can see where they are coming from.
     

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