Advice for bi-coastal owners?

If you don"t put it on your tender 10 days could be a problem

 

I believe they have solved the battery problems with the later Italias. It was an issue in the early ones mainly 2010s. A bad fuse was the culprit.

 

Just gone 3 weeks - depends on ambient temp - was about 25C

 

I think 3 weeks is OK without the tender in the later model cars. I've left my 2012 coupe three weeks and it started with no problems. I can't use the tender because of the building I live in.

Any longer than that and I think you are running a risk.

 

I just picked up my 2013 coupe. Dealer said the new battery tender is light years ahead of the old ones, actually charges the battery if needed. If you leave it on the tender you won't have a problem otherwise two weeks would be the max without driving it.

 

My advice is to keep it on a tender if left for more than about a week. That is not to say that the car won't start if left for a couple of weeks. It will. The issue is that lead-acid batteries do not take well to repeated deep discharges. The tender will prevent deep discharge and even simulate periodic loads. Over the long term your battery will be less likely to give you an unpleasant surprise if you leave the car on the tender.

Despite what the manual says, modern tires will not flat-spot if you leave the car for a period of time, so you do not have to move it just to move the tires to a new position.

 

+1 on the tender advice.

On tires, this is generally correct. I am probably over-anal, but I check tire pressures very often, a habit I picked up from tracking/racing, and from pre-flighting race cars that sit a few weeks in between drives. While the TPMS is very sensitive, I recommend a good pressure gauge. most dealers now fill with nitrogen, but you can use air...it's fine.

For extended storage, I do pump up the pressure a bit, and put the tires on carpet tiles from Home Depot if the tires are sitting on concrete (shop) or metal (trailer).

 

Yes. It pays to check them often. I took a pretty big nail in the right rear recently but caught the leak with a routine next morning check -- it was 5 psi down. The leak was not fast enough to be picked up by the TPMS during the outing but would have gone flat in a day or two.

As for standard slow tire "leaks," different tires have different rates. I have noticed that the relatively low pressure recommendations on the 458 Michelins reduce the rate of leakage. In any event as you point out, your extended storage protocol is good practice.