Trickle charge for 360. When to start? | FerrariChat

Trickle charge for 360. When to start?

Discussion in '360/430' started by drcripp, Dec 2, 2016.

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  1. drcripp

    drcripp Karting

    Nov 1, 2016
    123
    Pittsburgh
    Full Name:
    David Crippen
    The battery in my 360 was looked at by tech and said to be 100%. How long does a 360 sit in the garage (especially in winter) between drives before the trickle charger needs to be attached?
     
  2. Drestless

    Drestless Formula 3

    Oct 1, 2014
    1,251
    Riverside, CA
    Full Name:
    Jam
    Just attach them as soon as you park. It will not hurt and will just benefit in the long run.
     
  3. Turbotuner20v

    Turbotuner20v Formula Junior

    Mar 18, 2014
    362
    I recently started using the trickle charger every time I park in the garage. My battery was sluggish one day and didn't want to risk a dead battery/non-start.
     
  4. Bdel

    Bdel Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    358
    Hollis, NH
    Full Name:
    Bruce
    Many people claim many different amounts of time before dead battery. In my case, during the winter,every 4 weeks I hook up the charger until fully charged. i have been doing this for many winters and never had a battery problem. Other peoples cars may be different.
     
  5. Lotaz

    Lotaz Formula 3

    Nov 18, 2016
    1,537
    Las Vegas
    Full Name:
    Scott
    Anytime my car is going to sit for a week or more I hook it up to a battery tender. It maintains the battery and won't cause any harm. I have used this method for years as I travel a lot. When I lived in Colorado my cars stayed on a battery tender from the time the car went into winter storage to the time they came out with no issues.
     
  6. I'm 360 Canuck

    I'm 360 Canuck Formula 3

    Nov 21, 2015
    1,911
    Ontario, The Real One in Canada
    Full Name:
    Lars!
    I do something similar. That way, I can use the same trickle charger for the batteries of several vehicles that I need to maintain over the winter.
    I'm not going to buy separate chargers for the 360, the boat, the Waverunner, the atv, and the lawn tractor.
     
  7. HIO Silver

    HIO Silver Formula Junior

    Mar 12, 2016
    497
    Northern California
    Full Name:
    Alonso C.
    Any time it's tucked away in the garage it is hooked up to the CTEK.... it's my weekend car.. sometimes Fridays.
     
  8. RedTaxi

    RedTaxi F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 1, 2012
    3,339
    New Zealand
    Full Name:
    Glen
    CTEK tender can be left attached at all times. I would not do that with a trickle charger though as it will keep charging. When I relied on a trickle charger, for each week the car sat, I would attach the charger for 24 hrs. That always worked for me.
     
  9. Jeff Pintler

    Jeff Pintler Formula Junior

    Jul 20, 2005
    537
    Richland
    Full Name:
    Jeff Pintler
    I charge mine about every 4 wks. Ctek makes an eight foot pigtail that I run out the window. that way I don't have to open the door (which wakes up all the computers) to connect the charger. And I can leave the car cover on. and remember to keep the front trunk closed and latched also so the computers will go to sleep. FWIW


    Jeff Pintler
    89 348, 86tr, 99 360 3-pedal, 05 S-160 Bobcat
     
  10. chnco

    chnco Formula Junior

    Dec 20, 2014
    464
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Allen C
    Anytime I know the car is going to sit for more than a week, I will connect, which is basically every time!

    I have tried to test how long before it seems "sluggish" and I usually can still start the car after 2.5 weeks but wouldn't risk anything further
     
  11. ICULUKN

    ICULUKN Formula Junior

    Apr 11, 2007
    548
    Ahwatukee AZ
    Full Name:
    G.P.
    I hook my 430 up whenever its in the garage.
     
  12. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,678
    Silicon Valley
    The time varies by car. Also, depends on what type of battery you have. As others noted, just hook up CTEK tender or equivalent each time you leave car (unless you drive it everyday).
     
  13. rmani

    rmani F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2003
    7,334
    NJ
    Full Name:
    RMani
    this
     
  14. SCEye

    SCEye F1 Rookie

    Aug 28, 2009
    2,950
    Norcal - Peninsula
    I've read that a car battery ran down too low on charge will not fully charge. better to keep it charged.
     
  15. bisel

    bisel Formula 3
    BANNED

    Sep 12, 2012
    1,138
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Full Name:
    Steve Bisel
    #15 bisel, Dec 4, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
    A car will put a continuous load of about 20mA or so with the ignition off. This small but insidious drain will, over time, deplete your battery. But you already knew that. In addition, the battery will deplete itself at the rate of about 3% of its capacity per month, if it is just sitting there. Now, if a battery discharges to about 85% to 80% of its capacity before being recharged, it can likely lose some of its full capacity. So, how long can you leave things without putting it on a tender? That depends on the battery capacity, the unattended current draw, etc. because of these variables, many cars come with battery tenders and it is common advice to put them on a tender if you do not drive them frequently. In my case, I put it on a tender if it is going to sit for than a week.

    I wrote a paper on this topic and posted it here ...
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/507220-parasitic-current-draw-batteries-battery-tenders.html

    Regards,

    Steve
     

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