What is the best Battery Maintainer out there right now?

What do you guys use (the ones that do) on your car when stored for the winter?

Thanks,

Sean

 

I use a Battery Tender and love it. I use it on my car and bike and never have any problems. About $50

 

I don't think you can really go wrong with any. As far as technology goes, they're very simple devices. Some have frills and others don't. I have one that I bought for my BMW motorcycle a few years back and it seems to work well on my stang too. It has a nice feature on it that lets you know when the battery is at least 80% charged and fully charged via a blinking green light or a steady light.

 

Any "smart" battery maintainer will be good. Mine is the Ctek. The battery's nice and fresh in the spring.

 

/bump

I started looking at battery maintainers, and got overwhelmed by all the options available.

What exactly do I need to look for in relation to my 'Stang?

And... how do you use it?? Hook it up, turn it on, walk away for 4 months, then come back to a fresh battery, or is there more to it?

 

I have been using Battery Tender on both of my cars since Dad got me two for both my cars for Christmas last year. Just hook it up to the battery posts/ plug it into an outlet/and forget about it until a nice winter day and then put some miles on your car. It will not overcharge your battery. Dad has used Battery Tender on all his cars for several years now durning the winter months with no complaints. Just dont trip over the cord when your are polishing your car durning the winter.

 

I feel that Battery Tender is a bit over-rated and over-valued. There are similar models available off the shelf at many stores that offer better features. A 0.75A limit is pretty restrictive. I bought a Black and Decker that offers up to 2A charging and is a smart maintainer. I noticed Duracell, Craftsman, and many other manufacturers sell similar devices for $10-$20 less than a Battery Tender.

As long as the maintainer can shut-off and adjust its charging based on battery condition, and is designed/intended to be used 24/7 for 365 days a year (install and forget), it will work great for the Stang.

 

http://griotsgarage.com/product/car+...manager+iii.do

I bought this one. It is quite a bit more expensive. I bought it because:

1. it is a smart charger

2. it has a magnetic base and fits safely in the engine compartment out of harms way. The cord is the only thing exposed.

3. The body is made of plastic with no sharp edges to potentially scratch the paint in my engine bay

I just put it on the shock tower and dropped the cord down to the floor. reached under and plugged it into an extension cord. Have not had to worry about it since. I did use the rings instead of the clips for a more secure install. I'll prob remove those each spring and reinstall each winter.

 

All I do is disconnect the battery. As long as it's fully charged when disconnected it will be good in the spring.

 

I use this one and a great price.

http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...roductID=15572

 

I have this one and it works great

 

I bought the first one, my buddy bought the solar one. The AC one works awsome so far... and for 5 bucks, its the only way to go. Save some cash and buy some performance parts. You don't need expensive high tech gadgets to keep a battery maintained.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42292

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44768

 

The best ones to get are solid state units that can charge at 2A or more as needed without any mechanical components to wear out (relays, etc...), and are capable of fast charging, float charging, and trickle charging all in one package.

 

Cocheese;
I would suspect the Charger you are using will only maintain the Battery at a
Float Level, This would be OK if you were maintaining the Battery disconnected from the Car.
It will not charge the Battery if it is discharged,
Example: Alarm going off, Shaker 500 becomes alive on it's own, Etc.
These Vehicles are Famous for the Above and More.

This may be a False Economy

I am using a Cheap (?) Black & Decker Automatic Battery Maintainer this year with really good results. (13.08 volts, rock solid)

The last two Winters I used A 2-Watt Solar Panel with mixed Results, last winter the Alarms
fired and drained the Battery. The Solar Panel didn't have the Juice to bring the Battery back to a Full Charge.
Had to use Manual Charger (Big Unit) to restore the Battery. Not a Good Thing for Battery Life.

I hibernate my Mustang For 6 Months of the Year.

 

k3druid, Thanks for the heads up on the battery info. So far it is maintaining great after 2 months with the battery is still connected to the vehicle. Hopefully it will work out for me.

By the way.. This really sucks seeing these cars sitting there, just waiting to be driven. How much loner till spring?

 

Unfortunately, all we can do right now is discuss how to keep em fresh for spring. We are expecting single digit temps by this weekend here in Indiana.

 

I just bought a CTEK 3300, worked like a champ.

 

"This really sucks seeing these cars sitting there, just waiting to be driven. How much loner till spring?"

Temp today was a really not bad, -15 deg C. with a 30 km wind.

My Spring (or when the roads reappear in decent shape) will probably be in April.






BTW, The last two lines on my Sig were items bought
last Winter waiting for Spring

 

So sad you can't have a daily driver. I personally think that is the way to truly enjoy this car. Looking at it is nice, yes. Driving it 5 months a year 2 times a week is nice, yes. But driving it 5-6 times a week for 40-50 miles a day year round is true heaven.

Just rubbing it in my friend.

 

+1