Battery tender options for storage?

[Jeflon]

Sorry for beating a dead horse I've read many posts on tenders for winter storage with many options. This is my first Mustang GT I bought in August and I will be putting it in storage for the winter. Which would be the better option: 2amp, 4amp, 5amp tender? Also, for easy access, would it be wise to use a battery tender Ring Terminal Harness with a plug (when not in use)? I believe the harness has its own fuse. I'm leaning to purchase a 2amp 12v NOCO GENIUS 2D, it's an ON BOARD DIRECT MOUNT. All your input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!

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[robvas]

You can trickle it with anything. 0.5, 1 amp even

 

[Jeflon]

Great to know! Just wanted to be sure with all the electronics this battery has to feed when in storage. Thank you robvas!

 

[Jeflon]

Would this, 2amp 12v NOCO GENIUS 2D tender be a good option to purchase?

 

[robvas]

Would this, 2amp 12v NOCO GENIUS 2D tender be a good option to purchase?

Should be good. There's a thread here somewhere about people wiring it in for easy connect/disconnect

 

[TcarterGT2024]

I’ve only used the NOCO jump packs. Have you considered CTEK?

 

[GregB-Dark-Horse]

I already purchased the 2amp 12v NOCO GENIUS 2D, ON BOARD DIRECT MOUNT.
works like a charm... you can't go wrong as I have purchased this product previously for backup sump pump battery that needed to be tended 24/7.

 

[POPPOP]

Sorry for beating a dead horse I've read many posts on tenders for winter storage with many options. This is my first Mustang GT I bought in August and I will be putting it in storage for the winter. Which would be the better option: 2amp, 4amp, 5amp tender? Also, for easy access, would it be wise to use a battery tender Ring Terminal Harness with a plug (when not in use)? I believe the harness has its own fuse. I'm leaning to purchase a 2amp 12v NOCO GENIUS 2D, it's an ON BOARD DIRECT MOUNT. All your input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!

I use the Ford Performance charger. It's made by CTEK. $40 cheaper on Amazon.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I have a 4.5 amp Battery Tender. It's great for charging as well as maintaining.

 

[Jeflon]

Thanks so much guys for all your input! I appreciate your response. So if my car is on a trickle charger ALL WINTER LONG,,, would a 5amp be better than a 2amp in a cold garage?

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Once it goes into trickle mode the initial amps don't matter. I've been using a 1.25 amp for years...just takes longer to get to maintain mode.

You still should start your car every 14 days and engage the gears...or it goes into deep sleep mode and supposedly the maintainer no longer works on the battery, unless you have it directly on the posts. Or something like that.

 

[dusman59]

I have both 2amp and 5amp. I use the 2amp on my other mustang that gets driven once a month and works well on a 4 year old battery. I use a 5amp on my 2024 to keep it topped off. A 2amp should be fine for long storage.
One thing is to note the temperature range the tender will be used in. I believe the operating range is wide for Noco.

 

[GrabberB]

Thanks so much guys for all your input! I appreciate your response. So if my car is on a trickle charger ALL WINTER LONG,,, would a 5amp be better than a 2amp in a cold garage?

Technically, a 2amp maintainer/charger will do the job as long as the battery stays close to full charge at all times. The 2amp maintainer you're contemplating is designed for batteries up to 40Ah. I believe our batteries are in the neighborhood of 70Ah.

I would opt for a 5amp maint./charger in case you ever have a prolonged power outage. This is where you want the 5amp charger. How a battery is charged (not maintained) is key to a long life. A 2amp maint./charger will bring it back to full charge - Not under ideal charge rates for battery longevity. I doubt a couple of events would do any harm. The price is not that much higher for an ideal charger. There is a reason why the Ford Performance battery maintainer/charger is 5amps (made by CTEK). I'm not advocating a F.P. charger or CTEk. I'm recommending a smart 5amp maintainer/charger of good quality. NOCO is good quality and I personally have several NOCO's of varying sizes.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Nothing wrong with a 5 amp charger, but nothing wrong with a 2 amp or even a 1.25 amp. It's just time. and lower amp is a gentler charge, but 5 amps seems to be the sweet spot.

My 1.25 Battery tender will always bring my battery to green overnight. But I use it regularly. I do have a 3 amp charger but it's not been used yet.

If your battery charge dips too low, a higher amp charger does make more sense.

 

[Sofa King]

While any will work, if you want it properly sized for the size of the S650 battery... about 4amp is the proper size to get.

Technically, a 2amp maintainer/charger will do the job as long as the battery stays close to full charge at all times. The 2amp maintainer you're contemplating is designed for batteries up to 40Ah. I believe our batteries are in the neighborhood of 70Ah.

I would opt for a 5amp maint./charger in case you ever have a prolonged power outage. This is where you want the 5amp charger. How a battery is charged (not maintained) is key to a long life. A 2amp maint./charger will bring it back to full charge - Not under ideal charge rates for battery longevity. I doubt a couple of events would do any harm. The price is not that much higher for an ideal charger. There is a reason why the Ford Performance battery maintainer/charger is 5amps (made by CTEK). I'm not advocating a F.P. charger or CTEk. I'm recommending a smart 5amp maintainer/charger of good quality. NOCO is good quality and I personally have several NOCO's of varying sizes.

Yes... there is a proper size for best results and long life. As everyone says a small one will work... I used one that was like 1.5 amp for probably 10 years or more. One ugly winter, we lost power for several days... apparently trying to top the battery up again when power came back in the cold weather was more than the small charger could manage (it died). Of course I didn’t realize it until months later... when the battery was dead too!

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