Battery Protection Option

blvdbrawler · 2013-10-20

I'm about to order my new C7 and I see this battery protection option. The dealers have given me 3 different answers...Can anybody explain exactly what this is/does? Is it worth it?

Derrick1812

· #61 · Feb 15, 2014

Chip said:
Ok...First off it looks like this horse is still kicking...Let's define our charging equipment terms. A trickle charger is not the same as a float charger. A trickle charger will apply power regardless of the state of charge in the battery. It can and will, if left unattended overcharge / kill your battery. A float charger will determine the charging needs of the battery to maintain peak charge and apply power only when needed. Float chargers also have the secondary benefit of conditioning your battery slowing down the buildup of sulfate on the battery plates. Having said this about float chargers, they can fail and can continue to charge, so you need to check them from time to time. The led's will tell you what is going on.

So is the battery protection charger that GM sells for the vette. Float or trickle charger?

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C7Driver

· #62 · Feb 15, 2014 (Edited)

The GM charger "floats" in that it can shut down when the battery is fully charged. Call it a "smart" charger because it only charges as needed. I have a CTEK brand for my C6 and will use it with my Stingray once it arrives. I'm pretty sure I can connect it under the hood using the "jumper" connections. With the C7 battery mounted in the rear compartment I don't want to have wires getting crushed every time I close the rear hatch.

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Chip

· #63 · Feb 15, 2014

3

Here are the battery jumping / charging points if you want to use the under hood connection points.

Positive attachment point before cover is removed:

Positive attachment point after cover is removed:

Auto part Vehicle Automotive exterior Car Engine

A good grounding point:

Auto part Vehicle Engine Automobile pedal Car

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Derrick1812

· #64 · Feb 15, 2014

C7Driver said:
The GM charger "floats" in that it can shut down when the battery is fully charged. Call it a "smart" charger because it only charges as needed. I have a CTEK brand for my C6 and will use it with my Stingray once it arrives. I'm pretty sure I can connect it under the hood using the "jumper" connections. With the C7 battery mounted in the rear compartment I don't want to have wires getting crushed every time I close the rear hatch.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

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LT1xL82

· #65 · Feb 15, 2014

I stand corrected...I'm an old geezer using old vocabulary.

All the chargers I mentioned are float chargers. The de-sulfate features are really valuable. Different manufacturers take different approaches and market it as their claim to fame. I couldn't argue one versus the other.

An interesting side note: Many of these newer chargers have one drawback. If you are unlucky enough to have a seriously discharged battery, the charger might not work. Seriously! More than once I have had to use a old technology charger to get the battery up to a reasonable voltage and then switch over to the newer charger.

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jsvette

· #66 · Feb 15, 2014

C7Driver said:
I have a CTEK brand for my C6 and will use it with my Stingray once it arrives. I'm pretty sure I can connect it under the hood using the "jumper" connections. With the C7 battery mounted in the rear compartment I don't want to have wires getting crushed every time I close the rear hatch.

I use CTEK 3300 for my cars including the Stingray. On my XTS I use the quick disconnect that comes with the CTEK and directly connect to the battery (it has no 'live' accessory available), however with the Stingray I use the rear accessory outlet designed specifically for charging the battery and run the CTEK wires out of the trunk. The weather seal prevents the wires from getting crimped or crushed and I have experience no issues doing it that way (others have posted similar experiences) and closing the trunk fully.

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G

glen e

· #67 · Feb 15, 2014

I can see the meeting where the engineers and the sales and marketing guys got together and the engineers presented the product. They showed the group how it worked and the tech guys shut the trunk on the cord explaining the weatherstrip will seal it.

The sales guys say: "yeah but people want a plug in, they won't believe it's not hurting the strip or sealing well"

The tech guy says : it does seal, It hurts nothing and costs a lot less than a plug in with all the prod changes it would take"

The sales guy seems unsatisfied, as he knows his customers and their perceptions....

(I'm glad the engineers won this one)

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jalbregts

· #68 · Feb 15, 2014

I'm interested in seeing what that section of weather stripping looks like a year from now. I did something similar with the antenna chord from my portable satellite ratio. It developed a permanent indentation after about 6 months of infrequent use. I ended up having to replace the weather stripping because of the outside noise that was coming in, as well as water when I washed the car.

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Chip

· #69 · Feb 15, 2014

If your concerned about the seal, leave the hatch unlatched. The interior lights default to go out after being on 10 min.

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jalbregts

· #70 · Feb 15, 2014

good idea. That's what I'll probably do.

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glen e

· #71 · Feb 15, 2014

And how many times are you using it? If you are plugging in every night you're way too paranoid. We've seen here you only need it fro 3-4 weeks or more, so annually how many times is that? And I assume you're using a slightly diff portion of the stripping every time.

But hey, I'm of the diff camp, more than 3 weeks and nothings hanging out of my car, I flip the switch and disconnect battery.

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jsvette

· #72 · Feb 15, 2014

jalbregts said:
I'm interested in seeing what that section of weather stripping looks like a year from now. I did something similar with the antenna chord from my portable satellite ratio. It developed a permanent indentation after about 6 months of infrequent use. I ended up having to replace the weather stripping because of the outside noise that was coming in, as well as water when I washed the car.

Jon I am not sure what type of or size of antenna cord you used, but the CTEK is a fairly flat cord similar to 18 gauge household lamp wire. The odds of putting the CTEK 3300 or Corvette branded CTEK cord in the exact same place when you bring it out and close the trunk are low. I have noticed no indentation left after I remove the cord. Each to their own but I really don't think it is an issue with the Stingray and using the rear accessory outlet.

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jalbregts

· #73 · Feb 15, 2014

It's 18 gauge as well. I was just sharing my actual experience. I think all the options that have been mentioned would help avoid that. The key is that if you don't do some of those things, based on my experience, you do risk running into that issue. I will certainly do a few of the things you guys suggested. Good advice.

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spaceaholic

· #74 · Feb 16, 2014 (Edited)

Still think the vehicle should include an external charge plug in port (or better yet a wireless inductively coupled charge pad on the outside of the car) ...having to routinely run a cable into the car is poor design. Aftermarket guys should be able to come up with a pad that could integrate into one of the bumpers or panels. Another possibility is a charge mat on the garage floor with the coupler mounted on the vehicle underside...given that the load requirements are low for battery conditioning, the technical challenges to implement should not be substantial.

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jsvette

· #75 · Feb 16, 2014

spaceaholic said:
Still think the vehicle should include an external charge plug in port (or better yet a wireless inductively coupled charge pad on the outside of the car) ...having to routinely run a cable into the car is poor design. Aftermarket guys should be able to come up with a pad that could integrate into one of the bumpers or panels. Another possibility is a charge mat on the garage floor with the coupler mounted on the vehicle underside...given that the load requirements are low for battery conditioning, the technical challenges to implement should not be substantial.

Much simpler solution, especially in warm climates like yours spaceaholic, is to just drive your Stingray and not worry about it.

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Chip

· #76 · Feb 16, 2014

Ok folks I believe we have taken this topic about as far as it will go and still be worth looking over, so with this final post this thread is locked. And just for fun on this last post of this thread I will bring out the "Ole Dead Mare" to be known as Flogging Molly

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