It's a battery thing - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Avenging Orange · 01-10-2019, 04:17 PM

Just thought I'd throw this out there. Tractor Supply Co "Traveler T-H7" battery, $129 w/core exchange. I bought one of these in July 2018 to replace my factory Ac Delco (which lived an amazing 8 years). The Camaro has been parked in the garage since August 2018, due to health issues. I felt good today and decided to go for a drive. Fired right up.
I'm saying this because I own a garage queen that sits all winter. I have never put it on a battery tender.
I know many of you are of the mind set that the more expensive is always better and because we add letters or numbers at the end (AGM) it has to be the best.
This is for you folks who actually do not have one of those money trees growing in your back yard.
You really can buy a good old fashioned wet cell battery that will perform as well as the "reinvented wheel" brand, and your car will still start, still run your lights and stereo...and will not cause your car to spontaneously combust.
I realize I have owned this a mere 6 months....but I feel I will most likely get another 8 years from this one (if I keep it that long).
Again, it's just a battery thing.

myold88 · 01-12-2019, 07:57 AM

Your right. Theres so much talk about battery tenders here on Camaro5. IMO they are just
something to sell, with no real benefit. I've restored and maintained my antique cars for
over 40 years and have never needed one. On these and my Camaro, If it's stored winters
I just disconnect the negative cable and let it sit. In the spring I put a charger on the
battery for a few hours and start the car up. Never a problem and I rarely need to replace
a battery.

chef-beavis · 01-12-2019, 08:14 AM

I have had seasonal use cars and bikes for years and wouldn't be without battery tenders. They are $15 when Farm and Fleet has a sale. My lawnmower has one. I get years and years out of batteries since I started using them. My old street machine would get a season or two without. Batteries are crap anymore, due to crap manufacturing and environmental concerns. My 2010 would kill a battery in a couple weeks, just sitting, even in the summer. My 2013 seems better but will still drain one in a month.

Pulling the cable on our cars sucks. A tender is easy.

All that being said, my battery croaked this year, due to a lighting faux pas three years ago and I got a smoking deal on a replacement with a great warranty at Advance. No battery snob here, and couldn't justify the AGM, either. We'll see what time brings.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...ontent=general

Went with this. They had $20 off internet coupon going on. Cost me $148. Remember when batteries were $50?!

Avenging Orange · 01-12-2019, 09:24 AM

Autocraft was my second choice.
I wasn't downplaying battery tenders...they serve a purpose.
I guess my main point was to point out there are great products out there that don't cost your first born male child.And if people would do their own research and not simply follow the leader.....they would be better off.

chef-beavis · 01-13-2019, 12:09 AM

There was another brand I cannot recall that you could order through your local Home Depot. May have been Exide? It was AGM and really reasonably priced but everyone was out of stock on them and any recent reviews had gone sour. I guess they had run into a manufacturing issue.

TWOFORTYZ · 01-13-2019, 09:11 PM

I never use battery tenders, and I have 3 cars, 1 truck, and 4 motorcycles. If the battery dies you need to get out more. My vehicles will sit for up to a couple months and still fire up every time.

Tom And Cheryl · 01-14-2019, 07:25 PM

We have stored vehicles for years, the Camaro is parked about 70 miles away but we get to visit it a few times during the winter. I connect the battery charger to the Camaro each time we visit and we still have the factory battery. I keep a battery tender on the 4 wheeler to make sure it starts in the winter for plowing.

TooCool5 · 04-23-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom And Cheryl

We have stored vehicles for years, the Camaro is parked about 70 miles away but we get to visit it a few times during the winter. I connect the battery charger to the Camaro each time we visit and we still have the factory battery. I keep a battery tender on the 4 wheeler to make sure it starts in the winter for plowing.

The factory battery lasts the longest.

01-10-2019, 04:17 PM	#1
Avenging Orange Drives: 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Clermont, IN Posts: 3,297	It's a battery thing Just thought I'd throw this out there. Tractor Supply Co "Traveler T-H7" battery, $129 w/core exchange. I bought one of these in July 2018 to replace my factory Ac Delco (which lived an amazing 8 years). The Camaro has been parked in the garage since August 2018, due to health issues. I felt good today and decided to go for a drive. Fired right up. I'm saying this because I own a garage queen that sits all winter. I have never put it on a battery tender. I know many of you are of the mind set that the more expensive is always better and because we add letters or numbers at the end (AGM) it has to be the best. This is for you folks who actually do not have one of those money trees growing in your back yard. You really can buy a good old fashioned wet cell battery that will perform as well as the "reinvented wheel" brand, and your car will still start, still run your lights and stereo...and will not cause your car to spontaneously combust. I realize I have owned this a mere 6 months....but I feel I will most likely get another 8 years from this one (if I keep it that long). Again, it's just a battery thing. __________________ 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS M6 Black Leather, Sun Roof, OBX Headers, Borla touring axle back, Cold Air Inductions CAI , non synthetic fluids, BMR total bushing upgrade/1" lowering springs, DSE 32mm rear sway bar. GM fe4 shocks/struts/LCA's, AAM 3.91 diff, Vertini RFS1.8 20x9 +30. Conti ExtremeContact Sport 275/35/20. sjm autoprod ABL dash kit. Mike Norris tuned 413/419. Avenging Orange: 43 years of not buying into the Hype........and damn proud of it!! https://youtu.be/9JD9it6SmB8 https://youtu.be/xmelTlEzI34 KICKING CANCERS ASS SINCE 2015!!

01-12-2019, 07:57 AM	#2
myold88 Drives: SUMMIT WHITE 2SS/RS CAMARO Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: 2018: Lakewood Ranch, Fl. Posts: 8,112 View My Garage	Your right. Theres so much talk about battery tenders here on Camaro5. IMO they are just something to sell, with no real benefit. I've restored and maintained my antique cars for over 40 years and have never needed one. On these and my Camaro, If it's stored winters I just disconnect the negative cable and let it sit. In the spring I put a charger on the battery for a few hours and start the car up. Never a problem and I rarely need to replace a battery. __________________

01-12-2019, 09:24 AM	#4
Avenging Orange Drives: 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Clermont, IN Posts: 3,297	Autocraft was my second choice. I wasn't downplaying battery tenders...they serve a purpose. I guess my main point was to point out there are great products out there that don't cost your first born male child.And if people would do their own research and not simply follow the leader.....they would be better off. __________________ 2010 Inferno Orange 2SS/RS M6 Black Leather, Sun Roof, OBX Headers, Borla touring axle back, Cold Air Inductions CAI , non synthetic fluids, BMR total bushing upgrade/1" lowering springs, DSE 32mm rear sway bar. GM fe4 shocks/struts/LCA's, AAM 3.91 diff, Vertini RFS1.8 20x9 +30. Conti ExtremeContact Sport 275/35/20. sjm autoprod ABL dash kit. Mike Norris tuned 413/419. Avenging Orange: 43 years of not buying into the Hype........and damn proud of it!! https://youtu.be/9JD9it6SmB8 https://youtu.be/xmelTlEzI34 KICKING CANCERS ASS SINCE 2015!!

01-13-2019, 09:11 PM	#6
TWOFORTYZ Drives: 2015 Camaro 1SS 6M Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: The Freeway Posts: 238	I never use battery tenders, and I have 3 cars, 1 truck, and 4 motorcycles. If the battery dies you need to get out more. My vehicles will sit for up to a couple months and still fire up every time. __________________

01-12-2019, 08:14 AM	#3
chef-beavis Drives: IOM 2013 2SS/RS, Greenie, 06 FXSTBi Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Turd Town, WI Posts: 1,585	I have had seasonal use cars and bikes for years and wouldn't be without battery tenders. They are $15 when Farm and Fleet has a sale. My lawnmower has one. I get years and years out of batteries since I started using them. My old street machine would get a season or two without. Batteries are crap anymore, due to crap manufacturing and environmental concerns. My 2010 would kill a battery in a couple weeks, just sitting, even in the summer. My 2013 seems better but will still drain one in a month. Pulling the cable on our cars sucks. A tender is easy. All that being said, my battery croaked this year, due to a lighting faux pas three years ago and I got a smoking deal on a replacement with a great warranty at Advance. No battery snob here, and couldn't justify the AGM, either. We'll see what time brings. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...ontent=general Went with this. They had $20 off internet coupon going on. Cost me $148. Remember when batteries were $50?!

01-13-2019, 12:09 AM	#5
chef-beavis Drives: IOM 2013 2SS/RS, Greenie, 06 FXSTBi Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Turd Town, WI Posts: 1,585	There was another brand I cannot recall that you could order through your local Home Depot. May have been Exide? It was AGM and really reasonably priced but everyone was out of stock on them and any recent reviews had gone sour. I guess they had run into a manufacturing issue.

01-14-2019, 07:25 PM	#7
Tom And Cheryl Drives: 2013 SS Convertible, ThumperII Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 411 View My Garage	We have stored vehicles for years, the Camaro is parked about 70 miles away but we get to visit it a few times during the winter. I connect the battery charger to the Camaro each time we visit and we still have the factory battery. I keep a battery tender on the 4 wheeler to make sure it starts in the winter for plowing.