Ctek

[adamellisdj]

adamellisdj said:

I think the best thing for me is to use what I’m given and get the AG battery later down the line.

Not having to plug in is super appealing as well as the saved weight, auto jump start etc.

We”ll see. Il surely keep you guys updated.

[VeeTenM]

I remember NGS installing one of these in his 458..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Xs24aPvi8

Can't the 458 go for 4 weeks without giving a hissy fit?
I had my M6 in the garage with no power source for 6-7 weeks and it was about fine...even with the "High discharge" message, probably from the tracker...

I bought a spare battery which I was going to swap over, but has been fine over winter.

Edited by VeeTenM on Wednesday 31st March 21:03

[jango]

Hi
I have around 7 cars on ctek charges and have been using them for about 15 years with only 2 failures. All my cars are from the 90s and have some drain issues etc but a good normal battery and ctek keeping it topped up you should have no issues at all

[GCCP]

CTEK.

Use them on all my cars. Plug and forget. Job Done. Ferrari now ship them as standard (just with the Ferrari logo on and about 10 x the price)

The thing to remember with the Li ones is that yes they are lighter, yes they are supposed to last longer but they cost a ste load and you need to tell anyone working on the car not to put it on a "normal charger" but to use the special Li ones.

When i got my 458 the battery was on the way out anyhow, so I put in a optima red top (AGM) and it seems the best all rounder in my view and my CTEK has a option for AGM, in fact i think they all do now

GP

Edited by GCCP on Thursday 1st April 10:01

[Ferruccio]

AGM batteries and CTEK chargers on all my cars.

Unfortunately I don’t think you can get AGM batteries for bikes. But I use a CTEK charger on my Panigalle too. The one thing I’ve got where the battery seems to last forever, however much I use it, is my Vespa ET4!

Edited by Ferruccio on Thursday 1st April 13:30

[adamellisdj]

GCCP said:

CTEK.

Use them on all my cars. Plug and forget. Job Done. Ferrari now ship them as standard (just with the Ferrari logo on and about 10 x the price)

The thing to remember with the Li ones is that yes they are lighter, yes they are supposed to last longer but they cost a ste load and you need to tell anyone working on the car not to put it on a "normal charger" but to use the special Li ones.

When i got my 458 the battery was on the way out anyhow, so I put in a optima red top (AGM) and it seems the best all rounder in my view and my CTEK has a option for AGM, in fact i think they all do now

GP

Edited by GCCP on Thursday 1st April 10:01

How long can you leave it without being charged?

[VeeTenM]

if you buy a CTEK charger checkout Tayna.co.uk website and use FACEBOOK45 for a discount

[GCCP]

adamellisdj said:

How long can you leave it without being charged?

Depends if you leave the car locked or not with the alarm on. You can go a week at least in my experience but the key thing with Ferrari ownership is when not in use stick them on the charger

GP

[X-Box]

ANOpax said:

Adam,

I have all the parts which you've posted photos of (CTek charger, battery monitor and cable adaptor).
The Ctek is an upgrade over the standard Ferrari CTek as the MXS5 has intelligent charging modes etc. Crucially, it's rated at a higher current so it will actually charge your battery rather than simply maintaining it which is what the Ferrari branded ones do.

Just buy all the bits and be done. I was at my indy today and he said that the antigravity isn't worth it as you can buy 6 premium lead acid batteries for the price of one antigravity. Even if the lead acid only last 2-3 years each, the single antigravity would have to last 12-18 years to be cost competitive.

Are you really sure about this?

A higher amperage rating on a charger, simply means it can charge faster.

5A MXS5 will charge a 60Ah battery in 12-hours (5A over 12hr = 60Ah), versus the Ferrari CTEK, which I believe is 3.8A, taking proportionally longer.

My understanding is they all have the ability to fully charge a good battery.

Separate issue is a smart chargers ability to monitor and diagnose.

[Regy53]

The standard Ferrari charger will charge your car no problem. If its the original it may be a fixed connector type. My car came with a new one in a fancy box and that is ctek fitment to the 458 charge port. I can read the specs if it helps but its all you really need

[ANOpax]

X-Box said:

Are you really sure about this?

A higher amperage rating on a charger, simply means it can charge faster.

5A MXS5 will charge a 60Ah battery in 12-hours (5A over 12hr = 60Ah), versus the Ferrari CTEK, which I believe is 3.8A, taking proportionally longer.

My understanding is they all have the ability to fully charge a good battery.

Separate issue is a smart chargers ability to monitor and diagnose.

The Ferrari charger is not the same as the CTEK 3.8

I have all three (the Ferrari, the 3.8 and the 5.0).

The Ferrari is rated at 12v and 3.6A = 43W
The CTEK 3.8 is rated at 14.7v and 3.8A = 56W
The CTEK 5.0 is rated at 14.7v and 5.0A = 74W

Crucially, the Ferrari charger is not suitable for charging AGM batteries as the charge voltage is too low.

I don’t know if it’s the voltage or the current but the CTEK chargers have recovered batteries where the Ferrari charger had failed to.

Edited by ANOpax on Friday 2nd April 18:56

[robsco]

Some of the things I read on these forums at times. Honestly.

Just plug the car in to the Ferrari charger, it takes seconds. Why would anybody want to spend 4 figures on a battery.

[HardtopManual]

I've a 355 which sits on a CTEK MXS 5.0, with which I've never had an issue.

I've another 355 which did sit on the charger that came with its carcoon, which turned out to be rubbish, so it now also sits on a CTEK MXS 5.0.

I've no idea what the Ferrari rebranded CTEK is, but I imagine it'll do a good enough job. It did come with the car after all. Just use that.

[Durzel]

robsco said:

Some of the things I read on these forums at times. Honestly.

Just plug the car in to the Ferrari charger, it takes seconds. Why would anybody want to spend 4 figures on a battery.

This.

Get out, if you know it’s going to be sat there for seven days then plug it in, done.

If you’re driving it often enough you won’t need to use it, but I’d assume most people aren’t using them as daily drivers (hence why you get a trickle charger with it in the first place)

Solution looking for a problem in my opinion.

[adamellisdj]

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be willing to pay for a battery that doesn’t require extensive charging. Horses for course I guess

[X-Box]

ANOpax said:

The Ferrari charger is not the same as the CTEK 3.8

I have all three (the Ferrari, the 3.8 and the 5.0).

The Ferrari is rated at 12v and 3.6A = 43W
The CTEK 3.8 is rated at 14.7v and 3.8A = 56W
The CTEK 5.0 is rated at 14.7v and 5.0A = 74W

Crucially, the Ferrari charger is not suitable for charging AGM batteries as the charge voltage is too low.

I don’t know if it’s the voltage or the current but the CTEK chargers have recovered batteries where the Ferrari charger had failed to.

Edited by ANOpax on Friday 2nd April 18:56

From what I’ve read, AGM-specific charging modes are ‘slow and low’.

Maybe that’s why the Ferrari branded Fix&Go charger is the lowest current rated.

[ANOpax]

X-Box said:

From what I’ve read, AGM-specific charging modes are ‘slow and low’.

Maybe that’s why the Ferrari branded Fix&Go charger is the lowest current rated.

The Ferrari charger is not AGM compatible as the 12v output voltage is too low. AGM batteries also require more charging current than sealed lead acid batteries if they are to remain in good condition.

[X-Box]

ANOpax said:

The Ferrari charger is not AGM compatible as the 12v output voltage is too low. AGM batteries also require more charging current than sealed lead acid batteries if they are to remain in good condition.

Ferrari supplied their black charger (Fix&Go) with my 812 and F8 - why would they if its not AGM compatible?

[ANOpax]

X-Box said:

Ferrari supplied their black charger (Fix&Go) with my 812 and F8 - why would they if its not AGM compatible?

Lucky you. The OP has a 458. That generation of charger is not as advanced as yours.

[Chris355]

I use the standard Ferrari one and have never had an issue. I always leave it plugged in. Over the winter it could sit for months unused and still started first time.