I use a deltran Battery Tender (plus?), which has a charge rate of about 1.25 amps. Perfect for motorcycle batteries, a little slow for car batteries, but I imagine it is very healthy for them. Lead acids don't like being charged quickly.
Hoping to see 4-5 years from my car battery, down south in the heat and under the hood in close proximity to pre-cats. Other than the heat, i treat my battery gently, very little accessory use, almost no accessory use with engine not running. I charge the battery with the charger mentioned above if I run the car through start cycles (like moving the car in the driveway) without driving the car, and I occasionally check the electrolyte level. So far so good.
