We aren't there yet, but the snow will hit in a month or so. Crappy thing is they spray salt and a bunch of different variants for the ice on the roads which will rust a car to pieces if it's not promptly washed off and scrubbed to hell.

I will take it out when the roads dry now and then... but do you guys have any recommendation for winterizing these puppies?

My thought was:

- Stabil in the tank
- Run it a few times a week
- Keep a battery tender on it



I usually use stabil and run my bikes a few times a week to keep them happy if they aren't gonna be up for a while.

Don't forget to top off the coolant!!!


Seriously, I also raise the tire pressures about 5 psi as the pressure drops as they get cold and it decreases the out or round set you might get in the spring.

I also suggest;
- moth balls in all the regular spaces that mice MAY squeak "location, location, location"
- Change the oil BEFORE storage
- Wash and Wax, then put the cover on (soft covers only for our babies)

I hope that helps.

OH MAN I ALMOST FORGOT THE COOLANT!
LOLOL

Good tips on the mothballs and the oil, she's garaged, so it'll be detailed every now and then indoors.

just running them a few times a week with out a complete warm up is likely doing harm, not good. when the car burns fuel on byprodcut is water vapour (hydrogen burns in oxygen to make H2O) if the engine is not fully warmed up the water vapour will condense in the engine and this can corrode the cylinders / rings and excess water will enter the crank case via blow by, valve stem seal or crank case breathing, this will also condense in the case and contaminate the oil with water.

it is NOT recommended to simply run the car with out a complete warm up, a complete warm up usually takes tens of minutes at speed, you simply cant get it hot enough in just a few minutes when in the garage.

that is the reason you dont want to run the car with out a complete warm up. each time you do the short cold run more water will contaminate the engines insides. do this several times a week and it can really build up fast.



I like the stabil and taking your tires to max pressure (or raise them off ground by elevating the chasiss on stands) tire can go out of round if left for long (but often they will re-bound to round after some spirited drives on a hot days)

make sure when you park the car for the season that it was fully warmed up (this will help cook off any water already in teh engine) do NOT park the car for long storage cold. if the car needs an oil change, plan it before storage as old used oil c an be some what acidic , it is better to store the car with newer oil in the crank case

I like the idea of a trickel charger, else be sure to disconnnect the battery from teh car to prevent any parasitic drain from claocks and radio memory current draws

be sure the gas tank is absolutly topped off, you want to minimize the air space that can draw in moisture.

take percautions aginst rodents from entering the car (they eat wires and upolstery) and keep them out of the exhaust pipe too (ball of steel wool shoved in works well) park on a dry surface if at all possible, as moisture from wet ground will condense on the cold steel underside as air temps warm up in the morning. if it is left in the weather, make sure you have no cockpit or trunk leaks of rain water, cause that can cause corrosion and mold.

do not use an impermiable plastic cover on teh car, that will promote rust, a platic cover will not breath vapour, and this trap will ruin your paint and corrode surfaces. it can cause a near 100% humidity condition under the plastic (BAD!!!)

any cover must be breathable, I have found over a dozen year or so that the Budge brand TYVEK car covers are superior for out door storage, they are water shedding yet breath, I have used them with no ill effects ever, where as I have used "water proof" and cloth covers that either trapped water or stayed wet and that led to corrosion of paint issues. the tyvex cover made by Budge actually sheds water enough that some of the small targa top leaks i have stay dry , yet the cover still breathes, nice material for a cover.


have fun, and may your winter be short. (bring on the global warming, it is cold!!!)

You guys need to come to South Texas like the winter Texans. I'd say it's summer year round but that is not true. Our winter is summer and our summer is well just miserable. I guess its the opposite down here. It's not too much fun driving the 914 topless when you have 101 degree weather (110 with the heat index). Our winters are like 75-60's if we are lucky.

You might want to put a plastic tarp down on your garage floor to act as a vapor barrier. I'm of the opposite school of thought with topping off the gas, I leave it low and try to get the car out maybe every 6 weeks if the weather permits and put in fresh gas after I burn the old out. Never had any trouble with flash rust in the tank with it being low. Car on jack stands too will keep your tires from aquiring flat spots. Definetly have to try the moth balls to keep the critters out this year.

pull it in the bay, put a cover on it, close the garage door.
Take it out whenever you feel like.
Keep the battery charged.

In the spring...oilchange, fuel change (run it dry)
tuneup....run it like you stole it.

RIch

keeping the car in a garage will help prevent water incress to teh gas tank, low humidty and small temperature swings are the key however a low gas tank will still suc k in air with temp changes if the air is moist water gets in and it will condense on the cold surfaces of the tank insides. the more air space, the greater volume of air that is exchanged.
flash rust i assume you mean rust on the walls of the tank from moisture in the air. that is not the issue the issue is the water will condense on the tanks sides and even on the fuel surface (so long as the fuel or tank is colder than the air temp) what then happens is the waer goes straigh to the bottom of the tank and that is where the rust will be , yes you can get flash rust on the walls of the tank, you also can have no flash rust on the walls of the tank yet still have water at teh bottom, rotting away the tanks lowest point.

many many experts highly recommend a topped off tank for storage beucase of this. this is most imporatant in high humidity areas with large temp swings (day to night temp swings) some folks can get away with it for a while, but for best protection to it off specially if there are temp swings. it is not so much an issue in a controlled enviroment (constant temp and/or low humidity) but most all cars not stored in a controlled enviroment will benifit form a full tank.