Winter Storage Mega-thread and Recommendations from Owners Manual

[Scoobs]

A lot of people recommend inflating the tires to near the max operating pressure prior to storage to also help reduce flat spotting. This is probably more of an issue honestly with the R and the Sport Cup 2's where the tires are just so dam soft and pliable. I will be purchasing a set of "flat stoppers" from Race Ramps to store mine on. Some may say its a waste or not needed, but I would rather be safe than sorry ;)

Also, if you do leave the car on jackstands, yes do remove the wheels and tires. Not good to leave the suspension hanging with the wheel and tire weight for long periods of time like that.

I saw Flatstoppers on Costco.ca at $319.99 a set ( 4 ), and on Amazon.ca at $348.62 a set.

Do you know of any better deals ?

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[nastang87xx]

My main concern is definitely flat spotting on the tires. I'm up in Wisco too so it gets pretty damn cold. I also can't check up on the car every few weeks either and it won't be in a heated garage.

So, sounds for people in my situation cover it, get it up on stands, disconnect battery, and wash of course.

 

[superman07]

I am a firm believer in running ethanol treatment at a pretty high dose in the last tank driven, then filling up and being sure its treated again. Its hard to find non ethanol gas now and if you do the octane is shit. I wont start it at all once the cold sets in but I do warm it up a bit if it has went through a lot of warm and cool cycles that might have exposed the garage to boughts of high humidity. On the rare warmer day if there is no salt remaining on the road Ill drive it for a few miles.

Been using ethanol treatment in boats, generators and all sorts of engines for a while now and all of my spring surprises have mostly ceased.

 

[Tank]

Thanks to all for responding!

That seems intense.

Yes it does but I'm thinking if I do move it out every couple of weeks, I'll get in a rythym.

That list seems a bit exhaustive for those that will be storing their cars inside heated garages like me.

Also changing the oil prior to storing the car is fine and makes total sense, but changing it before driving it again in the Spring is a bit overdoing it.

Oh how the upper class lives :lol:
Yeah, my garage is unheated. I had major plans but ran out of project $$ this year. I do plan on the pre and post storage oil changes. Cheap money in the long run.

Do you guys put your cars up on jack stands or remove the wheels and tires? This winter will be the first time I will ever be storing a car I actually give a damn about.

I was talked out of jack stands by my dealership owner. He made a good case about moving the vehicle and emergency situations where you might need to move it quickly.

I store mine in heated shop. However, every 3 weeks or so I start it and move it outside for at least 30 min. I want full operating temp so the thermostat opens and circulates the coolant and since I have automatic transmission, I also go thru the gears multiple times. When put back in shop a battery tender is again connected.

Nice to have heated storage!! To start and move or not to start and move, that is the question for me. Kinda of stuck about this. If I do start it up, it's gonna be moved and brought up to temp everytime.

Good gas (ie non ethanol if you can find it), My dad (and I for shorter time) have been storing cars for over 30 yrs during the winter and they only get started if they are going for service or to a car show - I agree it does more harm than good - ie see all stories about letting your car warm up vs driving it right away.

Don't use mothballs, instead use dryer sheets - mice hate them and your car will smell fresh in the spring. Also a good idea to put them in the tailpipes as mice like to next in there.

Best not to have tires directly in contact with cold floor where moisture could condensate. We always park the cars on the thick landscape plastic. This way if your floor sweats, it's not sitting under your car - especially on a low car like this where you won't get much breathing or if you share a garage with a daily car that comes in wet and full of salt. This is why a lot of barn finds that are kept in dry barns with dirt floors actually last.

Battery tender and normally pull the battery and put it inside to stay warm.

If the oil is used, generally change it before it gets put away (sucks to do it on a high volume car) and in the spring. Used oil collects moisture.

Terrific advice! Thanks Stshoo!! I already have my dryer sheet around the perimeter of the car. My floor is wood so I'm not that concerned about condensation. Definitely gonna do the oil change pre and post storage.

My main concern is definitely flat spotting on the tires. I'm up in Wisco too so it gets pretty damn cold. I also can't check up on the car every few weeks either and it won't be in a heated garage.

So, sounds for people in my situation cover it, get it up on stands, disconnect battery, and wash of course.

Yeah, I've been up here for about fourteen years and low winter temps used to get down to -40 f. Recent winter lows have only been -20 or so. If you're disconnecting your battery, you might want to consider bringing it in to a heated storage area. I've lost a couple over some winters. Flat spots are a concern...

 

[THX 138]

Flat spots will even out after just a few miles of warming up in the spring. The suspension, however, was NOT designed to hang at full extension for months at a time. Put the tires on some plastic to get them off the concrete floor (I have a Racedeck floor), inflate the tires to the recommended max on the sidewall, and leave the jack stands in the corner cabinet.

 

[sublime1996525]

Flat spots will even out after just a few miles of warming up in the spring. The suspension, however, was NOT designed to hang at full extension for months at a time. Put the tires on some plastic to get them off the concrete floor (I have a Racedeck floor), inflate the tires to the recommended max on the sidewall, and leave the jack stands in the corner cabinet.

I agree.

 

[nastang87xx]

Thanks dudes.

 

[dron_jones]

My main concern is definitely flat spotting on the tires. I'm up in Wisco too so it gets pretty damn cold. I also can't check up on the car every few weeks either and it won't be in a heated garage.

So, sounds for people in my situation cover it, get it up on stands, disconnect battery, and wash of course.

Don't put the car up on jack stands and let it sit with the wheels hanging unsupported. While you will avoid flat spots in the wheels, its not good for the suspension.

 

[Kurac]

Full tank of 93 with fuel stabilizer, change oil, battery tender, inflate tires to max PSI and parked on pieces of old carpet to prevent flat spotting, washed and detailed. I've always read starting the car up and driving it up and down the driveway was bad. As mentioned, more harm than good. My garage is not heated but it is insulated it it rarely gets below freezing.

This is the first time I've read anywhere to change the oil again in the spring. Sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense to me. Oil going bad?? Really? Sounds rediculius to me, but I'll do some research.

 

[Superdog]

I expect to be taking it out on nice sunny Sunday's, so I'm not going to sweat this very extensive list too much.

 

[ThreeFiveO]

My plan is as follows:
-Put on coat
-Go drive car
:lol:

 

[Stripes]

Last year, I gave my car a full detail (inside and out), Krown rustproofed, a bottle of sta-bil on Shell 91, and a battery on a tender in the basement.

Didn't know about changing the oil. I had maybe a month-old oil in the car before I stored it... gonna change the oil before storing it this year for sure.

It's due for all fluids to be changed next year too.

 

[PP0001]

I suggest that you have a very comprehensive list of steps for storing your car and I really like the CTEK 3300 as well with respect to extending the battery life on our cars.

Having said that I have been storing cars for more than 40 years now and I personally have had great success with respect to starting up any of my cars during the winter season and do it on a regular basis subject to a couple of days here and there because of weather issues.

I have a white grease board (message board) in my garage and when the winter time comes I fully document everything that I do to my car by date and by procedure.

Subject to travel, weather and personal commitments each month I will first recheck the tire pressure on all 4 tires and usually pump them up to at least 35 PSI during the colder months. I then start up my vehicles and will back them out into my driveway and let them warm up to operating temperature and will turn on the AC and heat controls and then take for at least a mile drive. In your case you can use your long driveway to back out on a regular basis and can use your driveway for this same process.

If I do not have enough battery tenders I will disconnect all of the batteries and will charge up each battery until "Green" and record those dates as well. I typically hook up my battery tender to each of my cars once a month and then keep disconnected if I do not drive some of them.

I am very anal about keeping the OEM batteries in my cars in good condition and when I sold my 2001 Mustang GT after 8 years the new owner was amazed at how well it cranked over the engine. I have a couple of 2012 Boss 302's that have OEM batteries that are already 6 years old and they crank my cars over just like they were brand new.

Contrary to completely filling up the gas tank I keep just less than a 1/4 tank of gas in my cars and try to burn off ~1 gallon of fuel during my monthly process and then replace that fuel with fresh 93 octane gasoline.

Also, I am a firm believer in a quality car cover being either OEM or really like the Covercraft car cover when storing my cars.

The above may not work for everyone but it has worked for me for many years.

Based on your storage plan you will be just fine but suggest that you document what you do to your car regularly if you plan to store it more than a couple of months at a time.

Good luck!

 

[smsgt350]

Has anyone left the mpss tires on the car during a harsh winter? My car will be in an unheated garage and temperatures here in BC do drop below freezing. I was going to store them indoors but would sooner leave them on if possible.

 

[torque124]

Has anyone left the mpss tires on the car during a harsh winter? My car will be in an unheated garage and temperatures here in BC do drop below freezing. I was going to store them indoors but would sooner leave them on if possible.

Yep, just make sure you put 3-4 psi pressure on top of recommended manufacturer , to avoid flat spots. I did not get flat spots, but I did over-inflate my tires. This was on my GT500 with MPSS, and Goodyear Eagle F1 cup 2 previously. No problems.

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