winter storage question

[sh0ko]

sop its my first time ever storing a car for the winter and so far.. this is what i know


place the car sitting on cardboard (been told tihs)
full tank of gas
fill up my tires (anybody know how much nexen n3000 tires should be filled to?!)
disconnect bttery
cover it

do i need anti freeze in the lines or anything?!

[KenP]

Eek, don't store your car with a full tank a gas it will get skunky.

[sh0ko]

really?! y?!

[barbarian]

Use fuel stabilizer in the gas.

[KenP]

Something to do with the chemical make up of gas, it won't last forever. So yes use a stabalizer *never used one my self* or just park your car with no gas in it and bring a some when it's time to wake the beast.

[GT-R rated]

i've always been told to put a full tank of gas with fuel stabalizer in it, otherwise you have room for condensation to build up in your gas tank, your tire pressures should be marked on the sidewalls, i'd recomend going about 5 psi over the rating to avoid flat spots.

[andres_mt]

Use gas line antifreeze! You can get a cheap 6-pack of bottles at C-Tire and you put one in your tank run it for a bit every couple of weeks in winter...small price to pay to make sure your fuel lines don't crack or warp if they're old.

[Mr.Buffy]

This is what I did when I stored my old ITR:

Store it with a full tank of gas + fuel stabilizer.

Wash inside and out.

Changed engine oil.

Put a towel between the wiper and windshield.

Covered up the exhaust opening with a towel.

Parked in neutral, handbrake off, blocks behind a rear tire.

Removed the battery and stored it in my basement.

Put some lubricant on the seals to the doors, hinges, etc.

I didn't put a cover on the car, I guess it could be good or bad. If the car or cover is dirty underneath, it could scratch (maybe?). I also did not start the car at all during the winter. I didn't lose much air in the tires over the winter either. Once in a while, I did open up the doors and hatch to get some fresh air in there.

Hope that helps.

[AllGoNoShow]

Best way to avoid those flat spots *and yes they happen* is to jack your car up and use jackstands under the car.

Other then that Buffy has it all listed for you.

[Mr.Buffy]

Good point about the flat spots, I forgot to mention. Either that use jack stands, or if you don't have any, I just pushed my car up a foot or more every month or two, then back again in another month or two. Just so it doesn't sit on the same tire spot for the entire winter.

[sh0ko]

perfect.. thanx guys so much! gotta kiss the mr2 bye soon *sigh*

[kdwebber]

It doesn't hurt to add some fuel stabilizer but its not a must. Definetly fill the gas tank to avoid condensation.

I would also recommend putting some steel whool in the exhaust tip to stop rodents from entering your exhaust system.

I'm faily certain you don't have to worry about flat spots with radial tires as that only pertains to byasply tires.

Lots of good info in this thread allready

[AllGoNoShow]

Nope you still get flat spots on Radial, just not as easy.

Trust me the car sitting in my driveway right now has flatspots and they are radials. Worked on cars that have sat and came in with flat spots, yes those were radials too.

[New2Talon]

Is there any big difference between parking out on the street and in a garage?

If i park it in the garage, and take her for a spin around the block every couple of weeks (or whenever the roads are dry) would I be ok to leave the tank full? Should I still use fuel stabilizer?

How long before flat spots develop?

[msommers]

It is better to do as everyone has said and just leave it alone until spring. It will be harder on our engine to cold start it when it is -30 out once a week than never all winter. A car cover is a good idea and same with the cardboard as already mentioned.

Something I picked up on GTRC, instead of using the towel in the muffler, use steel wool, no rodents will go near that shit!

As for the tires I kind of have a question then. If it is up on jack stands, would it be hard on the hubs with the wheels on? So you should remove the wheels entirely (good excuse to rotate )?

[AllGoNoShow]

Originally posted by msommers
It is better to do as everyone has said and just leave it alone until spring. It will be harder on our engine to cold start it when it is -30 out once a week than never all winter. A car cover is a good idea and same with the cardboard as already mentioned.

Something I picked up on GTRC, instead of using the towel in the muffler, use steel wool, no rodents will go near that shit!

As for the tires I kind of have a question then. If it is up on jack stands, would it be hard on the hubs with the wheels on? So you should remove the wheels entirely (good excuse to rotate )?

How would it be hard on the hubs?

Your car sits on the hubs, drives on the hubs, parks on the hubs. Why would removing the weight from the wheels/hubs make it hard on them?

[msommers]

no I was asking if it was better to remove the wheels but apparently it doesn't matter. thanks

[Mr.Buffy]

And I guess if you are really concerned about rodents and what not getting into your car, I've heard of people tossing some moth balls underneath the car too.

[FiveFreshFish]

I start mine maybe once every two or three weeks. In Calgary, the temperature rarely gets to -30. If it does, just wait for a chinook before you start it up, or plug in the block heater for a few hours prior to starting. It's not that much wear on the engine if you start it up several times over the winter. Keep in mind that your winter car gets started daily, and it does just fine.

For the tires, overinflate them if you can't raise the car on jackstands. I still move my car around by driving it around the block to minimize flat-spotting. Just remember to adjust to the proper pressure when you take it out of storage mode in the spring.

I throw a trickle charger on the battery every couple of weeks to keep the battery maintained. Easier than pulling it out, and I don't lose the stereo and clock settings.

[AllGoNoShow]

Carful with those trickles FFF, I don't wanna see your baby on fire next time!