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S50Sinner · 01-25-2025, 06:18 PM

(Skip the first 3 paragraphs if you don't want to hear about my "alternative" method of Winter "storage")

I personally throw some snow tires on and drive through the Winter. Our cars have thick paint (even thicker on the Finland cars) and galvanized bodies, both of which were huge selling points for me. Driving the car through the Winter has downsides, of course. It means I have to go to a self-serve car wash in very unpleasant weather and operate a pressure washer with freezing fingers, it exposes my car to a heightened risk of seized exhaust header studs in the future, and it does also submit all rubber/plastic components to a trial by fire (trial by ice, actually), and usually breaks any plastic/rubber bits that were on their way out. I consider that a plus, as it pretty much writes the year's maintenance list for me, I do all my major service in the Spring and have no issues the rest of the year. Right now I'm looking at an SAI delete soon, as the negative-20 weather seems to have claimed the plastic hoses connected to it and caused a vacuum leak when the pump is on.

But it has tangible benefits, too. It keeps fresh fuel flowing through my injectors, works all the bushings, ball joints, shocks, cables, brakes, power steering and engine mounts, keeps it all pliable, and most of all, I get to drive my Boxster every day, which is a joy because this platform handles amazing in the snow.

The Boxster is impressively tractable. The rear is super predictable and controllable, and with the engine over the driven wheels, there's plenty of grip off the line. Sliding a mid-engined car around the snow makes me feel like Sandro Munari, and I get some pretty funny looks from people in 4x4's.

But if, unlike me, you have some degree of sanity, decency and civility, and store your roadster during the Winter like a reasonable person, the best thing you can do is have a warm garage so all your plastics/leathers/rubbers don't get dry and brittle, and put something under the tires so they're not on concrete/asphalt. The second best thing you can do is fill the tank with the purest gasoline you can find, add some fuel stabilizer and start it a couple times a month just to clear the fuel lines and injectors. A minute or two of gently revving (1-2k rpm) is plenty.

Idling until the engine is warm takes too long and provides no benefits, the only time you need the engine to be up to temperature is when you're driving. Getting up to temperature doesn't undo the 10-20 minutes of wear caused by cold idling, so it's better to just minimize cold run time.

The oil and coolant aren't going anywhere, they'll circulate just fine when Spring comes and you go for a drive, but gasoline (especially when mixed with ethanol) expires and can foul up your injectors if you let it sit. While you do that, it's not a bad idea to roll it a couple feet in any direction to avoid flat spots on your tires. Of course, a battery tender is a good idea the rest of the time.

01-25-2025, 06:18 PM	#16
S50Sinner Registered User Join Date: Nov 2023 Location: West Bloomfield, Michigan Posts: 47	(Skip the first 3 paragraphs if you don't want to hear about my "alternative" method of Winter "storage") I personally throw some snow tires on and drive through the Winter. Our cars have thick paint (even thicker on the Finland cars) and galvanized bodies, both of which were huge selling points for me. Driving the car through the Winter has downsides, of course. It means I have to go to a self-serve car wash in very unpleasant weather and operate a pressure washer with freezing fingers, it exposes my car to a heightened risk of seized exhaust header studs in the future, and it does also submit all rubber/plastic components to a trial by fire (trial by ice, actually), and usually breaks any plastic/rubber bits that were on their way out. I consider that a plus, as it pretty much writes the year's maintenance list for me, I do all my major service in the Spring and have no issues the rest of the year. Right now I'm looking at an SAI delete soon, as the negative-20 weather seems to have claimed the plastic hoses connected to it and caused a vacuum leak when the pump is on. But it has tangible benefits, too. It keeps fresh fuel flowing through my injectors, works all the bushings, ball joints, shocks, cables, brakes, power steering and engine mounts, keeps it all pliable, and most of all, I get to drive my Boxster every day, which is a joy because this platform handles amazing in the snow. The Boxster is impressively tractable. The rear is super predictable and controllable, and with the engine over the driven wheels, there's plenty of grip off the line. Sliding a mid-engined car around the snow makes me feel like Sandro Munari, and I get some pretty funny looks from people in 4x4's. But if, unlike me, you have some degree of sanity, decency and civility, and store your roadster during the Winter like a reasonable person, the best thing you can do is have a warm garage so all your plastics/leathers/rubbers don't get dry and brittle, and put something under the tires so they're not on concrete/asphalt. The second best thing you can do is fill the tank with the purest gasoline you can find, add some fuel stabilizer and start it a couple times a month just to clear the fuel lines and injectors. A minute or two of gently revving (1-2k rpm) is plenty. Idling until the engine is warm takes too long and provides no benefits, the only time you need the engine to be up to temperature is when you're driving. Getting up to temperature doesn't undo the 10-20 minutes of wear caused by cold idling, so it's better to just minimize cold run time. The oil and coolant aren't going anywhere, they'll circulate just fine when Spring comes and you go for a drive, but gasoline (especially when mixed with ethanol) expires and can foul up your injectors if you let it sit. While you do that, it's not a bad idea to roll it a couple feet in any direction to avoid flat spots on your tires. Of course, a battery tender is a good idea the rest of the time.