Winter Usage/Storage

[mdex]

A little dirty from the drive into the office this morning... but as you can see I have the snows on and am ready for winter driving fun!



Marc

[1JB]

You don't have to drive it and you don't have to do much prep work for winter storage. Draining the fluids, removing the battery, etc. is for long term storage 3 months or more without so much as touching the car, you could go 6 months doing nothing to it. Take a look some of the cars sitting on dealers lots for six months. You're talking about not driving it for maybe 2 months at most. You'll get a good day in December and at least one if not more in March.

Last winter mine sat for 6 weeks without turning the ignitiion over. I simply put a Porsche battery maintainer on it, had a full tank of gas in it,"decassant" bags or whatever they're called on the floor of the cabin and trunks, parked it on some old carpet pieces, inflated the tires to 50#s and put a cover on it. Other than cleaning it thoroughly inside and out that was it. The only thing that took any time was inflating the tires.

Like you I only bought mine to drive when I can put the top down. I've yet to drive it in the rain and don't drive it in the winter because it's just to cold and I don't want road salt on it. Of all the things you need to do to store it in a garage the battery maintainer is at the top of the list. Carpet squares and high inflation ward off flat spots but heck you may not get those for 6 weeks either.

I agree with 1JB, Winter Storage is very-very easy and not time consuming.

1) Wash and detail the car
2) Add fuel stabilizer
3) Top of gas tank
4) Over fill tires with Nitrogen
5) Lay down plastic tarp
6) Set down hard rubber parking pads (rubber tiles you see in a weight room- buy at Lowes)
7) Park car, block wheels
8) Plug in Porsche battery maintainer
9) Put dessicators in the car
10) Lock car
11) Put Porsche car cover on
12) Close garage door
13) 1st of every month roll car by hand about 12 inches to help prevent flatspotting
14) In March/April put in 5th gear and roll down driveway to get engine to turn over
15) Put key in and start engine
16) Go on a 300-400 road trip and get fresh gas


Steps 2-12 take me less than 1 hour! Winter storage done.

[rick3000]

Does it matter whether you fill your tires with nitrogen or air?
Also, I don't understand #9.

Originally Posted by rick3000

Does it matter whether you fill your tires with nitrogen or air?
Also, I don't understand #9.

Rick, the whole air vs nitrogen is hotly debated. I am tired of the debates. I love it and it works for me. Nitrogen is dryer, and this is also a plus for long term storage.

Desiccators absorb moisture from the air. This protects my leather and wood trim. I have about 10 (ten) 1-pound bags. I put 8 in the car and one each in the trunks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccator

[rick3000]

I agree, lets avoid a debate. I never new that about nitrogen vs. oxygen.
The dessicators, are a good idea.