Winter Storage??

[galaxy]

So this’ll be the first car I’ve ever had to deal with winter long term-ish storage. Car sits in the garage that’ll never be below freezing, but wanted to see what you guys do when sitting for extended periods; potentially up to two months??

I figure the only real thing I’m even concerned about is the gas. Add a stabilizer? Fuel without ethanol? Anything like that?

 

[PaxtonShelby]

2 months in a garage that won't be below freezing? Do absolutely nothing except have a 1/2 tank of 93 and make sure the tires are at max recommended pressure. Starting it every few weeks and letting it warm up to operating temperature is a good idea but not mandatory.

 

[rambler358]

Battery tender.

 

[13COBRA]

Just let it sit. I would max out tire pressure, and put it on a battery tender...but other than that, lock the door and let it sit until you drive it again.

 

[DAVESVT2000]

Battery tender, air pressure, and some Sta-bil.

That’s my routine

 

[13COBRA]

Battery tender, air pressure, and some Sta-bil.

That’s my routine

That's a safe bet. But honestly, any decent quality fuel would be fine for 2 months.

 

[tones_RS3]

Definitely get a battery tender if don't plan on starting it.
Maybe put it up on stands for those tires, unless you start the car every couple of weeks or so. Which is what I do and a good idea to keep things moving and not creating flat spots on your tires. Always till and beyond a little operating temps, of course.
Good luck.

 

[tomshep]

Full tank of gas--no additive, max tire pressure, battery tender. I've found the OEM security system will drain a battery over time. For doors, I just lock them manually but not using the keyfob or electric button. My garage gets cold, but not freezing. I also pop the trunk, but leave it closed and also leave the doors open so the windows are cracked. I've had cars for years and it is amazing how well the gaskets stay fresh by doing this.

Tom

 

[galaxy]

Already on a battery tender; always do that anyways. Wasn't sure about the fuel mainly, or at least any additives. I had always been taught to store full of gas...excludes any space for oxygen since oxygen would the problem. But then I haven't done alot of homework on ethanol in the fuels. Maybe in passing have heard it's typically what causes fuel problems with the passage of time. But luckily in MO, most top tier fuel stations (Shell, BP, etc) at least advertise no ethanol in premium.

 

[ANGREY]

Spend the $40 and put the car on stands. Max pressure will help but you're still going to get tire spots if you leave the car for 2 months without moving it. Takes less than 5 minutes to put up or take down off stands and doesn't have to be dangerously high, just enough to get the wheels slightly off the ground.

I wouldn't leave a tender on the car the entire time, but once every couple of weeks I'd trickle it for a few hours.

A bottle of fuel stabilizer won't hurt, especially with the amount of ethanol that they're putting in fuel nowadays. Ethanol is much more hydrophilic than gasoline, but at low temps, it's less of an issue because the air is naturally less humid during cold/winter conditions.

My biggest piece of advice is to move to some place where you don't have to store the car during winter. I spent half my childhood in a God forsaken Winter misery and I'll never live anywhere that requires a snow shovel ever again. If it snows where I am now, I'll face South and start walking. If I run out of real estate I'll swim.

 

[CobraBob]

Good advice, Angrey. And I agree with your comments about Winter misery in the northern states. I hate it here in Connecticut, and hope to move south in the future where there is NO snow and NO bitter cold. It is freaking 9 degrees right now.

 

[ANGREY]

Good advice, Angrey. And I agree with your comments about Winter misery in the northern states. I hate it here in Connecticut, and hope to move south in the future where there is NO snow and NO bitter cold. It is freaking 9 degrees right now.

Unless you're willing to pay ungodly amounts to live in Southern California, weather is largely a pick your poison affair. The heat sucks, but it's drawbacks are less than the cold. And like anything, you get acclimated to it. I literally freeze to death if the temp drops below 50F. Then again, people from up North wilt when they come down here and it's 115 with the heat index (and despite the myth, 95F with 95% humidity is way hotter than 120F in Arizona).

Cars love the cooler temps and the heat presents it's own "car" challenges. Getting into a swamp box of a car isn't fun. But it sure beats the hell out of scraping windows or waiting for the car to defrost. The heat is also more challenging for high performance/hp issues. You're much more likely to nuke an engine in 95F in 6th gear going up a hill at partial throttle and a bad batch of gas here. Cooler intake temps are much more forgiving. A/C is a constant 20hp draw on the engine, and runs nearly year round, but it's the price you pay for no snow.

We pay our debts through the Summer here and this time of year is the payback. I've lived in the hottest places in America, and the coldest (outside of Alaska) and if you put a gun to my head, I'll take the heat.

 

[13COBRA]

Spend the $40 and put the car on stands.

Do you leave the suspension compressed, or let it hang? Just curious. I know people who do both.

 

[MG0h3]

Do you leave the suspension compressed, or let it hang? Just curious. I know people who do both.

I don’t think it matters. To me, the only “risk” regarding the suspension is seals drying a little and tearing or seeping so the position doesn’t matter. I used to put mine on stands due to the drag radials but the last three month stint I left it on the ground. Seems like I get a little rumble like out of balance tires for about a mile but then it goes away. FWIW it seems the same after the regular 2-3 week stints it sits.

Full tank of E85 with stabil and it fired right up and ran fine. I drove easy until that tank was gone before going WOT. This was a 3 month storage.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[DAVESVT2000]

My garage gets cold, but not freezing.

Seriously, what it drops down to 60 at night ?

 

[tones_RS3]

My biggest piece of advice is to move to some place where you don't have to store the car during winter. I spent half my childhood in a God forsaken Winter misery and I'll never live anywhere that requires a snow shovel ever again. If it snows where I am now, I'll face South and start walking. If I run out of real estate I'll swim.

Good advice, Angrey. And I agree with your comments about Winter misery in the northern states. I hate it here in Connecticut, and hope to move south in the future where there is NO snow and NO bitter cold. It is freaking 9 degrees right now.

Amen guys, I hear that.
10 degrees today in MA. I absolutely hate the winter and this makes it 100% worse. At least there's no snow flying along with it, but I still hate the cold temps and the residual ice and snow making walking and some driving treacherous. Sucks!
As soon as I retire, I'm outta here! lol

 

[galaxy]

I must say, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend against leaving a battery tender plugged up 24/7. With most of the smart chargers that are out there these days from Optima or Battery Tender, what's the harm? I have an Optima now and it spends most of its time on 0 amps anyways.

 

[13COBRA]

I must say, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend against leaving a battery tender plugged up 24/7. With most of the smart chargers that are out there these days from Optima or Battery Tender, what's the harm? I have an Optima now and it spends most of its time on 0 amps anyways.

I leave mine plugged in 24/7 and have never had an issue.

Even during the summer, if my car is parked in the garage, it's on it.

 

[ANGREY]

I'm sure with modern controlling, it wouldn't hurt it, I'm just old school and paranoid. If I know I'm going to let a vehicle sit for awhile, I just disconnect the ground terminal to keep the draw off it and trickle it every once in awhile for good measure. For one, I don't like having cords laying around all the time, looks untidy and gives me anxiety about them being stepped on, rolled over, damaging the sheathing, creating a trip hazard and otherwise looking disorganized, but that's my personal OCD.

 

[tones_RS3]

I must say, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend against leaving a battery tender plugged up 24/7. With most of the smart chargers that are out there these days from Optima or Battery Tender, what's the harm? I have an Optima now and it spends most of its time on 0 amps anyways.

I leave mine plugged in 24/7 and have never had an issue. Even during the summer, if my car is parked in the garage, it's on it.

Same here. I leave the battery tender on my car 24/7, unless I am going to fire it up and drive it up and down the driveway when the weather is okay during the winter months. There are smart battery tenders out there that work amazingly well. I have a CTEK 3300.