Ok you can make fun - driving after salt has been applied to the road?

It can be washed off readily accessible surfaces. But surely it collects in various nooks and crannies? That's what terrifies me.

 

Drive through a heavy spring rainstorm. That will surely rinse off anything you're unable to reach.

Any car I cared for deeply has been in storage from November to April. No sense in stressing over salt dust on the underbody. Just store it man.

 

Both points make sense to me!

 

The one thing that nobody has mentioned is that until the roads get a good cleaning, the dust and salt will make them a bit more slippery even when completely dry. So unless you want to slide through every intersection sideways like Ken Block, you will need to dial your driving style back a little bit.

I know that should be 100% obvious, but you wouldn't believe how much slipping and sliding I saw entering and leaving Cars & Coffee on Saturday. Of course some was intentional but in a lot of cases I think the driver was caught unaware by the low levels of grip.

 

I live in the Midwest. We have been driving with salt on the road since 1848, baby (got those hooves salted up). I drove my 458 in the salt, snow, rain, etc. The main thing is to wash it after. Same thing with bird crap, tree sap, etc. Babying the car isn't going to stop.

Now, I am not telling you what to do with your car. If you want to baby it, then go ahead. But you have one other thing to consider. If it is a used car, and it has been in the Midwest before, or even in a place like Florida, then its almost certainly been exposed to salt already. Live life, dude, and enjoy the car.

Congratulations on the Ferrari!

 

That's just not true. See my post #8 on this subject. All that salt "dust" cloud you see when driving on a dry winter day will get into places a spring rainstorm or even washing will not reach.
But to each his/her own. I choose to wait until all the salt is washed away from the roads.

 

My luuuuuungs

 

Here in Colorado they also put down sand/rocks so I worry more about rock chips then salt, usually stays in the garage from Nov - Apr.

 

It’s raining in Charlotte today…finally.

 

I drive mine on dry salted roads. Salt is a reality here in the Midwest. I just try to get the undercarriage washed every few weeks.

I figure life is too short to not drive the car 1/3 the year and it’s meant to be used. So what it’d it’s worth a bit less at the end, I’m confident my overall enjoyment and cost per month will still be lower.

Also, I’m sure regular cleaning minimizes (not mitigates) the negative impact of salt.