Winter Storage Questions

Theo,

With my 355, I add in a fuel stabilizer and put the battery on a trickle charger. The car is kept in a garage with a car cover on it (the one that it came with), all that cover is really doing is keeping the dust off and protecting it if something bumps it.

Then I basically watch for nice days when I can take it out. Last year I drove it on Christmas ever (there was no snow on the roads).

-Michael

 

My car "s tires flat spot after just a few weeks of sitting , you can feel some vibration when you drive the first few miles,then as the tires warm up it settles down. My point is if the car is going to sit a long time i would get it off the tires ,eather put it on stands or I LIKE THE NEW TIRE PADS , they are a soft rubber like surface ,that will stop flat spots. David.

 

theo - check the archives - lots of good advice in there.

once you put her down, don't start her up unless you can take her out and drive her for 20-30 minutes. and make sure you tank up, etc. afterwards.

cw is 10 lbs of additional tire pressure, though common sense should prevail generally.

i have old carpet i cut up into 1' x 2' strips - i stack those 3-5 high and then drive the (over-inflicated) tires onto those. i've never had a flatspotting problem.

make sure you don't drive it with the tires over-inflated though!

definitely put her away CLEAN. this mostly because in the spring you won't want to spend any time washing her when the weather finally clears to drive her

i stuff some steel wool into the tailpipes just in case some mice thing that might be a fun place to go (not that there aren't a dozen other places for them to go, but what the hey).

no need to remove the battery, IMO, for 3 months storage. but a trickle charger for sure.

i avoid storing on cement. i slap down 4x8 sheets of plywood and then park on top of that.

doody.

 

the stabilizer usually has instructions on it. i believe you put it in, fill 'er up, and then drive for a bit to slosh it about and mix it around (and then top the gas up again).

do a thorough visual inspection to make sure (a) nothing started leaking (i put cardboard underneath (big boxes cut open) so it's easy to see) and (b) that nothing moved in!

doody.

 

Wow, there have been some great tips mentioned here. I will try to add some more that may be of use to you. As mentioned, detail the car before putting it away and fill the gas tank with stabilzer if you want. Tires are pretty good these days as long as it is in a heated building. The largest problem you will face will be rodents. I would cover all engine openings with wire of some sort (i.e.- exhaust, intake, etc). Also, get some moth balls and stick them inside some old socks. Place the socks around your engine compartment (particulary near the wiring harness), trunk, and even the interior. The rodents can cause major problems if they get inside your beloved Italian Villa. Also, change your oil to get all the engine contaminents out of the block since they damage the engine if left for a long time (acidity). Also, this allows you to drive right off when the nice weather comes around wihtout worrying about maintence issues. Hope this helps.

 

Theo,

I've become a great supporter of car bags. I put both my cars in bags and it goes along way towards protaction and, since I live in a rural area. it's a great deterent to rodents. Also, regarding tires, I've been using neoprene tire cradles the past few winters and they work great. I've had no flat spotting at all. Car bags you can find on line. The tire cradle people advertise in Forza.

 

Theo

Fill the tank
Change the oil & filter
Dont be tempted to start the car and just let it idle.If you are going to start it,make sure you take it on a good run.
I am a big fan of Carcoons,so would recommend using one.Also the transformer doubles as a trickle charger.

Steve

 

Oh yeah the car-coons or whatever you call them are great, I use three of them, the oldest is 6 years old and works fine. Best part is no rodents and the car come out exactly as you put it in. I spent the last two weeknds getting them detailed and cleaned for the winter because when the weather get good I want to drive not clean!

 

1. What the heck is a carcoon?
2. Is it OK to run the car with stabilizer in the fuel? I'm assuming so.

Birdman

 

CARCOON is a brand name, what it is, is a plastic bubble that unzips. You drive the car on, zip up the bag, and plug it in. A small fan inflates the bag and keeps it inflated. It funnels air around the car constantly, filters dust, keeps ctitter out, and protects the car from falling object. There are many brands, all cost around $300 - $400, but well worth it.

Joel

 

You probably already started with an internet search for something like:
+winterize +car +storage

That's what I did a couple of years ago.
Here are some of the sites I bookmarked. The 1st 4-5 have the best info. There's a fair amount of overlap, but each has something unique
to contribute. Most of them still seem to be around:

http://www.thecorvettespecialist.com/winterstorage.htm
http://www.porschenet.com/winter.html
http://www.panteraplace.com/page132.htm
http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/010926/11/b0c9.html
http://www.nastyz28.com/2gcog/winter.html
http://www.salemboysauto.com/faqs/faq-41.htm
http://www.hitmantransam.com/
http://www.mame.mu.oz.au/salman/zstoring.html
http://www.caam.com/storagetips.asp
http://www.caam.com/storagetips_spring.asp
http://archives.gigo.com/crpl/2000-10/msg00143.html
http://www.carcarecouncil.org/fw01-stor.htm
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/storing.html
http://www.carcareonline.com/car_cover.html
http://mocc.freeservers.com/winterstorage.htm
http://www.fourfold.org/LR_FAQ/Series/FAQ.S.winter.storage.html

BTW, don't believe the now obsolete recommendation against storing a battery on a concrete floor to avoid 'discharging' it.I was really surprised to see it in a couple of the sites for the more serious auto enthusiasts. That tip goes back to the days of wooden battery frames around glass cells & the carbon black filled rubber cases that became more conductive when damp. Hasn't been a problem since the '60s when plastic cases became standard.

Sitting on concrete or even dirt won't hurt a modern battery. However, if the battery isn't pretty new, it's a good idea to put it on some plastic or a board just to keep any acid that might ooze out from etching the concrete.

Radial tires unlike the older bias ply tires are pretty much resistant from developing flat spots. You can ensure you won't get flat spots by inflating the tires to just about the max pressure rating molded into the sidewall. Typically 45-60 psi.

 

You might want to look at www. carbag.com as well. It's similar to the Carcoon in that it encloses the car but you are basically sealing it up with dessicant to keep the car dry and clean. Done a great job for me over the past three winters. I've also switched from a trickle charger to a battery tender. Again, the same idea but the tender reads the level of charge and only charges when it's called for.

 

Joel,

I live in a rural area where power is supplied, I think, by one extension cord running from the nearest city. Winter power outages are not uncommon. What happens with the car coon if you loose power? Is there any structure to keep the plastic from falling onto the car?

 

Tom,

I have two kinds, since the labels fell off and I couldn't recall where I got them. The original one will just fall around the car, which is bad, but it wont come down with any force, sojust be careful removing it in the spring. The other type has six loops around the perimeter, I attach bungies to the loops to keep it off the car in case of a power failure. Where I keep them was built in 1928 and so was the electrical service so power outages are common. I will find out the brand with the loops and let you know.

Joel

 

TOM,

"CAR CAPSULE" IS THE BRAND WITH STRAPS ON IT....ANDIT IS MADE IN BRITAIN...GO FIGURE!

 

Joel,

Thanks much for the info!

Tom

 

I'm on the Ferrari mailing list, and I asked a question about the Carcapsule (outdoor variety-the silver one) and a guy in England (where they're made?) said that he had heard of two instances (F40 and 365GT4) where there was paint damage (365) and external engine corrosion (F40) when using the Carcapsule. I'm trying to get more info. on them, so if anyone has used the outdoor Carcapsule could you please email me at kjtar@earthlink.net and let me know your impressions?
Thanks a lot,
Tom

 

I'm in the same boat as you..I just today stored my 87 328GTS for the first time!...I basically filled the tank up right to the top and put in fuel stabilizer..drove her a bit and parked her on top of 1" rigid insulation. My car is always covered in the garage. I will soon disconnect the battery and trickle charge it every month or so..
also you might notice that your car idles a bit quicker right when you drive off with the fuel stabilizer (at leats mine did and stabilized after a few minutes of driving).

 

Hi Theo,

In addition to pieces of carpet under the tires to prevent flat spots, I also cover the entire floor in 4 mil plastic. This works as a vapor barrier and you will be amazed at the amount of dampness that comes up through the concrete flooring. I started doing this many years ago as I have an original Boss Mustang that I wanted to prevent the floors from rotting. It has worked well and have been doing this for my 355. I also take the car out a few times in the winter to keep everything nice and lubricated.

 

heh...."Theo" made this post 6 years ago!

 

I would add that if your garage is UNHEATED, you will want to consider draining your coolant and filling with pure antifreeze, no water. I have an aluminum racing radiator, and I think last winter's negative Temps probably cracked the Ferrari's radiator. It DID crack my truck radiator that was parked outside my garage.....

 

? You mean 50/50 mixture as directed of antifreeze unless you are buying the pre mixed I think?

 

That is not correct. The freezing point of a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze is a lot lower than just pure anti-freeze. The lowest freezing point is 70% antifreeze, anything higher than that and the temperature starts back up. You can look it up.

Pure antifreeze is only good to -10 degrees F.