Winterizing tips?

[RickRa]

As the owner of a new Caterham 280, I am planning to let my baby sleep through the winter. I plan to attach it to a trickle charger (any suggestions about brands?), increase the tire pressure on the Avon tires (10 psi above recommended levels?) and add stabilizer to the gas tank(how much stabilizer?). Am I making any mistakes or leaving anything out?

[coffee break]

I use a Battery Tender on several vehicles including lawn tractor. Staybil (sp?) should do fine, it has directions.

[powderbrake]

I use a Battery Tender on several vehicles including lawn tractor. Staybil (sp?) should do fine, it has directions.

 

 

I agree.

 

I generally fill the tank completely, and while at the gas station , put in about 1 1/2 to 2 x the recommended dose of Stabil, then drive the car for about 10 miles to shake it up, and to get the stabil gas into the engine carbs or injectors. Take it home, park it, hook up the Battery Tender and forget it. It always started IMMEDIATELY in the spring.

[m wirth]

I just drive it all year long as long as the roads are dry.

[Kitcat]

The higher the octane, the more stable the gas (or so I am told). So fill with 93 octane, or even race gas if you want to splurge, after adding Stabil.The problem with winter driving, beyond the obvious, is that salt can adversely effect the car's aluminum/steel via electrolysis. When I had a street-legal Caterham, I always waited til a heavy spring rain had washed the roads clean.

[RickRa]

Thanks, all. What about tire pressures? Does anyone overinflate the tires, and if so by how much?

[Alfonse]

I jack the car up and put it on jack stands to change the oil before winter. I just leave it that way until spring. That keeps the tires from getting flat spots. My garage is heated, so the tires don't get near freezing, which Toyo says is a bad thing for the R888s.

[wemtd]

- Jack up car, put on dollies, turn sideways in back of garage to allow daily driver room indoors

- Drain gas tank: refill with fresh gas in the spring.

- Remove battery and bring indoors: re-charge in late winter.

- Cover with blankets & car cover to prevent $&% falling off wall and contacting car.

- Conduct yearly "soup to nuts" maintenance and other projects delayed in lieu of driving (this year remove squeaks from suspension bushings).

[inchoate]

Thanks, all. What about tire pressures? Does anyone overinflate the tires, and if so by how much?

 

i put 30 psi in my tires if i know the car is going to sit for more than two weeks. i don't know if it does any good, but it's not a big deal to air them down when it's time to go for a drive. i haven't had any flat spotting issues so i'll keep doing things the same way.

 

as far as the rest goes, i do like everyone else. fill the gas tank, add sta-bil, and pull the battery disconnect.

 

i'm a big believer in fuel stabilizers for long term storage. the ethanol added to gasoline these days loves to absorb water from the atmosphere and that causes all sorts of interesting issues. some of my friends with "interesting" cars will fill them up with gas before they put them away and the drain the gas tank and refill before they drive again the the spring. that seems a bit extreme to me, but i understand the thinking.

[Dave W]

I will actually drive my car if we have dry roads, may be 3 or 4 times during the winter. [i need a Seven fix!!] and yes I have a heater. I put the car in semi-storage. Tires 30+ psi, battery tender, full tank, and a car cover. But once a month, if it has not been on the road, I'll push it outside and run it for 15 minutes. I agree with inchoate, the biggest problem in the alky in the gas. DaveW

[Kitcat]

I have an old set of fossilized tires on an old set of rims that I put on for the winter, as my car is stored in an unheated garage. I take off my lightweight wheels with expensive Hoosiers and put them in my heated basement. And I guess antifreeze is a given? Like others, I use a car cover.

[oilteq]

I have not seen any data that indicates higher octane gasoline is more stable. However, I have seen plenty of articles indicating E10 is less stable than ethanol-free gasoline, but it is not a choice in many states.

 

An oil change is also a good idea going into storage. You want the rust inhibitors at their strongest as the big temperature swings approach. Nobody wants to hear it, but generally, petroleum oils are more effective at stopping rust than synthetics.

 

Blaine