Putting the Z to bed for the winter :(

skylineGTR

I just put all my toys away for winter . Sad time indeed!

Billibob22

Sheesh time to re-locate :-)

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MacCool

You don't have any winter toys?

gbrettin

Next week is the last week for me too. My tires are bald so they are good and ready to get some flat spots.

mishuko

tentatively i'm aiming for nov 22.... i'm up in toronto ontario canadia.

got all the things ready for storage though just need to wash the car, drive down the gas and refill with some stabil, over inflate the tires, reconnect my tender and cholk the tires. oh and plug the pipes.

then stare at her for about an hour with a slow tear rolling down my cheek as i wait for 5 months patiently to unleash her on the asphalt again.

LennyK

In PENNSYLVANIA it should be that time again...

EXCEPT the weather has been Freakishly NICE...

SOOOO I keep cleaning the crap out of it / putting the cover on

AND then take it for "One Last Ride" for the year....

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littlejuanito

Kinda the opposite here in Cali. I think winter it's the best weather to drive the Z, as long as it's not raining tho. Summer's here are just way too hot to enjoy it to the fullest since you have to have AC on most of the time.

kenchan

i remember canyon carving my ride in the LA winter mornings ending up in DENSE fog often..

i took my car out there between 7am-9am, bailed before the weekend rush hour.. wasnt THAT hot in the summer.

kenchan

then in the pm headed to orange county to practice my RC car driving at the tracks...

kenchan

.. then got married and..


still motoring wheew..

Nixin

Does anyone have an official 'winter storage' checklist? I have never really stored any of my previous vehicles bit the Z will be the first. Being an avid downhill skier, I always look forward to the winter. This year, not so much.

littlejuanito

I thought you lived here in LA.

mishuko

you can search the forum but because you're also from the glorious motherland of canadia i'll make it for you.

1) oil change (debatable but most do it before storage) - some do it before and after, some do it before then drive, others wait until new season. i'm in the middle. i do it, drive it a bit out of storage and when convenient (before 5000km) oil change

2) fuel stabilzer - drive your tank to 1/4 tank. add in the small bottle of STABIL (treats 70L), top up your tank and drive a few clicks to make sure it's nice and mixed into the lines

3) wash and detail your car - varying degree. if you're going to have a car cover take it out for a rip to make sure the water gets wooshed away

4) plug your tailpipes with some wire gauze (inside or outside storage for varying reasons)

5) over inflate your tires to prevent 'squaring' - or use wheel savers or whatever. i just over inflated mine with no issue. 45psi at that.

6) open a box of baking soda and place it somewhere visible so you don't knock it over and deal with that mess after

7) hook up your battery tender - the one i have i connected to the prongs. make sure you unook the negative terminal before even playing with it. ymmv but if you shock yourself luwl too bad so sad. hope you have a policy

8) wheel cholk the car, leave in neutral, no hand brake

9) make a sticky note -> cholked wheels, tire pressure, baking soda, battery tender, plugged tail pipes for ease of remembering what you do.



some people start/stop teh car. i didn't bother. once a month i checked the tire pressures and pushed the car forward and let it roll back against the cholks to rotate the wheels a little.

uhh i think that's it

POS VETT

Chock, not "cholk". Tires won't "square", they may form a temporary flat spot.

I put away a few of my cars every year; usually about 6-7 months out of a year. Two things are the most important for me, fuel tanks must be topped off and a float charger is hooked up to each. Park the car with parking brake disengaged; chock it or put it in gear. Wash, wax, oil change, fuel stabilizer, raising tire pressures, blocking tailpipes, etc. are optional.

Tires will flat spot even when pressure is increased; my Z06 sits on these expensive soft rubber pads and its tires will still form a flat spot, but, don't worry the flat spot is temporary and it will go away. Fuel stabilizer is not needed if it's only for several months; fuel nowadays doesn't degrade like 30 years ago. It's a different story if the storage period is in decades.

Nixin

LA is also Lethbridge, Alberta, at least for us Canuks.