1. Inflate tires to a solid PSI (40?) and place on Flatstopper ramps. Is there another option? Read a few people say it's unnecessary, some use mats?
Not really necessary unless they are Vintage Bias-Ply Tires or you're storing it for years.

2. Battery maintainer -- Motomaster Eliminator Precision Series 1.5A -- hooked up directly to the battery in the garage, which can get a bit chilly on the coldest days but still way nicer than outside. But after reading, don't want to detach the battery from the car? Seems better to leave it?
I used a battery maintainer for the first year.

3. Car Cover
Yes! Covercraft or Coverking

4. Add Stabil to full tank, take for a quick drive to mix it in
Yep.

5. Thorough cleaning in and out
Always before you cover it.

6. Recently took it in for service in July, so assuming all liquids are fine until the Spring when I'll take it for service again

7. Cancel insurance for the winter months
I don't know how it is in Canada but here in the US they charge extra when putting back a car that was kept uninsured. I think you can suspend it?

I have State Farm and I suspend the insurance, except to cover for theft or damage while stored.
I wash the car, let it stand for about two or three days after taking out the battery to make sure that it is dry and then I put a car cover on it before putting it in a car bag with desiccants.

That video link is complete BS. In a closed fuel system no moisture will get into fuel. His test jars are all open to the atmosphere. Unless you leave gas cap off the vehicle, that's not a valid test,

1) Clean the car inside and outside

2) Inflate tires to 40 PSI just to be safe

3) Change oil and filter

4) Go to gas station and put in some 91 ethanol free gas and fuel stabilizer

5) Drive car to get up to temp

6) Put steel wool in the exhaust pipe

7) Hook up to battery tender

8) Use a cheese grater to grate some irish spring soap to put on the mats in the car to keep a fresh smell and potential critters out

9) Put stoppers on back tires and front tires with the parking brake disengaged and the car in neutral


10) I do not use a car cover, I just use quick detail spray while the car is in the garage and if it accumulated dust that isn't to my liking

11) Periodically come into the garage and stare a the car wondering why you didn't enjoy it more in the nice weather and count the days down

Also DO NOT start the car up unless you will be getting it up to temps also cancel insurance so that it stops on the first of the month or whatever day you started it.

Wash and wax the Z. Drive into the garage. Put on the battery tender. Suspend insurance. Cover with bed sheets. Start on winter project. Remove sheets as needed. My garage is in my basement. So it's 68F to 70F year round. :tup:

I do most of what is in this thread, except I put in more than 40psi. Living in a colder climate area, I put in at least 45psi (max is like 51 I think). Figure, you lose 1 psi for every 10 degree temp drop and lose 1 psi about every month.. Going with only 40, I'd probably be back to normal 35psi by January with at least 3 more months of storage remaining..
Probably doesn't make much of a difference anyways.. just throwing it out there.
I think it was mentioned to fill the tank with gas (+ Stabil).. filling is also supposed to help in reducing the amount of air exposure to the fuel..

Hello fellow Calgarian!

What temperature does everyone feel should determine it’s time to put it to sleep

Once the temperature gets low enough, that you run the risk of city crews deploying salt, and you run the risk of unknowingly driving over it and getting it all over your Z.

It's not daytime temperatures you should be concerned about; but night time low temperatures.

I make sure to get my Z off the road before the first night where the temperature dips below 4°C (40°F). If you don't, you are going to be spraying salt (and salt dust, and maybe even brine) all over the undercarriage of your beautiful Z.

While some city crews may start deploying salt with nightly lows at closer to 0°C, there's no way to know for sure what level of discretion they use to decide at exactly what temperature threshold to do it at. Some city manager in a certain area that you will drive through may order the roads salted with just a 3°C nightly low, so I play it safe. I cut off the Z with 4°C nightly lows... to never see the road again until April or May, after at least a week or two of steady rainfall to wash away the winter's worth of salt.

PS. I find private property managers can be even more over-zealous than the city crews. The first place I always see salt every fall is a mall near my house where they start deploying huge amounts of salt all over the mall parking lot when nightly lows hit just around 3-4°C. I'm guessing they really don't want to see a lawsuit due to a accident on their property.

Same here. It’s not about the cold temperatures or the snow. It’s the road salt that determines when it’s time to put my Z away. My Z doesn’t come back out in the spring until there’s been a good rainfall to wash it away.

Can Fuel Stabilizer Kill Your Motorcycle? Comparison Test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chsGBhB5g7o