GT 350 Winter storage

[RedRaptorME]

Hi.

Just purchased a 2017 gt 350 in lightning blue with convenance package and 11,000 miles. No over the top racing stripe. Where I am in the northeast it will not see actual driving conditions until the snow is gone and the winter sand comes off the roads.

Just wondering on a couple of things. One is winter storage. The Gt 350 will be parked in my garage at 55-60 degrees. I was wondering if it is absolutely essential that the car be put on scissor jacks to protect the tires. I have gotten 2 different answers on this from people that store there mustangs for the winter. I have owned other performance cars and never done it and never noticed the difference.

The other question I have is, are most of you taking the battery out and trickle charging it or are you leaving the battery in and just hooking the battery tender to it during storage ?

Any help would be appreciated.

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[johnny1]

Can't answer on jacks but no reason to take battery out. I don't think any one does. Just connect a trickle charger to the battery. Some have different preferences but I always bought Battery Tender one at Walmart (little over 50 bucks for Battery Tender Plus). Hard wired it (theirs posts of another way to do it) to the battery and run the quick connect wire up through the corner of the right headlight. You do have to raise the hood to plug and unplug the disconnect. Once its fully charged the battery you will get a solid green light. I put the actual charger on the floor in front of car. Just periodically look to see you still have the solid green light and go on your way till spring. You can leave it connected like that for months, no problem.

 

[barstowpo]

I have mine on a trickle charger and on metal tire dollies. The dollies allow me to tuck it in the garage and are curved. Hopefully this reduces the potential for flat spotting. I suspect the tires would normalize after a few miles of driving anyway.

 

[RedRaptorME]

Thank you very much.

 

[RedRaptorME]

Can't answer on jacks but no reason to take battery out. I don't think any one does. Just connect a trickle charger to the battery. Some have different preferences but I always bought Battery Tender one at Walmart (little over 50 bucks for Battery Tender Plus). Hard wired it (theirs posts of another way to do it) to the battery and run the quick connect wire up through the corner of the right headlight. You do have to raise the hood to plug and unplug the disconnect. Once its fully charged the battery you will get a solid green light. I put the actual charger on the floor in front of car. Just periodically look to see you still have the solid green light and go on your way till spring. You can leave it connected like that for months, no problem.

Thank you very much. You have never worried about flat spotting the tires due to them being parked for 3-4 months ?

 

[RedRaptorME]

I have mine on a trickle charger and on metal tire dollies. The dollies allow me to tuck it in the garage and are curved. Hopefully this reduces the potential for flat spotting. I suspect the tires would normalize after a few miles of driving anyway.

I hate to seem naive , but what are tire dollies ? I have heard of placing the vehicle on jacks, but tire dollies ?

 

[AdamIsAdam]

I've had several cars stored over the years and never experienced flat spotting... Until my current 996. It happens after just a few weeks. It takes a solid 10-15 minutes of highway diving before it goes away.

I had heard of people putting carpet or padding under the tires to help reduce this, as well as adding more air to the tires. So I decided to try it. Harbor freight sells work area mats that come in packs of 4 party large panels for about $6. Well, they REALLY WORK! So I now park any long term storage (and always the 911) on thr pads.

Battery tender Jr. They are cheap and with great. About $30.

Keep gas tank full and add sta-bill

 

[nastang87xx]

When it comes to winter storage think about dealership lots and how long some of those cars sit out there.......

Don't overthink it.

 

[Bink]

My car was parked for nearly 5 months last year. Filled the tires up to ~40 and parked on some carpet squares (stacked a few up), no flat spots at all when I finally got to drive it. Similar to what was mentioned above, I hook up a Battery Tender and add some Sta-Bill to the tank which I fill with non-ethanol gas. After all that, put on the cover and dream about spring.

 

[AdamIsAdam]

When it comes to winter storage think about dealership lots and how long some of those cars sit out there.......

Don't overthink it.

Main difference is: they have no vested interest in those cars long term.

But if you were to follow one piece of advice regarding storage: DO NOT START THE CAR AND LET IT "WARM UP" IF YOU ARE NOT TAKING IT FOR A DRIVE! All engineers agree, this is the most harmful thing you can do. Modern oil inside of an engine will stay in the critical areas enough that you are not starting it truly dry (which is the reason given for starting the car once in a while). And even if it did, then don't you want to only dry start that car as infrequently as possible? Also, idling is bad and doesn't evenly warm up an engine and does nothing for the rest of the drive train.

As to the rest of the storage ideas: there's TONS of info out there you can read with suggestions on how to do it. From "park it and forget it" to storing it on jack stands placed under the suspension (not frame), and also don't forget about keeping rodents away.

 

[nastang87xx]

But if you were to follow one piece of advice regarding storage: DO NOT START THE CAR AND LET IT "WARM UP" IF YOU ARE NOT TAKING IT FOR A DRIVE!

I've been telling people this again and again and again and again...seems to hit deaf ears constantly.

 

[TMully06]

My GT350 is now in its 3rd year of storage (for 4-5 months at a time) - my process is as follows:

• Wash & car cover - note that you want to ensure car is very dry (let it dry for a day) before putting on the cover or you will trap moisture, moisture is your enemy
• Battery tender - works great
• Full tank of gas with sta-bill in the tank (unless you have access to ethanol free fuel which is the best option)
• Fill tires to ~40 PSI and park on flat stoppers (although I think some carpet squares would be just as good) - key in my opinion is to get them off the cement to avoid contact with the cold surface (which is constantly changing with weather)
• I run a fan under the car as well as a dehumidifier in the garage (minimizing moisture's ability to collect and sit anywhere on the car)

Some of these may be a little overkill in peoples minds... but I want to keep the car in the best shape I can for the next 40+ years.

 

[AdamIsAdam]

My GT350 is now in its 3rd year of storage (for 4-5 months at a time) - my process is as follows:

• Wash & car cover - note that you want to ensure car is very dry (let it dry for a day) before putting on the cover or you will trap moisture, moisture is your enemy
• Battery tender - works great
• Full tank of gas with sta-bill in the tank (unless you have access to ethanol free fuel which is the best option)
• Fill tires to ~40 PSI and park on flat stoppers (although I think some carpet squares would be just as good) - key in my opinion is to get them off the cement to avoid contact with the cold surface (which is constantly changing with weather)
• I run a fan under the car as well as a dehumidifier in the garage (minimizing moisture's ability to collect and sit anywhere on the car)

Some of these may be a little overkill in peoples minds... but I want to keep the car in the best shape I can for the next 40+ years.

The fan is good. I have one too (forgot to turn it on, actually lol). I used to have a storage garage rental and it was partially below grade, so moisture was high (which is why I left there). But when I was researching the subject, what I learned, aside from dew points being a very important factor rather than just humidity levels, is that moisture in the air is like sugar in your glass of iced tea. If you keep stirring the drink, the sugar will be float around suspended in the water. But if you let the drink sit still, that sugar settles on the bottom of the glass. Same holds true for moisture in the air. If the air is moving, you're much less inclined to have moisture sit on your car, tools, wires, etc. And fans are cheap to run. Plus, as an added bonus, many living things dislike moving air (bugs, critters to some extent). Ie, Outside ceiling fans help keep mosquitoes away in the summer.

 

[RedRaptorME]

Everyone's replies and help are very much appreciated ! Thank you.

As far as the battery tender, I do not plan on taking the battery out of the gt 350 and charging it, so can I just charge it from under the hood ? I know I can just put the question out there to see how most of you guys are doing it.

Next question is I do not have a harbor freight in maine. Is there any other place you can buy work mats that are large enough to park the gt 350 on without backing in and out of the garage ten times, Lowes or Home Depot ?

 

[Muligan]

My process is similar to what others have mentioned... clean, dry, battery tender, full of fresh (non-ethanol) fuel, tires up to 50 lbs, and a cover. To that I add that it's stored in a heated shop that is kept at 60+ degrees and is in a CarJacket (with desiccant pouches) to extract moisture out of the air in the bag.

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