Is anyone else in northern climates just getting their S550 out of hibernation? How does it feel?

[Tayley]

We still have lots of snow on the ground where I am. Calling for more snow this weekend and next week. I won't get mine out until the end of April or early May. We are still snowmobiling! Lol

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[Carbide]

It's still downhill skiing season here.

 

[Jerry Carguy]

It's the salt under the car in all the crevices that will start rusting.

Of course, I have a 4 post lift. I can get 99.99% effectiveness. Highly recommend a lift.

It's the salt under the car in all the crevices that will start rusting.

Have a 4-post lift, can rinse everything, then squeegee out the water. I will get the car up in the air soon and see what more I can do to protect the ferrous components. Aluminum stuff is less prone to corrosion, and many parts can be undercoated or painted. And I still am careful choosing which days to drive it.

 

[Hack]

I haven't bought winter tires for it, so it just hasn't been warm enough to drive mine yet. This winter/spring have been colder than normal, but it's typical for the morning temperatures at this time of year to be too cold for the Pirellis anyway. I think the average high right now is supposed to be lower 50s. Today we got up to the lower 30s. I think the minimum temperature for my tires is 40. So probably another few weeks before I can drive it.

But I got some all season 4S Michelins for the FiST and I'm enjoying having more traction, at least.

 

[LSchicago]

Of course, I have a 4 post lift. I can get 99.99% effectiveness. Highly recommend a lift.

Have a 4-post lift, can rinse everything, then squeegee out the water. I will get the car up in the air soon and see what more I can do to protect the ferrous components. Aluminum stuff is less prone to corrosion, and many parts can be undercoated or painted. And I still am careful choosing which days to drive it.

Still not going to stop the rust. Only way is for it never to see salt at all, and no more rain/water than necessary. Compare yours to mine in 10 years and you will see.

 

[Bobn57]

I have mine at work today...sunny and 49F on the way to 62!
First time out since I put on the ceramic coating last weekend.

 

[Strokerswild]

Still not going to stop the rust. Only way is for it never to see salt at all, and no more rain/water than necessary. Compare yours to mine in 10 years and you will see.

Yep, there's a reason for the saying "rust never sleeps"....

 

[Johnnybee]

I bought mine to daily and enjoy, not store for 5 months of the year. I've been down that road in my past with British sports cars that sat over the winter. I have mine Krown'd every year, put a couple of good coats of wax on it and this past fall managed to get two coats of 303 Fabric Guard on the top. It will never be a collector car and while I don't go out of my way to put it in harm's way (having the working from home flexibility), if it has to go out, it does. Most likely in retirement it will see far less service in winter, but I'm not sure that it will ever go completely unused. This past January and February were brutal here and didn't allow for any top down driving (already more than several runs this month), but 2021 saw top down driving in every month of the year.

 

[Torinate]

We still have lots of snow on the ground where I am. Calling for more snow this weekend and next week. I won't get mine out until the end of April or early May. We are still snowmobiling! Lol

Jeez... How far north are you? Our trails here (Guelph / Kitchener) are all bare. Even the 8 foot snowbank by my driveway is gone...

 

[Jerry Carguy]

Still not going to stop the rust. Only way is for it never to see salt at all, and no more rain/water than necessary. Compare yours to mine in 10 years and you will see.

Agreed, but you are describing a Garage Queen museum vehicle. Like I said, 99% of corrosion can be dealt with if you catch it early enough. It's called surface rust. I know all the science. I ran the Corrosion Group for 10 years back at Ford Engineering. We did corrosion surveys all through the rust belt....all the way up to Nova Scotia and down to Miami. We found the chassis problem areas, anything safety related, or warranty affected on the vehicle such as perforation of suspension components, fuel and brake lines, fuel tank and straps, exhaust... any and all chassis components. I served on the SAE Corrosion task force, designed test procedures for laboratory and vehicle corrosion testing at the Arizona Proving Grounds facility.

There are such things as Barrier Coatings and surface treatments that help greatly in preventing corrosion. When I get this brand new GT in the air the first time I will perform any protection it needs.

 

[LSchicago]

Agreed, but you are describing a Garage Queen museum vehicle. Like I said, 99% of corrosion can be dealt with if you catch it early enough. It's called surface rust. I know all the science. I ran the Corrosion Group for 10 years back at Ford Engineering. We did corrosion surveys all through the rust belt....all the way up to Nova Scotia and down to Miami. We found the chassis problem areas, anything safety related, or warranty affected on the vehicle such as perforation of suspension components, fuel and brake lines, fuel tank and straps, exhaust... any and all chassis components. I served on the SAE Corrosion task force, designed test procedures for laboratory and vehicle corrosion testing at the Arizona Proving Grounds facility.

There are such things as Barrier Coatings and surface treatments that help greatly in preventing corrosion. When I get this brand new GT in the air the first time I will perform any protection it needs.

More of a drag car/ nice Sunday driver. Museum cars are never driven. Mine will never be rusty while I own it.

 

[boostmark]

Mine sits the winters and rain days out. Has never seen salt but we had some temps in the 70`s last week so I took the car out for a spin and had a smile on my face after a little pull, up until I shifted back to 3 gear and it was GONE. I now have a Ben Calimer stage 2 trans waiting to go in this week. Only took 2 days to get it. Going to go with a MGW race spec short throw at the same time. New clutch 6k ago. I never wanted to remove the trans again. Getting to old for this shit.

 

[Aramis76]

Up here the snow is starting to go away, but now comes pothole season, almost as deadly.

Mine is a weekend car, garage kept and has been sleeping since mid-november.
I suspect i'll be taking it out in late april, before that would be no fun since some roads have more holes than asphalt left...

 

[WildHorse]

I bought mine to daily and enjoy

Me too. BUT I have a winter beater. So the Mustang gets put away from November-ish till April-ish. By then the snow/salt/brine/beat-juice/potholes should be all gone. So it doesn't bother me one bit to store it. Just gotta get use to that bump in horsepower from 170 to 400+ Haha.

 

[Tayley]

Jeez... How far north are you? Our trails here (Guelph / Kitchener) are all bare. Even the 8 foot snowbank by my driveway is gone...

My cottage is north of Bancroft. I store my car there.

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