Undercoating for winter/other solutions?

[HourlyB]

So, I'm planning to start prepping my "new" 5.0 for the Massachusetts winter in November, and I'm already planning to run 235/50 R18 Bridgestone Blizzak WS80's on the stock rims, but I want to protect the undercarriage from rust as well. The fly in the ointment is that next spring, I want to modify the suspension (Here's a link to my thread asking for advice and the set up list; https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...on-recommendations.128357/page-4#post-2659196)
so a heavy coating that does not come off is not really desirable, since that might hinder being able to remove components. I have trucking buddies that use the ol' oil on the undercarriage method, but there's just something in my gut that doesn't want to spray oil on the underside of my car.
The conditions I'm going to be driving in are;

• Massachusetts winter (salted roads, snow, bad roads in general. You know how it is)
• Commute; ~35 minutes on the highway for 2 days, then only 15 minutes of driving to the train station for the other 3 (however the car will be sitting in a not covered parking lot for ~9 hours, which while not as bad as being driven on the highway, is still not great. I could try and switch to the covered Braintree lot for the winter)
• Experience; I've never driven a muscle/sports car in this kind of weather, however I have a light foot and I am probably on the wrong side of cautious

So far, here are the options I have lined up;

1. Oil Undercoating (specifically NH Oil undercoating) - A local exhaust shop is offering undercar coatings, so that definitely is tempting. The main question is if this coating will wear off with daily driving in the winter/will it need to be reapplied?
2. Lanolin Undercoating - A thicker grease type undercoating, a friend of mine with a WRX had good experience with this, but he's the only one I know who's used it and it's more expensive too.

Does anyone have any other suggestions, or which option has worked well for them? Thanks in advance!

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[Blue Moon]

I asked the dealership in Maine (Ripley & Fletcher) to undercoat mine as soon as it was delivered to them. It's been driven through 3 winters now, soon to be 4, and I haven't seen any corrosion yet. I've made a few minor mods down there, subframe braces and vertical links, and I had no problem working through the undercoating. I was just underneath it today, changing oil and manual transmission fluid, and it still looks pretty good.

 

[EFI]

Honestly, unless you take everything off and properly sand and prep the surfaces then coat them, you're not going to have great results and longevity. Simply spraying coating all over the bottom of the car as is will look like crap and not last long.

But my question is, why do you think you need this? Do you plan on keeping this vehicle for the next 20+ years and want it to last? Do you absolutely dislike the look of surface rust?

 

[HourlyB]

Honestly, unless you take everything off and properly sand and prep the surfaces then coat them, you're not going to have great results and longevity. Simply spraying coating all over the bottom of the car as is will look like crap and not last long.

But my question is, why do you think you need this? Do you plan on keeping this vehicle for the next 20+ years and want it to last? Do you absolutely dislike the look of surface rust?

More the former than the latter. This car is basically my dream car, and I want to keep it in as good condition as possible while still using it as a daily.

 

[HourlyB]

Honestly, unless you take everything off and properly sand and prep the surfaces then coat them, you're not going to have great results and longevity. Simply spraying coating all over the bottom of the car as is will look like crap and not last long.

But my question is, why do you think you need this? Do you plan on keeping this vehicle for the next 20+ years and want it to last? Do you absolutely dislike the look of surface rust?

Sorry for double posting, but I'm also planning to work underneath the car and figured that trying to prevent rusting/corrosion would help make performing the mods in the springtime that much easier.

 

[EFI]

IMO you're overthinking it. While it's possible, it would be a major undertaking to do properly. You'd have to strip out everything underneath (including the subframes) leaving a bare underbody and then do alot of prepwork.

Plus, the biggest issue with working on a car that's been through winter is the bolts themselves, with water and salt getting in them and seizing them. You'd have to undo and replace every single bolt under the car with coated ones and antiseize.

Not sure how much that is worth or beneficial.

 

[HourlyB]

IMO you're overthinking it. While it's possible, it would be a major undertaking to do properly. You'd have to strip out everything underneath (including the subframes) leaving a bare underbody and then do alot of prepwork.

Plus, the biggest issue with working on a car that's been through winter is the bolts themselves, with water and salt getting in them and seizing them. You'd have to undo and replace every single bolt under the car with coated ones and antiseize.

Not sure how much that is worth or beneficial.

I'm guessing you drive in the Boston winter, how does your Mustang look underneath? Or do you use a beater?

 

[EFI]

I've been driving both my Mustang and previous performance cars in New England winters for the past 11 years. This is the Mustang's 4th winter and while some of the parts do have corrosion (diff, some bolts, axles, brakes, suspension bits) the actual body itself is flawless and still the same finish as from the factory. That's really what you have to worry about, body or frame rust. Suspension parts and stuff rusting is no biggie unless you want a show car underneath.

Those are the parts that are mainly going to look bad after winter. And it's surface rust, nothing that will be destroyed anytime soon.

 

[Trptguy]

I agree with EFI. I know some people hate touches washes, but I have found them invaluable in the winter to be able to wash the underside of my car to also get rid of salt buildup. This summer I finally added an outdoor hot water spigot so I can now do that myself.

 

[HourlyB]

A car wash near me offers unlimited car washes for $30 a month, including a undercarriage rinse. Should I get a monthly membership and take it every week or so in the winter so that salt gets washed off?
Also, any opinion on ceramic coating? Or any other body protection coating?

 

[ForYourOwnGood]

A car wash near me offers unlimited car washes for $30 a month, including a undercarriage rinse. Should I get a monthly membership and take it every week or so in the winter so that salt gets washed off?
Also, any opinion on ceramic coating? Or any other body protection coating?

I don't drive my mustang in the winter but I've been putting my 07 Malibu through the wash with undercarriage rinse during the winter every week or two (depending on temp and salt levels) and it has almost no rust. Seems to work really well.

 

[PUNISHER7772]

Check out CRC Marine Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor. I don't drive my car in the winter but I just undercoated my wifes new Ecosport. There are some really good reviews on youtube about undercoating and is why I chose CRC.

 

[Blownmach1]

Kind of a hard call...if I saw undercoat on a mustang I was interested in I would not buy it......if you wanna hide it use clear undercoat and do a good undercarriage wash in the spring........to do a decent job I spray a mix of bar and chain and high heat black Rust-Oleum.....looks great on my trucks...but again not what I would use on my mustang....

 

[Sean709]

I dont use mine in the winter but when I do the underside of pro street cars I use textured chip guard. Sem has a very strong nice rattle can chip guard in black very low gloss. Looks nice and is clean and not sticky nasty dirt holding rubber undercoat. just clean it and scuff it with 3m scotch brite then prep salt first.

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