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Winter storage - what should be done?

troverman

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So, living in NH, my 2020 GT is about to go into an unheated garage until mid April next year. This is the first winter with my Mustang and I was curious about how winter storage should be handled.

-Disconnect battery or not? (No power in garage for tender)
-Overinflate the tires to help prevent flat spots?
-Fill tank with premium, dump in some Stabil?

Anything else?

Car has about 4200 miles on it. Should the oil change be now or in the spring?
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Zooks527

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Full tank with Stabil
Battery disconnected
Mothballs around tires
Tomcat or similar mouse poison traps refilled regularly
Change the oil in the spring.

Now, I'm not that far south of you. For mine, the square setup 245-45/19 Pilot Alpin 5 tires on 19x9 Ford Performance Boss 302 wheels are going on, likely this weekend, for any days when it's nice out and the salt slush is not around.
 

RTR077

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In addition, I used to add a a couple of damprid/absorbent pouches inside the cabin to prevent moldy/musty odors. I also covered the exhaust pipes to prevent critters from getting in.
 

quikcolin

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How many lbs should our tires be inflated to for storage?
 

Dana Pants

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In addition to above, wash it, wax it, put on a cover.

The tires won’t flat spot, 35 psi is fine.

Animals are your biggest risk by far. Do everything you can to keep ‘em away and make sure they don’t move in.

Maybe you will find me cruising around NH. The blue GT with TIRE RACK on the windshield and studded snow tires.
 

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I Bleed Ford Blue

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I do 40 psi, or you can look at the sidewall and use the max recommended psi from the tire manufacturer.
 
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troverman

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Maybe you will find me cruising around NH. The blue GT with TIRE RACK on the windshield and studded snow tires.
There's a guy in town with an S550 Bullitt and he drives it all winter. I don't want the underside of the car to rot out from salt, so I'll keep it parked.
 

The Demon

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In addition to above, wash it, wax it, put on a cover.
When I lived in Illinois the covers I used were drive on car storage bags. Drive onto it and zip the entire car up in it with several desicant bags inside.
 

Roger Blose

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Change the oil before storage to get rid of acid. Drive the car up onto rigid foam home insulation panels to keep the tires from flat spotting. Wash and wax the car before parking and buy a cheap indoor car cover. Inspect it once a month for rodent issues. You may want to start the car once a month for 15 minutes to charge the battery and dry out the exhaust system. Alway store with a full tank of fuel.
 

opengl

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You may want to start the car once a month for 15 minutes to charge the battery and dry out the exhaust system.
This is bad advice and I wish it would stop getting parroted. Unless you're going to drive it, don't start it. You're wearing the battery, and more importantly putting unnecessary wear on the engine. The oil will never come up to temperature idling, and you will not burn off any moisture doing that. Hook it up to a battery tender instead.
 

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luc

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Change the oil before storage to get rid of acid. Drive the car up onto rigid foam home insulation panels to keep the tires from flat spotting. Wash and wax the car before parking and buy a cheap indoor car cover. Inspect it once a month for rodent issues. You may want to start the car once a month for 15 minutes to charge the battery and dry out the exhaust system. Alway store with a full tank of fuel.
Starting the car without getting the oil hot enough (212*) to boil out the acidic brew that is a byproduct of combustion, is a very bad idea
Not sure where this idea came from….
 

I Bleed Ford Blue

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The OP does not have power in the garage to plug in a battery tender, so his only options are to start it periodically or remove the battery completely and take it in the house and charge it there. Otherwise he will have a dead battery after 5-6 months of sitting in the cold of winter.
 

opengl

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The OP does not have power in the garage to plug in a battery tender, so his only options are to start it periodically or remove the battery completely and take it in the house and charge it there. Otherwise he will have a dead battery after 5-6 months of sitting in the cold of winter.
Then just pull the battery and bring it inside. Not difficult.
 
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ICU812

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vARMENTS DO NOT LIKE dRIER SHEETS, sO A FEW bounce drier sheets in the interior, the trunk, under hood. with a note on window to remember to remove the sheets before start up.
I like to use a battery tender and not unhook the battery, as I like to start mine every few weeks get it warm.
Mouse killer in garage . Damp rid in the interior. And balls in the tail pipes, If I am not going to start it all winter, I open the air cleaner box, and block off the inlet to the engine or the box. so it doesn't become a home for something, again, I put a note on the drivers door glass, so I remove it before I try to start it. I like to put the vehicle on stands So when I run it, I can put it in gear and keep the drive train seals from getting dry.
 

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I've already heard of 2 local house fires that started in the garage caused by "battery chargers". Is the fire risk of trickle chargers worth it? Could I just do a proper supervised battery charge say once a month and keep the battery healthy?

A quick google search results in a lot of destroyed cars/motorcycles at the hands of battery chargers left unattended.

Thoughts?
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