winter storage

[Deeplakes]

As soon as the salt hits the roads

Fuel Stabilizer into a full tank
Sheet of plastic under the car which I tuck under the cover
Pump up tires to 44 PSI
Battery Tender
Ring the outside with Mickey Mouse Traps


Pine all winter until the Spring

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[Jimmy]

I live north of Toronto and I will be driving mine all winter. It's just a Mustang, not a Ferrari. Get you a set of winter tires and you're good to go.

With the advanced rust protection all modern cars come with these days, rust isn't really an issue.

 

[tokuzumi]

I live north of Toronto and I will be driving mine all winter. It's just a Mustang, not a Ferrari. Get you a set of winter tires and you're good to go.

With the advanced rust protection all modern cars come with these days, rust isn't really an issue.

Rust is definitely less of an issue than previous decades, but after about 10 years in the salt belt, cars are ready for the crusher. Coating the car in rust prevention, such as Fluid Film goes a long way, along with rinsing the undercarriage after driving in salt. But all that is still just borrowed time.

 

[Schwerin]

Only storing for the winter I'd not bother changing the oil Black Labs have said as much after seeing oil from people that have done 0 oil changes based on time and ONLY on mileage. The case that comes to mind was a guy that went 2yrs without changing and stored his vehicle for winter. His results were just fine and they said he could have gone longer without changing it.

 

[Schwerin]

Coming from marine applications/storing boats over the winter. I’d fill up with premium non-ethanol and use fuel stabilizer. It will help minimize moisture absorption/condensation in fuel. 2 cents

Good luck finding that.

I drive it through winter and store it outside overnight.

Grant it I'm not in a snow area like Ontario, but I did the same for 7+yrs in my Mach1. Just slapped on some good snow rubber and I was out there driving the roads while everyone else around me was in a pickup, Jeep or SUV. People looked at me like I was nuts, but I never got stuck.

 

[Osofast]

Drive it through the winter, power slide all the corners and perfect my drifting abilities at 5am when no one is out on the road

 

[tokuzumi]

Good luck finding that.

Using this site;

https://www.pure-gas.org

There is a station just by my house that has 90 octane ethanol free. Not quite premium (in Georgia, a lot of stations have 93 octane for premium), but better than 87 and 89.

 

[5.0 lee2]

Using this site;

https://www.pure-gas.org

There is a station just by my house that has 90 octane ethanol free. Not quite premium (in Georgia, a lot of stations have 93 octane for premium), but better than 87 and 89.

Or if you have a lake/river/etc. nearby most likely some of the service stations catering to boaters have this. Probably the one pump in a random location. Sad thing is I pay $3.59 for premium e10/15 locally vs. $3.99 for straight premium gas when I go out of town for the weekend.

 

[tokuzumi]

I have access to plenty of lakes within a 2 hour drive, but every other person here has a landscaping business and uses ethanol free gas for their lawn equipment.

 

[Johnnybee]

I drive it through winter and store it outside overnight.

I was gonna like this but then I looked where you are. Cheeky. That's what I do too, except mine is in the garage overnight.

I guess if you've got the funds for an extra car and space to store the Mustang through the winter months you're lucky. Or maybe you're happy taking the bus during that time. Not me. I bought the car to drive. Stone chips and dead bugs rule! It got Krown'd in October (and will again this year), if the top needs it, 303 Fabric Guard, swap out the carpet mats with the Weather Techs, winter rubber all around and driven in whatever comes my way.

Anyway, enough about me. To the OP, pretty much everything that was said above. When I stored my British stuff, I changed the oil right before storage, topped up the tank (with stabilizer) and removed the battery to warm storage. Some people pump up the tires (like to 40 lbs) but I didn't and never had any problems with flat spotting. Also ignore any urge to start the car up and let it idle, that is harder on it than sitting.

 

[StangTime]

You're a brave man driving a soft-top in a Canadian winter. I hope your heater works real good.

 

[Schwerin]

Using this site;

https://www.pure-gas.org

There is a station just by my house that has 90 octane ethanol free. Not quite premium (in Georgia, a lot of stations have 93 octane for premium), but better than 87 and 89.

I've had a few stations on that site be wrong so I just dont trust it.

 

[tokuzumi]

With anything crowd sourced, it's going to have inaccuracies. I try to check the dates when users leave records. If it's a year ago, I assume it's no longer there. The station by my house had several recent records, even one a few days prior, so I was certain I was acting on credible information.

 

[nastang87xx]

A few things:

Flat spotting on most road going tires is a thing of the past. Stored my 350 on bare concrete with absolutely no issues with flat spotting on Pilot Super Sports. Pump those tires up to 40psi and you'll be fine.

There is ZERO, zip zilch, nada reason to be starting your car up to just shut it back off again without going anywhere. You're just putting extra wear on the engine for no reason with those types of hard crank overs. "BUT NASTANG WHAT ABOUT THE FLUIDS!" Shut up, they'll circulate again when you turn the car over next spring in temps that aren't going to completely make your car choke on a hairball.

Fuel stabilizer = good. And yes, fill your tank.

Get a cover. Doesn't need to be fancy.

I'm not advocating leaving your battery but last year I completely forgot to disconnect my battery and remove it. It was dead dead deader. Spent like 20 minutes on a charger at full blast to get the car turned over. But that battery still is going strong, I routinely see 14v. It's also the original battery that came from the factory.

 

[Qcman17]

My Mustang will be parked for the winter in my unheated garage. Like the Camaro before it. I put vinyl tarps on the concrete floor. (Concrete is corrosive & gives off lots of moisture too). I put 4 squares of plywood under the tires. Fill the tank and add stabilizer. Pump the tires up maybe 5 psi more. Put battery tender on it. Go out from time to time to look at it and cry!

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