senicalj4579

iTrader: (41)

I had asked a sponsor how often I would have to change springs. He told me they would last longer if the car dosent sit with springs loaded for extended periods of time. So thats why I was wondering what effect if any it would have sitting half a year.
Ill worry about the springs in a few years I guess
Thanks

LS-ONE_DAY

I'm in the same boat here about storage. Last winter wasn't bad at all, I ended up driving it only slightly less than normal, which is only about once a week or so anyway. This year is supposed to snow more...I don't have a problem driving my car in the winter as long as the roads are clear so hopefully I won't have any extended periods of down-time where I can't take it out. It does kinda need an oil change though...I don't know if I should do that now or just wait til Spring. It was last changed almost a year ago which I know is a long time to wait, it was late December, with synthetic oil, I've only just put 3,000 miles on the car in those 11 months. I planned on changing it when it got to 3,000 but now I don't know if it's worth it to change right now or just wait til it warms up.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I guess I can see the thought process behind this, but if the car isn't stored and is driven consistantly during that period, then the springs will see additional wear due to usage. Either way, I'm not sure that it's fair to say that winter storage would be any harder on them than constant usage and regular cold starts in winter temps.

Same could be said for other parts of the engine as well. Some would argue that allowing an assembled engine to sit without runing for long periods can allow the piston rings to score the cylinder walls. That isn't necessarily untrue (although not a serious concern for ~6 month storage terms IMO), but the alternative (regular cold starts to prevent this) comes with it's own set of negative side-effects. Most of the wear that a typical street engine will see during a run cycle (in normal driving conditions) is due to the cold start. So whatever good you might be doing by running an engine regularly during short term (winter) storage can easily be offset by introducing additional wear from all the extra cold starts.

I guess if you are really concerned, you could do something like this...

...but personally I have never done that for winter storage, and have never had a problem.

TORK?

iTrader: (27)

Kind of on topic, but do you guys change your insurance coverage while it's stored?

Would it make a difference if it's stored in your own garage versus a winter stoarage facility?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

When I had "normal" insurance on mine, I used to drop the liability and collision portions of the policy during winter storage. Those provisions are only needed if the car is going to be in motion. Comprehensive is what covers you for all events that would/could happen when the car is just sitting.

The savings from doing this could be pretty significant if you are young and/or have a less than perfect driving record.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)