Question.

slantback37

slantback37

Senior Member
What do you do with your car or truck in the Winter?? I have been jacking it up. Taking off the wheels and tires and carting them down the basement stairs.. Do I really need to do this?? I mean can I just jack it up, and put blocks under the frame with the tires off the floor and leave it in a unheated garage.. I have been doing this for years. Those tires are over 20 years old, and have no miles on them. I now have COPD, and it starting to get hard bringing those wheels and tires up and down the basement stairs. I would like to use those tires. Thanks.. Al
 
slantback37 said:
Those tires are over 20 years old, and have no miles on them.... I would like to use those tires. Thanks.. Al
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When?

Drive 'em as often as possible is my motto.

But to be helpful. I bought a car last summer that had 1984 tires on it. Drove several months, but dropped about $1400 on rubber recently. Much more confidence!
 
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slantback37 said:
What do you do with your car or truck in the Winter?? I have been jacking it up. Taking off the wheels and tires and carting them down the basement stairs.. Do I really need to do this?? I mean can I just jack it up, and put blocks under the frame with the tires off the floor and leave it in a unheated garage.. I have been doing this for years. Those tires are over 20 years old, and have no miles on them. I now have COPD, and it starting to get hard bringing those wheels and tires up and down the basement stairs. I would like to use those tires. Thanks.. Al
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I put Non-Oxygenated fuel in the tank (filler up) along with Sta-Bil or SeaFoam.
I wash the car, treat the tires with Formula 303 and cover it all with a quality car cover and cheap moving blankets - but before that I put Bounce Dryer sheets all over the floor inside the car along with a can of storage desiccant to control humidity. The dryer sheets also get wrapped around wiring under the hood. Mice seem to hate the stuff and I've not had a problem with them in 20+ years now.
Charge the battery all the way up, disconnect the ground cable from the battery. You can get an inexpensive battery maintainer if you have power.
I plug the tailpipes with something to keep critters out.
I've jacked the car and put it on jack stands on some really old belted tires. Most of my radial tire cars just get parked on a piece of plywood or on skates if I'm shoving the car into a corner.
I'm getting 4 of my vehicles ready as per above right now.

I will say that tires that are 20 years old may no longer be safe to drive on..
 
Can't drive it yet. No interior, and no glass. I got a real good deal on American Racing wheels with new Kumho tires that I could not pass up. I am trying to get the car done, but with only one day a week and every other weekend off it is getting harder. Already passed retirement age. Just can't afford to quit from the job I have. Just need to make all of the pieces fit I the front clip. Put in the glass, make my interior, bleed the brakes and a few other items. Then paint and I will be done.
 
I don`t do anything to my car but then I move it around some too. Just some fuel treatment. If I had bias ply tires it would be different but with radials I have never had a problem.
 
I rotate a battery maintainer among the cars. Most of my cars are stored in a heated building. I do try and drive a couple of them if the weather permits, no salt on the road and sunny days. That's about it for me.
 
Since my garage where I keep the Ford is also my shop I frequently have to back the truck out to do some welding, cutting or grinding. When I do I generally let it warm up to operating temperature before I put it back in the garage. Not much chance to drive it during the winter due to snow and ice but since we had a fire in the garage two years ago I want to keep it mobile so it can be moved if necessary.
 
Jack stands, oil change, fuel stabilizer, battery removed. Many friends wash their cars before storage. I do not. I feel there is a chance that water may remain inside doors and in welting etc.
 
If you got radials, just leave then on. No need to jack it up but you can. Definitely no need to remove them and store in a warm place, even if non-radials.

On my cars, I put fresh gas in them and cover it. Disconnect the ground off the battery. Change the oil if necessary. I like to start them once a month, get them up to operating temp before shutting them off so everything, including the exhaust system, gets good and hot.

I don't use any thing in the gas, Sta-Bil to me is a con job. Never had a problem with 10 % ethanol over the winter.

been doing the same for 40 years

I agree with the others on the 20 year old tires. Good only to use as rollers. Not for on the road.
 
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