Hey guys, unfortunately for most of us, winter is near.... That means (in a few weeks for me) the Vette has to sit. So I'm posting in hopes of getting the best winterizing technique. I'll be keeping my c6 in my detached NON-climate controlled garage. Last time I had a Vette I could keep it at my parents in their heated garage, but they've got no room for my car now. Upstate New York winters are very cold!

I'm assuming the basics are easy, pull the battery, clean it up, throw the cover on it, put it on my 4 jack stands to prevent flat spots in my tires... Any other specific things you guys suggest?

How about the fuel/fuel system? I've been running 91 octane ethanol free fuel for the last couple months. Is it better to take it out for a cruise and store it empty or fill it up with the ethanol free fuel and then store it? Should I add any fuel treatment products to the tank? Should I go out and start the car/let it run periodically throughout the winter?

Lastly, I don't have any problems currently, but with my luck I'll get a squirrel or chipmunk nest or something in my car. Especially over winter. My dog is a Lab and frequently chases animals towards my garage and corners them near it. Any surefire ways to keep little animals away from my ride?

Any tips are greatly greatly appreciated. Thanks gentleman.

 

Wash exterior well. Paint sealer like Rejex or Zaino. Wax and cover. I drain radiator and put 100 percent antifreeze in case of subzero temps. Before filling up tank, with little gas in tank... I run some fuel stabilizer through fuel system. Then I fill it up till I cannot get another drop in. I also drain and change the oil and filter. Remove all windshield wiper fluid and make certain all other fluids topped off. That's all I do. Some people remove tires to prevent flat spots. Haven't seen a need for that.

 

Winter? Oh, is that the time of year when that white stuff falls from the sky?

 

Hello Winterstorage,

1) No reason to pull the battery, leave on trickle charger in vehicle.

2) Flat spots that damage the tires are history, and don't store your car on jack stands and hang your suspension it's not good for your car.

3) Buy Techron fuel additive, go to gas station, add Techron and fill car with fuel. Go for a short drive to get techron circulated and store car.

4) Starting a car without driving it is not recommended, after a car sits for a few weeks oil drains down and you get a dry start until the oil recirculates. Lots of engine wear occurs during dry starts.

5) For the mice I put out some fresh poison in a few places around the garage.

I also like to spray down the interior with some leather conditioner and let it sit over the winter and wipe off in the spring.

Good luck, summer is only 8 months away.

Douglas in Green Bay

 

Everyone does their thing but pure anti-freeze is over kill. 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze is good for -37c/-34.6f and that's the way the car comes shipped at least in canada.
Winter washer fluid is good for about the same and that's all I use year round to be safe that none of our 3 cars ever get caught by surprise because it would likely be forgotten.
I'm not sure I'd fill the gas to the rim. It's not at all good for the evap system and I kinda rather have little to none so that it get's nearly a full tank of fresh gas in the spring.

I agree about getting the oil change then store it with brand new oil for the winter with no start ups. keeps condensation out and engine wear down.
If the garage has power yes a "smart" automatic battery tender would be better then removal. cause even removed you should have it charged occasionally.
Don't worry about flat spots, almost an urban legend at this point.

Nice soft cover like the GM satin stretch is easy on the finish and looks great.

mine's been away for 2 weeks unfortunately

 

To winterize mine I drive it to south Carolina sucks not having a garage, and I'm not putting it in a car port...and screw 225 bucks a month for a self storage spot, not like I'm gonna drive it anyway.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the posts they were great. Sounds like I was on the right track. I unfortunately don't have power in my garage so I'll pull the battery and leave that on my trickle charger in my basement. My current full synthetic oil has less than a thousand miles on it, so I'll probably just leave it and change it at start of season. Unless of course you guys feel its smarter to change now. I've only got about a week or so of driving left, so I'll go pick up Techron that fuel stabil soon and dump that in with my last ethanol free fuel fill up. Thanks guys!