How Often to Start Z06?
 

So I posted in the general C5 discussion last week about the purchase of a nice 2002 Z06. Its now in safely in her new home out of the elements. For those that don't daily drive their cars, how often do drive/start to keep it fresh?
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I do plan on driving the car, but there will be stretches due to work etc that I won't be able to and I've never been in the situation of having two cars before.

Definitely get a battery tender and plug it in whenever you dont drive it - whether its a day or a month.

Get a GOOD battery tender and GOOD car cover.Mine sits in the winter for about 4-5 months and never gets started.I change oil in the spring and it fires right up.During driving season i get it out for a drive every weekend weather permitting.It sometimes will sit for 2 weeks if we have rainy weekends, but it is always on the Tender when parked in the garage.As for keeping it fresh,if you don't plan on driving it don't even start it.A cold start is when an engine has the most metal to metal contact.

Same here, have two Cytek Smart Chargers. Get them at Amazon. And get a good cover if your not driving it for awhile....Mine has under 9k miles and with all the rain we get it hardly gets out....

:iagree:
Mine stays on a battery tender whenever it's parked in the garage. These cars are notorious for minor electrical drains.

Don't start it unless you are going to drive it...Like everyone else says...get a battery tender. Mine sits from Oct-April and fires up like it ran the day before.

Beautiful car by the way....congratulations!

I keep mine on a battery tender over the winter and anytime it will sit over 2 weeks. I have an optima red top that I installed over 5 years ago that will start it fine sitting up to 2 weeks without the tender. After that it starts to drop off. Spring through fall I typically drive it at least once a week or more.

.... start and move about weekly, to include systems. :cheers:

I usually recommend starting it every time you drive it.

Which really should be once a day at a minimum!

In the summer I don't start it since I drive it. Even if only every few weeks. I always keep the battery tender on it because it can only last about 2 weeks before the battery will go dead without it.

In the winter, I'll start it whenever weather permits. Maybe once a month. If there's snow/ice on the car that I can't get off (it is under a cover) then it can be longer.

Once winter hits, I put mine on a battery tender and it sits for 3-5 months unstarted until the weather is fair. One time, I just let it sit unstarted for 10 months while I did a clutch swap and other related components. Two weeks ago, I sent an oil sample in to Blackstone and it came back PERFECT on my boosted motor at 640rwhp. There is no need whatsoever to start these cars bi-weekly or monthly unless you're actually driving it.

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Not starting is much less about engine wear, and much more about rubber seals, etc. getting dried up.

Oh, right...not sure what I was thinking. However, we are talking about a few months here, not years. I've been doing that with my car since I picked up in 2009. If the car is going to be sitting for an extended period...obviously, fire it up.

Mine sat for 6 years and driven 500 miles during that time. 300 of those miles were done at once. Always had a battery tender and fired right up.

So, basically you don't ever have to start your car if you don't want to. It's up to you.

You got it, you need to drive it to keep everything working.
If you are going to let it sit very long, I would not mess with a battery tender, just pull the battery out.

The battery tender isn't just for the battery. It's to keep all the other computers on the car active and alive, just like driving your car.

This seems silly. Tenders aren't expensive and it's just two cables that clip on. I pop the hood and hook it up in 5sec every time I put the car in the garage. It's great for the battery and electronics, as Josh mentioned.

My current 2003 and former 2001 seemed to be fine as long as I drove it or let it idle once a week during the nicer months. In OK we really only have about 3 months not good for sports cars. During those months I did have my 2001 battery go too low and if fried the K-harness column lock bypass that the recall installed so I couldn't drive the car till I bought the LCM-5.