Tires.....again

[DavidWG]

On my 5th Corvette and always stored the same way with flawless results. Similar storage for many motorcycles over the years. Wash and detail a week or so prior to storage, fuel stabilizer in gas and fill tank, change oil & filter, tire pressure topped up, bounce dryer sheets spread around, drive onto squares of a double layer of cardboard to prevent tires from sticking to epoxy floor paint and hook up battery maintainer. During storage period DO NOT start engine unless you plan to take it out and put a load on the engine and bring the oil up to full operating temperature. Even a 10 minute idle will not bring the oil temperature to operating level in the winter. Short engine runs produce a lot of moisture that then sits in your internal engine areas till next spring. The tires are a little "lumpy" in the spring but no worse than when the car sits for a week or ten days during the summer. A few km at highway speeds will smoothen the tires out quickly. I also tend to put mine under a good quality custom fit cover that I got at the Corvette Museum. I don't think the cover is particularly important in a garage that is dry with not a lot of traffic going in and out over the winter but it is nice to slide the cover off in the spring and see your baby spotless without even that slight film of dust.

 

[Tim C.]

Sorry to beat a dead horse guys, but I’m starting to get anxious about the impending winter temperatures and storing my car in an unheated garage. I have read that when the temps get low, do not move the car and the tires will be fine, but I have also read that they should not even be exposed to the low temperatures we get in winter here in Alberta, as it can cause damage and/ or flat spots.
I’m assuming that I am not the only one here that does not have a heated garage, so please, if you have some advice or thoughts on the matter, do share.
Thanks.
Dale.

Yes for the difference in money for a beautiful car find a heated garage. I love mine 75 degrees a winter long...Makes me happy.

 

[Phil]

On my 5th Corvette and always stored the same way with flawless results. Similar storage for many motorcycles over the years. Wash and detail a week or so prior to storage, fuel stabilizer in gas and fill tank, change oil & filter, tire pressure topped up, bounce dryer sheets spread around, drive onto squares of a double layer of cardboard to prevent tires from sticking to epoxy floor paint and hook up battery maintainer. During storage period DO NOT start engine unless you plan to take it out and put a load on the engine and bring the oil up to full operating temperature. Even a 10 minute idle will not bring the oil temperature to operating level in the winter. Short engine runs produce a lot of moisture that then sits in your internal engine areas till next spring. The tires are a little "lumpy" in the spring but no worse than when the car sits for a week or ten days during the summer. A few km at highway speeds will smoothen the tires out quickly. I also tend to put mine under a good quality custom fit cover that I got at the Corvette Museum. I don't think the cover is particularly important in a garage that is dry with not a lot of traffic going in and out over the winter but it is nice to slide the cover off in the spring and see your baby spotless without even that slight film of dust.

nice touch with the Bounce sheets....dont forget the moth balls though!

 

[Phil]

I solved the question of winter storage for my Stingray. No storage required! Weathertech floor liners installed, Michelin Alpin tires on Braelin wheels and I removed the splitter to gain 2 inches of front end clearance. My Vette will be used on any day when the road conditions in the Ottawa area are decent. That means it will be out 4 or 5 times before April . It took me a long time to buy this great machine and it drove me nuts last winter to have it unavailable for 5 months. At the ripe age of 73 I don't know how many years remain for Corvette driving so I need to get in as much wheel time as possible every year. When asked a specific question regarding winter driving, the advice of the instructors at Spring Mountain was clear; C7 Corvettes were tested extensively in winter conditions including in Canada. They also stated that many Spring Mountain customers living in the snow belt drive their car all winter. There is a driving mode for Weather. I am sure there will be some unexpected challenges but as the winter progresses, I will report to the forum on impressions and surprises. Many friends and colleagues have declared me an official nut case and they are right.

you're not nuts! enjoy responibly. i get it out at least 10 times between NOV and APR for the last 3 years

 

[GM MUSL]

I solved the question of winter storage for my Stingray. No storage required! Weathertech floor liners installed, Michelin Alpin tires on Braelin wheels and I removed the splitter to gain 2 inches of front end clearance. My Vette will be used on any day when the road conditions in the Ottawa area are decent. That means it will be out 4 or 5 times before April . It took me a long time to buy this great machine and it drove me nuts last winter to have it unavailable for 5 months. At the ripe age of 73 I don't know how many years remain for Corvette driving so I need to get in as much wheel time as possible every year. When asked a specific question regarding winter driving, the advice of the instructors at Spring Mountain was clear; C7 Corvettes were tested extensively in winter conditions including in Canada. They also stated that many Spring Mountain customers living in the snow belt drive their car all winter. There is a driving mode for Weather. I am sure there will be some unexpected challenges but as the winter progresses, I will report to the forum on impressions and surprises. Many friends and colleagues have declared me an official nut case and they are right.

Sorry to beat a dead horse guys, but I’m starting to get anxious about the impending winter temperatures and storing my car in an unheated garage. I have read that when the temps get low, do not move the car and the tires will be fine, but I have also read that they should not even be exposed to the low temperatures we get in winter here in Alberta, as it can cause damage and/ or flat spots.
I’m assuming that I am not the only one here that does not have a heated garage, so please, if you have some advice or thoughts on the matter, do share.
Thanks.
Dale.

There was a GM bulletin on this. I found a reference to it here in a Consumers report link; Beware that some performance summer tires can crack in winter - Consumer Reports

 

[Vanguard2001]

There was a GM bulletin on this. I found a reference to it here in a Consumers report link; Beware that some performance summer tires can crack in winter - Consumer Reports

Agreed. Pilot Sport and Super Cup tires will crack if the car is driven even a short distance at the mentioned temperatures but there is no harm if they just sit in the cold. However the Michelin Pilot Alpin are designed with softer rubber/silicon compounds for cold temperature driving. They are not labeled as run-flat but according to the Tire Rack, they will perform as such. As the Spring Mountain boys said - it's all about the tires. They also strongly recommended using Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires for summer driving if you are not tracking the car. The all-season tires are standard issue on the C8 Stingray.

 

[YFCvii]

Ya the C8 tires are a new release.
I hope they are available in all C7 sizings
And i will still keep my same simple storage routine.

 

[Vette1993]

Put mine up on jackstands, but just high enough to allow the tires to contact the pavement, thus allowing the suspension, and more importantly, the shock absorbers, to NOT reach full extention. This will prevent the seals in the top of the shocks from drying out, as well as preventing flat spotting of the tires. Full tank of gas with stabilizer, battery on a tender, and your set for the winter. The hard part is waiting for spring!

 

[Rruuff Day]

Put mine up on jackstands, but just high enough to allow the tires to contact the pavement, thus allowing the suspension, and more importantly, the shock absorbers, to NOT reach full extention. This will prevent the seals in the top of the shocks from drying out, as well as preventing flat spotting of the tires. Full tank of gas with stabilizer, battery on a tender, and your set for the winter. The hard part is waiting for spring!

Interesting. Mine reaches full extension before the tires leave the ground. I still like my homemade stryofoam tire pads and no extension. JMO

 

[Cruzin]

Sorry to beat a dead horse guys, but I’m starting to get anxious about the impending winter temperatures and storing my car in an unheated garage. I have read that when the temps get low, do not move the car and the tires will be fine, but I have also read that they should not even be exposed to the low temperatures we get in winter here in Alberta, as it can cause damage and/ or flat spots.
I’m assuming that I am not the only one here that does not have a heated garage, so please, if you have some advice or thoughts on the matter, do share.
Thanks.
Dale.

I have stored my 1990 ZR-1 in unheated garage for 10 years now without any problem. I usually put about 5 lbs more air pressure in tires than required to make up for loss over winter and never move car till at least May. I don't put up on jacks, which to me is hard on the suspension. I don't have problems with flat spots in tires come spring. Good luck with your storage.