What to do with tires when storing car for winter?

Bixter44 said:
I have been storing a summer vehicle that way for 31 years. Been working fine. Mice is the only issue here on the prairies. The shop isn't completely mouse free. Never had any get in a vehicle. Caught them before they could I guess. Using a couple of bars of Irish Spring Soap in the Vette. Mice don't like the smell. Some swear by it. They never had mice trouble. First year for the Vette, have to try something. But had a guy tell a friend in Bismarck that he had a mouse take a dump on the bar of soap so he doesn't use them anymore. I don't like the smell of Fresh Cab in my car. OK for the motorhome. Some like dryer sheets but they need replaced every month. I'll will be checking the Vette once in a while.
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Same issue here. I use the dryer sheets and Irish Spring in the car and under to hood. On the floor around the outside walls and under / around the car and Hummer is a combination of Irish Spring chunks and mothballs.... The smell in that garage could make a goat puke.

I use an electronic noise maker plugged into an outlet on the wall too. Not sure what's actually working to keep the little Bas***ds out, but so far so good for the last 4 years. :thumbs:
 
ddgermann said:
Same issue here. I use the dryer sheets and Irish Spring in the car and under to hood. On the floor around the outside walls and under / around the car and Hummer is a combination of Irish Spring chunks and mothballs.... The smell in that garage could make a goat puke.

I use an electronic noise maker plugged into an outlet on the wall too. Not sure what's actually working to keep the little Bas***ds out, but so far so good for the last 4 years. :thumbs:
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That's a nice combination of deterrents. I like to read what other people are using. The more the better. It's all worth it, if it works.
 
I had a mouse problem in my RV. It parks outside year round. I'm on a farm so we have more mice than we do mosquitoes. Kept the RV plugged in with the electronic pest deterrents in all of the electrical outlets.... Didn't help. Put Bounce fabric softener sheets in all the drawers, lined the heat vents with them.... Didn't help. Put bars of Irish Spring in all the cupboards and drawers... The mice ate half of them..... Didn't help. Finally took the high road and bought a roll of metal window screen, a box of coarse steel wool, and a case of window and door spray foam (the pest resistant kind whether it really is pest resistant or not). Went through the RV like a man possessed .... every pipe entry, every wire entry, the floors, the cupboards, under the trailer floor, furnace heat pipes, gas lines, water lines...etc etc etc.... every place there was an entry and/or a gap.... Had Brenda go inside the RV in every nook and cranny at night with a flashlight while I crawled around on my back under the trailer.... Every place I saw light I sealed with screen, steel wool and spray foam..... And Survey says!!!!!!!!!!...... Seven years later and have never had another mouse come close to getting inside.... Woohoooooo.....
 
Rruuff Day said:
I had a mouse problem in my RV. It parks outside year round. I'm on a farm so we have more mice than we do mosquitoes. Kept the RV plugged in with the electronic pest deterrents in all of the electrical outlets.... Didn't help. Put Bounce fabric softener sheets in all the drawers, lined the heat vents with them.... Didn't help. Put bars of Irish Spring in all the cupboards and drawers... The mice ate half of them..... Didn't help. Finally took the high road and bought a roll of metal window screen, a box of coarse steel wool, and a case of window and door spray foam (the pest resistant kind whether it really is pest resistant or not). Went through the RV like a man possessed .... every pipe entry, every wire entry, the floors, the cupboards, under the trailer floor, furnace heat pipes, gas lines, water lines...etc etc etc.... every place there was an entry and/or a gap.... Had Brenda go inside the RV in every nook and cranny at night with a flashlight while I crawled around on my back under the trailer.... Every place I saw light I sealed with screen, steel wool and spray foam..... And Survey says!!!!!!!!!!...... Seven years later and have never had another mouse come close to getting inside.... Woohoooooo.....
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Well that's the second report against Irish Spring Soap I have heard. It seems mice will eat it and dump on it. And a vote against Dryer Sheets and Electronic pest deterrents. Always wondered about those too. Our old motorhome has been good all these years. This is the first winter without Fresh Cab. Some farmers swear by it too. It was hard to get. Taken off the shelves for a while but farm supply stores have it again only slightly modified. Again, I am not having my Vette smell like that stuff. I'll just keep checking my trap line in the garage since my faith in Irish Spring has been weakened. I am catching a few in the screened in deck and tent garage. I hope I am putting a big dent in the herd.
 
It's funny that we all pamper our cars to best of our ability or budget and GM was doing this with the C5 test cars. A picture out of the book All Corvettes Are Red.
IMG_1306 (Edited).JPG
 
The book I referred to for the picture of how not to treat you Vette in the winter, is the wrong book. All Corvettes Are Red is the book that chronicles the 8 long years it took to get the C5 into production. This picture would have fit in there perfectly. They tested the cars in Kinchloe AFB, Fairbanks, Alaska and Kapuskasing, Ontario.They not only drove the cars in the snow and let them sit overnight in -35 to see if they would start. They also drove them on large ice surfaces to calibrate the traction control. The book this picture is from is Corvette 50th Anniversary. Which I thought would be just about my car. It is really the history of Corvette up to the 50th Anniversary. Lots of good information and pictures of every generation, including the raceIMG_1327.JPG cars.
 
Bixter44 said:
Well that's the second report against Irish Spring Soap I have heard. It seems mice will eat it and dump on it. And a vote against Dryer Sheets and Electronic pest deterrents. Always wondered about those too. Our old motorhome has been good all these years. This is the first winter without Fresh Cab. Some farmers swear by it too. It was hard to get. Taken off the shelves for a while but farm supply stores have it again only slightly modified. Again, I am not having my Vette smell like that stuff. I'll just keep checking my trap line in the garage since my faith in Irish Spring has been weakened. I am catching a few in the screened in deck and tent garage. I hope I am putting a big dent in the herd.
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mouse.jpg
 
Bixter44 said:
Nice job. I don't know how to do that.
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I use an antique version of Arc Soft's Photo Impressions I got when I bought a digital camera 20 years ago...lol... Not anything like the newer photo manipulation programs that some of the guys use but does all I need it to do (and all I'm capable of...lol).
 
Is there a thermostat that goes down to 5 degrees?
If so I can't find it. As a note I have been using the plug in mouse deterrent that sends out a sound, have never had a mouse, now I'm heating the garage I hope this doesn't change.
 
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Bixter44 said:
It's funny that we all pamper our cars to best of our ability or budget and GM was doing this with the C5 test cars. A picture out of the book All Corvettes Are Red.View attachment 13005
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Hahaha. I think the only reason GM used these cars in the winter was because they weren’t concerned about resale value (not like I’ll ever sell my Corvette :D) and they were only going to keep them for a few years while testing them. :p

Ruff, good call with the humidity in the garage. That’s something I’ll have to look at taking care of when heating the garage.
 
I have a "work" truck...... But since its not that cold here in Van. I do take cars out on nice winter days. I've had good luck even with my Porsche 928 in finding rims with snow or all seasons on them with good tread and date codes....... I just sell on the tires and rims in spring. I love Craigslist and email pay we have here in Canada.
 
Darren said:
Is there a thermostat that goes down to 5 degrees?
If so I can't find it. As a note I have been using the plug in mouse deterrent that sends out a sound, have never had a mouse, now I'm heating the garage I hope this doesn't change.
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Darren. My Vette cave is heated by a ceiling mount radiant tube heater and I have a Line Volt thermostat with a low of 5 degrees. The Line volt is wired directly into the 110 V power source for the heater. (It's a gas heater but 110 powers the control module and the fan that blows heat through the tube). I see low temp thermostats for sale on Amazon but I would check with a HVAC company (not Home Depot or Lowes) and ask for sure what will work for your application. Here's a thermostat link...

grrrrrrr.... link won't work but I'm sure you can Google it...

better yet... here's the screenshot... good luck

thermostat.jpg

.
 
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Rruuff Day said:
Darren. My Vette cave is heated by a ceiling mount radiant tube heater and I have a Line Volt thermostat with a low of 5 degrees. The Line volt is wired directly into the 110 V power source for the heater. (It's a gas heater but 110 powers the control module and the fan that blows heat through the tube). I see low temp thermostats for sale on Amazon but I would check with a HVAC company (not Home Depot or Lowes) and ask for sure what will work for your application. Here's a thermostat link...

grrrrrrr.... link won't work but I'm sure you can Google it...

better yet... here's the screenshot... good luck

View attachment 13055
.
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Thanks will check it out. I am using a Modine hawg gas heater mounted on ceiling.
110 to unit for power and low volt 2 wire thermostat. H

On a different thought, does anyone have flooring on their cement floor?
 
Rruuff Day said:
Darren. My Vette cave is heated by a ceiling mount radiant tube heater and I have a Line Volt thermostat with a low of 5 degrees. The Line volt is wired directly into the 110 V power source for the heater. (It's a gas heater but 110 powers the control module and the fan that blows heat through the tube). I see low temp thermostats for sale on Amazon but I would check with a HVAC company (not Home Depot or Lowes) and ask for sure what will work for your application. Here's a thermostat link...

grrrrrrr.... link won't work but I'm sure you can Google it...

better yet... here's the screenshot... good luck

View attachment 13055
.
Click to expand...
Checked it out only works if you dont have a fan. The search continues. I am looking for one of the old honeywells that are round they go to around 40 degrees.
If I find one with the old mercury float I can adjust level to get to around 35 degrees.
 
JCWP said:
Hello James,

Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.


In regards to the email you sent stating:
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I store my car for approx. 4 mth in my garage -attached to my house. Do I need to do anything to the tires other than make sure they are properly inflated? It is my understanding that tires now a days do not need to be off the concrete to prevent flat spots. I have been storing cars over the winter for 20 years and have never had a problem with my tires.

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I will be happy to assist you with your question regarding storage, James. What we recommend for tire storage is if the tires are not used for a prolonged period of time, remove the tires (mounted on their wheels) and reduce their pressure to half their normal value to store. Store tires in a clean, dry area, away from direct sunlight and above 0°C (32°F) in accordance with the information provided by Michelin in technical documentation or their website.Do Not use, store or handle the tires at ambient temperatures below -10°C (14°F). Under these conditions the tire components can degrade, resulting in reduced performance, and at low temperatures can lead to cracks in the tire compound and hence reduce potential in use.Never use a tire with cracks, breaks or damage to the sidewall or tread. I hope this was helpful!

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.

It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email or call us at 1-888-871-4444 (toll free) between 8:00AM and 8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Saturday.
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What to do with tires during prolonged car storage........ Whhhaaaat!! Firstly... you drive your vette all year round ! Yes certainly, even if your address is somewhere in Alaska! Nobody drives on the roads unless ploughed anymore so deep snow is no issue; and the Corvette is designed and tested with Northern Canada in mind! And check it out.... Winter tires are available! And for what we have paid for these cars why wouldnt I want to drive it all year!
 
Riderover50 said:
What to do with tires during prolonged car storage........ Whhhaaaat!! Firstly... you drive your vette all year round ! Yes certainly, even if your address is somewhere in Alaska! Nobody drives on the roads unless ploughed anymore so deep snow is no issue; and the Corvette is designed and tested with Northern Canada in mind! And check it out.... Winter tires are available! And for what we have paid for these cars why wouldnt I want to drive it all year!
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Thanks for the morning laugh.
 

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