Winter Storage. What to do with/for front tires?

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DartGTDan

DartGTDan

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The summer cruising season is nearing the end so I'll be "parking" the Dart GT for the winter. I usually put the rear-end up on jack stands so I can run it through the gears weekly. The front tires are usually parked up on some 2X10s. Will leaving the front tires parked on the 2X10s cause undue damage to the tires? How do you all "park" your car for the off-season?
 
It is best practice to jack vehicle and set it on stands.my buddy would lower air pressure as well. A can of sea foam in the fuel tank and a package of fresh cab in the passenger compartment.
 
I recently saw some some curved pads that you park on so you don't get flat spots. dunno if that's really an issue, but that's there.
 
Park any wheels on the ground on a piece of scrap carpet so the rubber can "breathe". Also air up any tires on the ground to max pressure to avoid flat spots.

Better to leave a car without running during storage unless you can get it out and drive it and get everything up to full operating temperature.

Cars stored without running should get a fresh oil change and fuel stabilizer in a FULL tank of fuel.

Cover the carb with a carb cover or aluminum foil to prevent evaporating fuel from leaving varnish.
 
If you've got the rear end up on jack stands then also consider doing the same for the front end. That way you don't have to worry about flat spots.

As someone else said, unless you can get the engine up to operating temperature for a while and vary the engine speeds from idle to 3,000 rpm, it might be better to not run it at all during the winter. Running the engine under no load for 10 minutes every week at idle will lead to condensation in the oil (there's a very recent thread about what that does inside your valve covers) and will also drain your battery so it will likely be dead by spring time.
 
I live where we have winter and summer cars get put away and IMHO heres what i found over the years

I have never seen a tire become out round over a winter. Maybe over years but never a few months. If you do jack stands, it sure doesn’t hurt.

Seafoam and the likes. For long term long term storage I would but I have never used a drop of that stuff. Cars, RV, motorcycles and lawn mowers. Never had them not start right up in the spring. Again, if it makes you feel better use it.

Never ever start it. Put it away and leave it alone. Take care of the battery by unhooking it, take it to a warm place or put battery tender on it and be done. Again a good charged battery wont go bad over winter

And last be careful what you cover it with. You just want to keep the dust off and not hold moisture in.
 
fklskv said:
I live where we have winter and summer cars get put away and IMHO heres what i found over the years

I have never seen a tire become out round over a winter. Maybe over years but never a few months. If you do jack stands, it sure doesn’t hurt.

Seafoam and the likes. For long term long term storage I would but I have never used a drop of that stuff. Cars, RV, motorcycles and lawn mowers. Never had them not start right up in the spring. Again, if it makes you feel better use it.

Never ever start it. Put it away and leave it alone. Take care of the battery by unhooking it, take it to a warm place or put battery tender on it and be done. Again a good charged battery wont go bad over winter

And last be careful what you cover it with. You just want to keep the dust off and not hold moisture in.
Click to expand...
I don`t store mine , I usually drive it at least every other week if possible. O r run it till it gets up to 190 for a bit. no dead battery or problems. I did stumble on something last week. I needed the front end up a little to crawl under it to get the u joint loose on my rack and pinion. I had a couple of 8 1/2' 4x6 blocks laying around, I used them under the frame just where it levels out straight from the front , beside the trans bell housing. On end, they hold the fish up high enough I could squeeze under it some, and didn`t completely raise the front wheels off the ground. Very solid and still can work on stuff. May leave it that way while having bad weather.
 
I have jacked it up and have let it set over the winter and haven't noticed any tire problems. I do start it up once a month if I can and drive it around the storage garage parking lot when the weather is warm for a day in Jan. or Feb. I usually put the battery tender on it
 
Car has sat a solid 6 months at times. I've never had a tire "flat spot". Keeping them aired up is all I've ever done.

Never start it, never drive it. There is just too much salt on the roads here, even if it is dry.

Always mix some Stabil with a gallon of gas (enough Stabil for the size of the tank), dump it in, fill the tank, run it a while. Never have had fuel problems come spring.

Always change the oil and filter, then run it a while, before long term storage.

Hook up a Battery Tender. Leave it on all Winter. Never had a battery die over the Winter.

Other thing is rodents. Do whatever you can to keep them out. They can do more damage than all the other stuff combined (that people normally think about). Luckily, I don't live near a lot of woods anymore, and have no mouse problems here.
 
If I put the front up on jack stands do I put the stands under the frame and let the suspension hang? Or, do I put the stands under the A-arms?

The gas tank has been filled and I added StaBil. Oil & filter is changed going into and coming out of storage. The car will be "driven" in place for 10-15 miles and run up to operating temperature every week. I work the transmission up and down through the gears 0-35 mph. Windows (including vents), doors & trunk are not shut tightly (allowing the seals to "decompress"). Battery has a disconnect knob(?) which I disconnect every time I park the car. No car cover (dust doesn't bother me). I've never had rodents in the garage, but some moth balls on the floors never hurts.
 
I jacked mine up on the frame to let the suspension relax. I didn't measure but I didn't see any sag the next year. It has to help though.
 
Jack stands are best, but an old tire guy told me to have the tires sitting on wood, it slows the degradation of tires vs concrete.
 
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