[Caydan]

Hey everyone,

I'm getting ready to store my 987.2 Cayman S again for winter (regrettably). I have the battery maintainer (which its already hooked up to), and Stabil (which I may put in tonight), but I've recently run across another thread where someone mentioned pumping their tires up to 55 PSI.

I definitely did not do that last winter, and didn't even know until now that that was a thing. Is this a widely recommended practice? If so, what should I be pumping them up to? 55 seems ludicrously high to me considering the tires normally sit at 32/34 (cold). I admit I don't know what range they can handle, is 55 even safe?

Beyond that, how unsavoury is it to let the car sit on its own wheels? Is it worth getting jack stands just for the purpose of lifting it off the tires/suspension?

Last question - in regards to using Stabil, my mechanic (that I take me other car to) recommends putting in about 5-6 ounces and then running the engine for 20-30 minutes to let it circulate through all the fuel lines. I did this last year with no drama, though I didn't anticipate any; but I also know there is widespread advice to mitigate any potential "idling" for these engines as it's not great for them. Is running it for 30 mins in the garage (door open) a bad practice?

I would take it around the block except that temps around me have already dropped below what I believe to be a safe operating temp for the performance tires (7 celcius (44.6 F) and less for the foreseeable future) and I am nervous about the compounds cracking.

Thanks for any advice!
- Caydan

 

[OttawaSteve]

Are you storing it in a heated garage? The problem with cold and summer tires isn't restricted to driving. They can crack without being driven if its really cold.

 

[Caydan]

Hey Steve!

Unfortunately its not a heated garage - I had forgotten about that. The only consolations I have are that it survived last winter in the same garage without any noticeable cracks/damage to the tires (same ones) and its a fairly new garage (built 2013) so the seal on the garage is better than older ones I would imagine. It definitely gets cold in there, but not as cold as outdoor temps I would say.

Still, it's a good point you bring up. Are there any preventative measure to be taken for tires in a non heated garage other than...heating the garage?

 

[Jim137a]

I pumped my tires up to 42 # to prevent flat spots last winter because my garage was still under construction and wasn’t heated at that point and I didn’t have any problems with my tires at all.

My normal winter storage for my cars is:

Thorough cleaning in and out.

Full tank of gas.

Pump the tires up to 42 #.

Place small pieces of plywood under each wheel to keep the tires off the cold concrete. I simply cut 4 pieces of plywood about 1 foot square each place them in front of the tires and drive the car up on them.

Plug in battery maintainer.

Put small plastic cups with mothballs around the car to keep rodents at bay. Also, I do place a small Tupperware bin turned up side down underneath the exhaust with a few mothballs on top of the container to prevent rodents from crawling into the exhaust pipes. One winter something crawled up my exhaust pipe and started to nest - thank god I caught it early before any damage was done.

Been storing my “ fun cars “that way for years and have never had an issue.

Also, putting the car up on jackstands for storage is not recommended by Porsche. IIRC it exposes some of the suspension components to corrosion. It’s in the manual some where. .

Hey Steve!

Unfortunately its not a heated garage - I had forgotten about that. The only consolations I have are that it survived last winter in the same garage without any noticeable cracks/damage to the tires (same ones) and its a fairly new garage (built 2013) so the seal on the garage is better than older ones I would imagine. It definitely gets cold in there, but not as cold as outdoor temps I would say.

Still, it's a good point you bring up. Are there any preventative measure to be taken for tires in a non heated garage other than...heating the garage?

 

[gcurnew]

The thinking is that pumping up the tires (55 lbs is not a problem) will help keep them from flat-spotting. It's actually NOT recommended to put a newer car on jackstands over the winter as the suspension is designed to have wheels and tires on the ground. Back in the days of leaf springs, it made sense to take the load off the springs if the car was sitting for long periods of time.

 

[husker boxster]

My CSS winterization process: put on a set of Blizzaks and drive it.

 

[olegd]

My CSS winterization process: put on a set of Blizzaks and drive it.

Mine too! The best thing to do for a Porsche is to drive it!

 

[808croc]

My CSS winterization process: put on a set of Blizzaks and drive it.

I keep my "summer" tires and drive it. Whats all this about heated garages? I need air conditioning in my garage.

 

[RickH]

Boy, for the first time in many years I'm glad I live in southern CA! lol

 

[Cayman Ed]

I add Stabil couple of days prior to winter storage with good results in my cars.
I tried it to my gas lawn mower after one 'no start' experience due to old gas that I failed to drain and I swear it worked requiring only two cranks to start.

 

[Caydan]

Thanks for the input everyone! I brought all the tires up to 50 last night (that took a while with the provided compressor...) and added stabil. Still need to pickup some steel wool and/or moth balls at some point soon.

Part of me does want to drive it through the winter and I know the car would handle it fine - its other drivers I'm not too confident on. Maybe my next move will take me to a more hospitable climate thought!

 

[NorthernDriver]

My CSS winterization process: put on a set of Blizzaks and drive it.

What size do you run?

 

[husker boxster]

What size do you run?

18" wheels with std size 18" tires.

 

[SSearchVT]

I'm tucked in the mountains of Vermont right in the heart of ski country - so the summer toys get put away for the winter... My garage is insulated and has heat, but I only use it when I'm working out there. My car got a good wash, all the seams were wiped down, and a few days later I drove it up and down the driveway to make sure the pads weren't stuck to the rotors. For winter prep - full tank of 93 octane (I don't use stabil in a fuel injected engines, personal choice. Anything with a carb - healthy dose!). In the spring I go for an easy drive and add gas every 50 miles or so... Oil change, new air filter, new cabin filter, bounce dryer sheets in the frunk, foot well, and rear cargo, hooked up to a CTek battery tender through the cigarette lighter (small cord out the bottom of the door). I bought some anti fatigue pads at tractor supply and have one under each tire. The car is in gear, but the parking brake is not on. I also picked up some Victor ultrasonic mouse deterrents - I was skeptical, but the trap in my woodshop used to have a mouse a day. I haven't had one since plugging them in...

 

[keyframe13]

What exactly is "winter".:crazy:

 

[OttawaSteve]

What exactly is "winter".:crazy:

The season where most of the bugs die.