I have a 2010 GSR, and I am going to be putting her in the garage for the winter (I live in Chicago, and we have a pretty brutal winter... gotta keep the baby safe!)
This is my first Evo, and having just bought it in April, I have never had to store one before.
Now my question is, is there a proper way to store an Evo for the winter? I have heard horror stories from friends who have just parked their cars in the garage for the winter, and then had suspension and/or engine issues in the spring... I just want to know if there are any preparations or precautions i should take before letting her sit dormant for 5 months...

thanks ahead of time for your help...
Steve-o

 

Sorry about offtopic BUT...
I'cant really understand people and never will understand who put evo in garage for winter.
The winter is the funniest time with AWD car.
Buy good winter tires and have fun !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyfAZKHUGDE <--- This is purpose why everybody buy Evo

 

I'll store it for you

 

Consensus seems to be a full tank of gas if you're running pump or an empty tank if you're running E85. You could consider a set of the Race Ramp flat stoppers to keep your wheels round. Other than that I wouldn't worry about it.

If you aren't taking insurance off of the car then you might be better off doing what I'm doing--find a nice sunny day every week or two and go for a drive. As long as you get it fully up to operating temperature (not a short trip) then it's probably better for it than letting it sit all Winter.

 

Winter is my favorite time of year to drive!

We had a blizzard last year and it was great haha...

 

if you have a lot of mods like i do and slammed. you would want to store it for winter. i was told to have near empty in the gas tank becuase you don't want old gas for next year sitting in there all winter. also take off your battery.

 

I wouldnt do anything special, but would fire her up at least once a week in the garage. That said, my first mod for my Evo was snowtires.

 

Just make sure you put something to keep the gas fresh

 

Near empty gas tank, that way you can top off with fresh gas in the spring. Just go easy the first tank. Or Stabil if it makes you feel better. Disconnect the battery. Good to go. Modern radial tires will not get flat spots that remain.

 

it wouldn't hurt to use some fuel stabilizer.

 

A good idea since it isn't safe to move the car with Summer tires on it. That doesn't mean you need to risk taking it out in bad weather. If my car were in an accident it'd cost me a fortune in time/money to move all my stuff to a different shell. Not worth it.

 

Snow drifting is the best, but you've got to hit it that day/night. Fresh powered only!! Because once the sanding/salt trucks come out.. she goes right back in the garage, and the winter beater comes out to take the beating.

BUT, if you are going to let it sit for 5 months, I would be cautious regarding pests as well. the piping and tubes in an engine are a cozy place for a mouse to make a nest. And if its winter, he is going to be looking for someplace nice and warn.. I've had a mouse take all the insulation from the under side of my hood, then eat a hole in the intercooler piping, and fill the pipe with insulation for his home.. needless to say, the car was not a fan of that! And that was in a matter of a few weeks when I went away on vacation. I can only imagine how much damage a rodent infestation could do in 5 months.

Also, upon startup after sitting for 5 months, you want to let the car run, but not drive for at least 10 minutes. Let all those fluids that have been sitting stagnant warm up a bit before you strain the engine too much with driving.

Check tire pressure too in the spring.. that will most certainly have changed.

 

where do you live in chicago i live in chicago two.

 

A battery tender would be a good idea, also if are taking it off insurance make sure you get storage insurance.

 

i wouldnt let it sit for straight five months, at least run the engine once a week and let it get all the way up to operating temperature as well, and if you take it out a couple times a month to keep the fluids flowing and keep the tires from getting flat spots u should be good, fuel stabalizer wouldnt hurt either if your gonna run it less than a couple times a month