Winters without a garage
 

So I live in Nj and I dont have a garage. The Brz is my daily (have a forester for really bad snow). Anyway, how are you guys preparing for winter? I would hate to see the car sitting outside in the snow. Should i be worried about rust? I also have coilovers on should i buy antiseize and spray down the bolts? Any other guys on here with the same problem?
-Dave

Snow isn't really the issue, it's more so the salt. Give the car a wash once a week to get all the salt off and you should be good to go

in my past experiance, i havent really had to use any kind of anti sieze on coilovers,

use a nice pressure washer once or twice a week

before lowering or raising the car, make sure the coilovers are clear of debris, use a tooth brush to clean

Undercoating!

If there's enough snow you won't see it

http://images9.fotki.com/v174/photos...1050207-vi.jpg

holy moly

I would be more worried about some idiot hitting it at night because they cant drive in ice and snow and then running off without a note or anything. Oh wait that what happened to mine last year with only 800 miles on it.

i give the car a serious detail before winter then i just power wash it all winter long. get in all the nooks and crannys so that salt gets washed off.

i personally switch to stock suspension, other wheels/tires and remove all aero.

depending on what coilover you have i'd recommend you swap back to stock. salt can really fuck your shit up if you don't maintain it, the last thin you want is a seized coilover.

just keep up with rinsing salt off basically. you'll be fine as long as you have good tires on the car.

Mine will be spending the winter in the garage under a california car cover. I will be needing to power wash it underneath as tonight I got to drive home thru a bunch of salted roads. Uggh, It's still too early for this!!!

Give her a good detail and a coat of wax. I'd also wash it thoroughly underneath periodically to wash away the salt. I like the automatic washes with the chassis spray. Coil overs should be fine, clean well before making any adjustments.

I have heard of people plasti dipping their wheels and if they have to drive you could plastidip the car. This will protect the outer coat and can be removed in the spring. Plus it gives you a different look. I saw a place in soth NJ that will dip the car for like $500

if your gonna spend that much money to plasti dip a car just to remove it in the spring, you might as well put that money towards a clear bra

Or Clear Plastidip :party0030: LOL! Then just leave it on.

Like a lot of others said. When the weather gives you a chance, give it a wash. Mine stays outdoors, and we get considerably more snow up by me. And, while I have no experience with coilovers, it does seem prudent to go back to stock suspension for the winter. When I lived in NNJ, the policy was to pile the salt up higher than the snow by simply tipping it out of the dump truck. Free temporary speed bump.

I just go to a DIY car wash and rinse down the salt with the power wash. I don't use the soap because it'll remove my sealant.

As Jive Turkey said, if you have your stock suspension, put it back on. That will save your coils from corroding from the salt. Well worth the price of 2 alignments to swap it back and forth.

-Mike Paisan

http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/153798190.jpg
Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

I have a related question. I'm also in NJ and will be "storing" the FRS in my driveway. Is it advisable to take the battery out and keep it indoors while connected to a battery tender??? [instead of having extension cords running from my house to my driveway exposed to the elements].

Also, how much gas should I keep in the car while it is being stored till ... let's say March 2015?
...
Any other things I should prepare for while is sitting in driveway?

I would remove the battery and trickle charge it inside.

I would put it on jack stands to get the weight off the tires because you can out-of-round them only need to be lifted so the weight is off the tires, not even fully off the ground. If that's not an option, then put in some extra PSI on the tires (40-45) and that will help prevent the flat spots from happening.

Put in Stabile fuel stabilizer and a full tank of 93, you don't want there to be moist air in the tank that will condense into the fuel while it sits. The Sabil will keep the octane at an acceptable level for use in the spring.

Also do an oil change before storing it.

-Mike Paisan

http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/153798190.jpg
Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

I keep mine under a 5 layer all weather proof car cover with fleece inner lining. It has been a beneficial investment for sure. Winters are sweet as my car sits overnight and the cover leaves me with a fresh car in the morning. Just pull the cover off and ready to roll. It's more of hassle yet is protecting my car from UV rays, wind, blowing dirt, ice, snow, etc. when it's sitting in my driveway. Car just needs it's first orbital polish as it has the dealer molested clear coat from the day of purchase. Learned my lesson there...tell the dealer you don't want them to wash the car when you are a buying a brand new one. If you didn't already know. A good orbital polish will leave my baby looking brand new again this Spring :-)

Where did you get your car cover from? If you dont mind me asking of course.

Absolutely not.

http://www.carcovers.com/covers/cars...car-cover.html