How cold is too cold?
 

Living in WI, I pretty much store my car in winter for a few reasons. For one, the streets are nasty with salt (literally coated with it so thick you can spin out on it), for another when they are not coated with salt they are coated with ice. Finally I usually spend time fixing/upgrading my car. I have read about cold weather bore scoring issues and was wondering how cold does it have to be to cause bore scoring issues? A few threads have hinted at single digits, but at what temperature are we safe from cold? Would that be like above 20F, above freezing?

Following.

Likely Charles from LN or FSI are the only people who can answer this. Although, with the recent arrival of reasonably priced factory short blocks maybe you just drive it.

Lots of info here: Hartech Article

That article is brilliant. My brain hurts right now but I have learned so much.


D.

Thanks, awesome article.

The issues I am referring to are not necessarily daily operation in cold climates, but rather the known bore scoring issues that are exasperated in cold climates due to tight clearances and pistons expanding at a greater rate than cylinders (at least that is how I understand the issue, someone please correct me if I am wrong...). I am hoping to know just how cold it has to be for this condition to exist, as I like to get out in April, after the salt is gone.

:) Maybe not...but I am sure my Ford F250 superduty challenges it for fun...

Personally when I lived in new england I wouldn't drive my boxster in winter. The grit and salt will eat your car eventually, (see dporto's post) and even if you don't get to the point of rotting bodywork all the bolts/screws/aluminum underneath will corrode making every job on the car a roulette of "will this bolt head snap off?"

That is even before you think about if there will be increased risk of bore scoring or anything else.

I bought a cheap beater car and used that in winter :)

That's the fun part.

End hijack - Everyone who enjoys driving your 996 in winter, continue to do so and enjoy. This is not about how much fun in the snow the 996 is, I would like to get at the original question.

My original question - How cold does it need to be for cold weather bore scoring to be a concern? It is below 0, below freezing...?

I don't think anyone can answer the question definitively...too many variables. Oil type/viscosity/age will play a big role, and so will how long it has been sitting, as in a daily driver vs one that sits for 2 weeks in low temperatures. Some people leave their cars outside in the freezing cold and never have a problem. Some are garaged but do develop a problem. It can go either way. I don't think someone can say yeah it is below 0, or below freezing...or anything below 50 degrees. Just my two cents....

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