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For the lack of a good local forum, I’m using Rennlist but I live in Norway.
Here I would say half or more would winter store their cars. I agree you shouldn’t use it if you can’t rinse off it outside and under every week or two. Also don’t store the car warm. If you plan to use it in winter you definitely need to treat the whole underbody with anti corrosive fluid. Here we use a product based on sheep fat, but there are several types. Expect to see that the underbody will no longer look like new, bolts and hose clamps might rust and seize more easily, spark plug covers and exhaust brackets and cans are also common items. Also some bracing elements might start to rust. These are really minor things and more separates those who want to have a time capsule garage queen and those who want a useable car in my opinion. Paint is very good on these cars and body corrosion has not been a problem as far as I know.
The ideal would be to hose it down after every use but I realize that might not be an option.
Going to buy these rims/snow tires and make sure I get her washed weekly. If the do it yourself place isn't open, I will just take it to the hand wash place nearby. Thanks all.
For the lack of a good local forum, I’m using Rennlist but I live in Norway.
Here I would say half or more would winter store their cars. I agree you shouldn’t use it if you can’t rinse off it outside and under every week or two. Also don’t store the car warm. If you plan to use it in winter you definitely need to treat the whole underbody with anti corrosive fluid. Here we use a product based on sheep fat, but there are several types. Expect to see that the underbody will no longer look like new, bolts and hose clamps might rust and seize more easily, spark plug covers and exhaust brackets and cans are also common items. Also some bracing elements might start to rust. These are really minor things and more separates those who want to have a time capsule garage queen and those who want a useable car in my opinion. Paint is very good on these cars and body corrosion has not been a problem as far as I know.
The ideal would be to hose it down after every use but I realize that might not be an option.
Always good to hear from those who live in really northern climates (relative to most of us on RL) on what they do. What's this sheep fat product you talk about?
I go to those coin wash self wash places and just spray under the car really well. I apply Raggtopp convertible top protectant once or twice a year and never have had any issues with the cloth top.
Potentially a bad idea. See if they recycle water. If so, you're spraying your car with a salt solution.
Always good to hear from those who live in really northern climates (relative to most of us on RL) on what they do. What's this sheep fat product you talk about?
He is probably talking bout about Fluid Film. Stinks but works fairly well.
There are better products. My favorite is Corrosion Free, which is actually a Canadian product.
I’m with Bruce. Drive it. As for the soft top, salt will rinse off of it easily. I also think the sun and UV is hardest on the top. That said I have a cab with a hard top for winter. Get some winter tires. I drive the Cayenne when it’s salty.
We all have choices. Mine would be drive a SUV during the winter.
East coast salt driven Porsche cars get ugly underneath and really no way to completely rinse them off. Pretty hard/impossible hosing off the Coil Heat shields and other engine components as well as suspension parts without putting it on a lift after every drive..
Last edited by groovzilla; 02-20-2022 at 10:35 PM.
Always drove every sports car I owned in the winter with no problems...C4 Goes like crazy with snows. Would never consider putting her away...seems nuts to me but to each his own.....now it doesn't snow much in Naples so...........
Yep I believe it's called Fluid Film. Doesn't stink (after a few days) if applied correctly. Any opinions about how to wash off the underbody yourself in the best way possible in winter?
Some attachment for power washer for underbody and special focus areas? I'd say the entire engine area and suspension parts on all four corners. Under the underbody itself it's just all covered by plastic and fluid filmed under. Anywhere else?
I lived in MA and upsate NY for my adolescent years. I can look at a car for 30 seconds and know if it has been driven in salt for even one winter.
Should you do it depends on your plans for the car. Is this one you're going to keep for 10-15 years or longer? If so, the answer is no. If it's one you look at as disposable and you're going to drive it all the time, out 15-20k miles a year on then dump it when it gets to 120k miles, then sure, drive it in the salt and have a blast not worrying about it. Do you work on your own cars where stick and rusted easterners will turn a 2 hour job into a weekend project and 4 trips to the hardware store, or do you drop it off at a dealer or shop, pick it up when it's ready, and write them a big check?
Anything with an aluminum engine is going to get that white powdery aluminum corrosion on it and all the steel fasterees will rust and be a real pita to remove. If you DIY repair your car it will make every job that much worse and the car will never look as good as one that's not driven in the salt underneath.
When I'm shopping for a new one, I don't even look at cars North of the Carolinas unless the Carfax shows zero entries for anything being done between November and April when it was registered in those areas.
One of my 997s was a TX car, the other from Detroit, but stored in the winters. My Cayenne was a FL car it's entire life, etc so they look like this underneath when working on them. 997 at 60k miles, Cayenne at 50k miles. A salt driven car will never look like this again.
997
I use an an attachment to my power washer that sprays up into the underside. Pictured here. I don't recall the price but it was from amazon and was not at all pricey - under $20 I think.
I’m fortunate enough to have other vehicles available for winter use, but that doesn’t satisfy the “need” to drive a 911 whenever you want. I try and thread the needle.
there are really two issues, tires and salt, and OP has addressed the tires. As for salt, even if there were credible reports indicating salt was OK, I just don’t think I could bring myself to expose my 911’s to salt, in particular because I’m a long term car ownership person.
what I have done , in order to satisfy my need, is to mount Michelin AS3+ all season tires on my 1985 911. Where I live, we average about 30 inches of snow per season, and they are liberal with the salt, but there are a lot of dry periods with no residual salt on the road. Before I put the A/S tires on the car, it had to be dry and warm conditions, which didn’t happen all that often, but since we get a lot of dry and quite cold conditions during the winter, the A/S ‘s get me on the road often enough.
if I’m really lucky, we get a dry and warm combination, then I take the 997 off of the battery tender, and take it for a nice , long drive.
There are multiple reasons why I never drive my valuable cars in the winter where I live (MA).
Salt
Tires
Potholes
Anecdotal evidence that cold starts and winter blend fuels are no bueno for bore scoring/piston slap
I agree. My fun cars sleep in winter. The winter fleet is heavily rust-proofed and washed regularly. MA/NH is insane in terms of salt used. I hate this place because of this and really need to move somewhere for this reason alone. If I don't, I will build a garage with a heated wash bay so I can wash the cars more easily in winter.
02-20-2022, 07:27 PM
