People who store their car during winter post here
 

Just have a quick question regarding those of you who store your rx8s during winter. Sorry i know this has probably been answered but going through a million posts takes time and im busy lol.

So i have my 8 stored for abouth 2 months so far. I usually start it eveery month and take it for a drive. First time i had the battery out went in to put the battery in and it started no problem. So i decided to leave the battery in. Today i went to start it and not enough charge from the battery so i jumped it but no luck. Took the battery out and trickle charged it.

My question is Is it okay to leave the battery out and not start the car over winter ?? Some people are saying i need to move the fluids so everything doesnt get frozen. If i start it every month is it better to leave the battery in and jump it every time or take out the battery and put it in every time i start her up ??

I'd say that if you can, do give it a quick drive cycle once in a while, but I don't know that there is a schedule for this kind of thing. Personally, I didn't do that, just unplugged the battery out and left it till April for the last 3 winters. It's not good for the battery to be discharged to the point that it needs to be jumped, so keep it disconnected and/or on a minder.

This is my R3 4th winter being stored, all I do is fill the tank add fuel stabilizer, stuff steal wool in the exhaust tips and a large bowl of baking soda inside the car for moisture. I also add a few bounds of air to the tires and then plug in my trickle charger and leave it till spring.
There's really no need to remove the battery unless you have no ability for charging

Thanks guy for the input !! G_man so you leave the trickle charger plugged in and connected to your battery the whole winter ? And do you ever start the car or no ?

If you have the battery on a trickle charge, there is no need to start the vehicle unless you just want to. The charger will keep the battery at 100% of charge as long as the charger itself has power.

No!! I never start while it's in storage, it's just a waste of fuel. Make sure you get yourself a smart charger, I got the Eliminater charger from Canadian Tire, it has worked great with no problems.
The charger came with 2 types of connectors,the basic spring clamp and a hard fix to the battery

From what I have learned on this site, it's actually BAD to start it up and idle without driving it. Better to leave it on the charger until you are going to take it out of storage and stomp on it! :)

So it looks like its better to either start the car but drive it ... or not start it at all and leave it on a trickle charger lol. So many mixed opinions.

If you are going to "store" the car for the winter, then store it. There a list of things to do to insure that your car will be ready for the big thaw. There is a list some where on this site and includes things like jacking up the car to keep the tires in good shape, things like that. If you are going to put it up on crappy days and bring it out on nicer days, then that is totally different. The question you asked referred to the battery in which case you do not need to drive the car to keep the battery in a state of ready.

Sorry, going to jump this thread really quick, but i have a question of my own regarding storage. i have a 09' rx8 and i just recently got put on a short notice to deploy. i had very little time to get my house packed up and prepped to move as my wife was going to be staying with her parents while i am gone. As for my 8, i put it in storage with the rest of my belongings, i didnt have the tools to remove the battery as they were buried deep somewhere in boxes.. Is it that detrimental that my rx8 is going to be sitting in my storage unit from january to july-august timeframe with the battery connected and i didnt add any extra pressure to my tires before leaving?

The tires should be fine. They'll lose shape a bit so when you get back roll the car forward half a wheel rotation and let it sit some more. Drive very gently until they round back out. Obviously this is not amazing for them, but survivable.

The battery will be dead when you get back and may need to be replaced. Batteries like that don't like draining fully.

Well, i guess i couldnt have expected as much as to replace the battery lol i should have seen that one coming. Ive got lots of presents for the 8 when i get back. I plan on getting an oil change and replacing the coils and plugs, replacing the o2 sensor (it needs to be replaced just never had the chance quite yet) and i guess now most likely getting a new battery, do you guys recommend anything else as a welcome home present for my 8 to get it back into great shape? I appreciate the replies, just wanting to get a plan together for when i get back and im not lost when my 8 is done sitting for the last 6 months

Anyone have trouble starting their 8 after it's sat for a few months? I parked mine the first week of December because of a medical problem that's lasting longer than I thought. Gas tank was freshly filled, ignition in good shape, and the battery (about a year old) is on a battery tender. I've been having paranoid thoughts of it not firing up after not being run for this long.

Ken

Mine sits for 5 to 6 months on a tender during the winter and have never had a problem at start up in the spring.

Mine sat for a couple of months in the winter outside also because of medical issues with no special precautions & it fired up easily.

Fresh fuel and a new air filter (if needed) is always good. And a nice wash/polish/wax. When you replace the O2 sensor, ensure that your cat isn't beginning to clog up if you haven't already. Don't leave the park brake on, the pads almost always stick on mine if I leave it for a while.

Edit: also check the amount of moisture in your brake fluid.

Also, it's a good idea to change the cabin filter when taking it out of storage to be sure varmints didn't nest in there.

^I have mine ready and waiting for spring

How would i go about checking if my cat is clogging up, or even be able to tell if it is or not? Are there any DIY's i could search for about that? Same thing for the moisture in my braking fluid. I have very little experience doing my own vehicle work but am just starting to learn.

There is a DIY for "Gutting" the cat, probably has some good info on how to check.
Basically just unbolt it & look inside.

Here is the Car & Driver procedure for storing your car for the winter.

How To: Store a Car for the Winter | Car and Driver Blog

Storing the car for the winter stinks, especially when its completely covered with about 5ft of snow :(

Is it bad to leave it buried under 6ft + of snow?

Little late, but my car is stored for the winter.. (only has summer tires on it.)

I usually give it a wash/wax, fill it up w/ NON-ethanol based fuel (no E10).. add some fuel stabilizer, and put it on a battery tender.

Come spring, it's always just started right up for me, no problems. (I've actually had more issues with it in the fall before I store it. I.e. rodents trying to make a nest under the air box for instance.)

I'd say it's not going to get any worse while it's frozen, but when it starts to melt, you'll want to clear it and give the water somewhere to drain from under the car. If you leave a snow bank on top of your car it will melt into every seam during the day and freeze and expand at night, which is not amazing, and pool water under the car which is even less amazing.

Obviously if you can clear it now that would be best.