With Winter Around the Corner, How are You Preparing?
 

For lots of us, this is a sad time of year. This is the time of year when we get our treasured vehicles prepared for winter and/or winter storage.

For all of you who are storing your 8 for the winter, how are you preparing?

For all of you who will be driving your 8 during the winter, how are you preparing?

My preparation will begin today, starting with an oil change (Which I needed anyways) and topping up all fluids... And buying a trickle charger.

we got the kids hats and mittens out the other day so they would start wearing them when we walk the oldest to school etc

Step 1 : get power back thanks to albert the bastard

Step 2 : wash car and add sealant to last winter time

Trying 0w-20 oil! and putting on blizzaks. raise ride height.

Did all this on Monday:

1. Oil/Filter change
2. Wash and wax
3. Add Sta-Bil to fuel tank
4. Fill tank with fuel
5. Inflate tires to 50 PSI
6. Park in the garage
7. Hook up battery tender

I just gave a good wash and removed the battery.
Unless storing for a year or more, I wouldn't worry about it too much

Car on jackstands and trickle charger.
It's better to do an oil change after winter, not before. Oil degrades over time.
If you really have to do a fluid change flush the radiator!

Mostly I'm preparing by applying for jobs in Florida.

Lol I would do an oil change after winter (still might) but I was over by 260km and im still driving it this week :) last week with it!

by doing nothing....

No snow down here in sunny south Texas....:Peace:

I have my car rustproofed and winter tires on. I just got my Rx-8 so looking forward to seeing what winter brings.

wasn't there a huge snow storm last year?
i think texas had more snow than vancouver.

step 1: leave the car in the garage.
step 2: drive my AWD BMW in the snow = FAST.

Maybe wash the car one last time, and then swap on the OEM wheels w/ the WinterSport tires @ first dusting / freeze.

im slowly moving the heater control knob from blue to red

That was here in North Texas...Try driving an 8 in ice and snow all over this huge, busy city (Dallas)...Bad combination...Usually it will ice over for about 2 days...So it isn't too bad calling into work for those of us with sports cars as our daily drivers, if the roads aren't worth the risk...Snow isn't a big deal, but the ice gets pretty bad here, and it just wouldn't go away...so calling in for two weeks straight wasn't really an option =/ It was quite an adventure.

I put the ice scraper on my back seat ;)

I wish I could drive my 8 all year round but I dont have the heart to put it through our harsh Sask winters... plus it went into Limp Mode this morning lol. But, no worries. I did the 20 brake pedal stomp, cleared the CEL's and FRZD (I checked over all of it first for abnormalities), restarted it once and its back to normal :)

I hear ya! I'm sure those winters are worse than mine here (north of Philadelphia), but we still have salt-covered roads from December through March. I've commuted through 7 of those winters now, and it's actually held up surprisingly well.

It LOOKS terrible after winter drives, all grey and splattered with salt, and you'd think it'd never look shiny again. But I try to clean it when I can (especially all the little nooks and crannies around the wheels and undersides), then a good waxing when it warms up again, and it's been good as new ;)

Probably the best winter change was the first time I had the dealer replace the transmission oil (scheduled maintenance a few years after buying it), they apparently used synthetic... and the difference in shifting in the cold was amazing. It was like rowing through molasses in the morning originally, but after the change you'd never know it was cold outside.

For me, I slapped a set of Hankook I*Cept Evo W310 tires on it this past Saturday, and waited for more snow to arrive here in Denver, which it did yesterday.

I went out for a quick feeler run, to see if I really wanted to drive to work, got several miles up the road, found out my car felt fantastic, and realized everyone else on the road was driving like a tool.

I turned around, drove back home, and called out.

Once everyone else here in Colorado switches over to winter tires, and mentally switches over to Winter Driving mode, then it won't be so bad. Right now, you have a mixture of people with good snows, summer tires, worn out all seasons, and crappy all seasons out on the road together, that stupid accidents are occurring.

Once the bad drivers with bad tire choices wreck themselves during these first few storms, they will get with the program, as it happens every year here. The rest of us just try to wait them out, and try not to get caught up in their mayhem.

BC.

i cry and tell my 8 that ill miss it and that we will play again in the spring

I know how you feel :tear:

Already prepared, I live in Cali :D

Rolling up the windows for a minute in the mornin to warm up. It's Georgia!:)

Stock rims w/ blizzaks and stock bumper.... bring it on winter!