I am getting Susi's MINI ready for the long winter nap.

My question: Do I need to over inflate the Yokohama Avid Envigor tires for the long nap like I should have the crappy run flats, or are these tires not going to suffer the same flat spot issues?

I searched this and was unable to find a thread, so I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere.

Thanks,

Tripp

 

I don't have any science to back this up, but I would suggest that you overinflate any tires that will be sitting on the car for any length of time. If anything, the runflats, with their stiffer sidewalls, would be less prone to flat spots than conventional tires. Don't forget the battery charger and mouse traps...and pray for an early spring.

 

If you can, get the car up on jackstands to take the wieght off completely. Change the oil before storage, add about 5 ozs or so of Stabil to the fuel and take it for a last drive to get the Stabil mixed up good with the fuel, 15 -20 miles should do to get everything warmed up good, and keep it plugged into a Deltran battery tender for a nice long winters nap. Good luck.

 

If you must do it, I'm with Maugre, getting it off of the tires entirely would be best if you can manage it. MUST you store it? Just curious. Even a half hour drive every week or two would I think be a lot better for your car (and tires) than not driving it at all...
My local Batteries Plus guys are in favor of guilding the lilly by putting your Battery Tender on a lamp timer and only running it for 3-6 hours a day even at prolonged sub-freezing temps. They sell the things (Deltrans) and are happy to convince you to buy one, but aren't real confident that leaving them hooked up 24/7 is a good idea.

 

I've left Battery Tenders connected for weeks on end to motorcycle batteries for years, with no issues. Car batteries are just larger, but otherwise no different.

 

Successfully for weeks at a time on my motorcycles, me too. But have you left a Battery Tender connected for months and months? That's what my Batteries Plus guys were warning about...

 

I have left my Battery Tenders, I have two, on my bikes and my MINI all winter, roughly Nov. thru the end of March, without any problems that I'm aware of.

 

All three of my MINI's hibernate for the winter. I have two of them hooked up to a 'smart' charger, and the third to a constant trickle charger. I stored the battery from this car in a heated basement on the trickle, and the battery failed about two months ago at the track. This battery was just a year or two old. Maybe just a coincidence, maybe not.

On another note, my mechanic says it is not necessary to use Stabil or any other gas stabilizer if you are just storing the car over the winter. He also said it doesn't make much difference if you change the oil before the car goes into hibernation mode or after it wakes up in the spring.

 

Deltran sez...
BatteryWeb explains...
BatteryMinder sez...
BatteryWeb above thinks the VDC BatteryMinder is superior to the Deltran Battery Tender because it has a periodic de-sulphation mode. Which is a whole extra feature beyond just maintaining your battery as if you were driving the car.

 

I have used a battery tender for my boat battery for years. I remove the battery before the boat goes in the barn for the winter and store it in my basement on a bench with a battery tender attached all winter, then re-install it in the spring. No issues, I'm only on my second battery in an 11 year old boat. The tender will only maintain the charge, not continuously charge it like a conventional battery charger, hence the term "Battery Tender".
BTW - NEVER store a battery on a cement floor, it will kill the battery. If you need to keep it on the floor, put a couple 2x4's under it.

As for car storage, for my MCS it's not an issue since it is my daily driver but my '36 Chevy Coupe does get stored, of sorts. I do use Stabil in the gas, change the oil and put the car cover on it but never officially take it off the road. Over the winter I will take it out for a short ride when the weather and road conditions permit. During the long periods of snow here in upstate NY and I can't get the car out, every few weeks I will go out and start it up, bring the motor up to temperature and move it around the garage a little bit. This has been very successful for me over many, many years of storing my cars.

 

Storing batteries on cement is no longer of any concern. Battery cases used to be made of wood and other poor insulators, but now they're fully insulated. See...
http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/battery.asp
http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum.../April/06.html
http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...vember/06.html
http://www.thebatteryterminal.com/Te...n_Concrete.htm
http://www.discover-energy.com/faqs/...ry_on_concrete
http://www.yuasabatteries.com/faqs.php?action=1&id=20

 

I have stored a Trans Am for 17 years and have never had an issue with this procedure.

Change the oil right before storage. Fill up the gas tank. It is better to have a full tank to reduce fumes. Park the car so that all four tires are on wood planks. This keeps the suspension fully engaged to avoid pitting of the shock pistons and I have never had a flat spot on a tire. Disconnect the battery but leave in the car. I have never had an issue with the battery in the spring. I even stored the car this way for a year and an additional winer and it started up immediately after re-connection. Put a cover on the car to protect the paint.

This has worked for me for years whether the car was stored in a heated garage, non-heated garage or barn.

Good luck!

 

Stabil doesn't hurt so why not use it, and constant trickle chargers are not designed for long term use as are Battery Tenders or BatteryMINDer's.

 

A surefire mouse solution. Even had one in the T hanger. Never relished the idea of discovering something chewed thru shortly after takeoff.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/easterly110.html

 

Thank you all for your suggestions, I store her car covered in a garage, stabil added, oil changed, and with a battery minder on a timer, and I change the keys in the ignition every month as they charge while in the ignition. I have never had any problems other than the permanent flat spot damage to the run flats. The car will be uncovered in April a week or two (depending on the weather) prior to our annual trek to North Carolina. I will over inflate the tires, and move the car a few feet every week or so to avoid flat spots. I can't put it up on jack stands or I would. Thanks again for the help, see some of you in Fontana in May!

Tripp