Winter Hibernation - Does EVERYONE do it?

wigginz

Viper Owner
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Posts
204
Reaction score
0
Location
Concord, CA
This will be my first winter with the ACR and I'm starting to see a few winter storage topics pop up. Does everyone do this, or is it just an east coast thing? California winters aren't that cold and rainy (usually). Am I missing other reasons not to drive in the winter?
 

XXX BLK

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Posts
3,279
Reaction score
0
Location
New York, NY
Kyle, I drive all year round as long as there no snow or rain. The car runs great in the cold.......Adrian
 

Wild Bill

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 23, 2002
Posts
664
Reaction score
0
Location
Little Rock AR
I never store mine! But I do admit that the summers can get so freakin hot I don't drive her much.

YMMV

Bill
 

Fast Too

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Posts
1,113
Reaction score
0
Location
Linden, VA
What *** BLK said. I think winter is an excuse for the garage queens...If the snow has been plowed off the road or isn't fallening from the sky I'll be driving mine.
 

kcobean

Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Posts
5,675
Reaction score
0
Location
Sterling, VA
Yep...roads clear = driving time. I'm picky about what 'roads clear' means, as I won't drive the car if there is sand and salt on the road, otherwise, I'll drive it.

At least you never have to worry about being cold in your Viper. :D
 

Steve 00RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 18, 2000
Posts
1,751
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
What *** BLK said. I think winter is an excuse for the garage queens...If the snow has been plowed off the road or isn't fallening from the sky I'll be driving mine.

It's easy to drive your car in an area where snow doesn't fall. ;) I'd do the same. Instead, I content myself with 10,000 miles during the summer months.

Steve
 

Mccarlin

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Posts
818
Reaction score
0
Location
Chicago, IL
Kyle, I drive all year round as long as there no snow or rain. The car runs great in the cold.......Adrian


Same here! I drive ALL year round as long as there is no salt on the roads and its nice out. 20 degrees. who cares :)
 
OP
OP
W

wigginz

Viper Owner
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Posts
204
Reaction score
0
Location
Concord, CA
I kinda figured as much... now that I think about it, it's a bit of a dumb question . I don't think I could take not driving mine for months at a time... a couple days is hard enough.
 

Mccarlin

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Posts
818
Reaction score
0
Location
Chicago, IL
I kinda figured as much... now that I think about it, it's a bit of a dumb question . I don't think I could take not driving mine for months at a time... a couple days is hard enough.

The longest i went last year was just over 3 weeks when we had a span of lots of snow and no rain to wash the salt away, it was BRUTAL not driving it.
 

Steve-Indy

VCA Venom Member
Venom Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2000
Posts
8,622
Reaction score
223
Location
Zionsville,IN. USA
I avoid Sleet, Snow, Sand, and Salt...but on a cold, dry Indiana day without any of the 4 dreaded S 's previously mentioned, I will often exercise a Snake or two as long as I have time to get the Viper up to full operating/equilibration temp (usually about an hour's worth of driving with ambient temps in the 30's)...noting that it takes over 30 minutes of highway driving to get the OIL temp to register above the miminum mark of 180 degrees in an SRT-10 in spite of the water temp of 190's.

In my opinion, letting them sit through the winter (with proper attention to the fluids beforehand) is FAR BETTER than an occasional warmup or short drive cycle.
 

Catwood

Viper Owner
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Posts
1,470
Reaction score
0
This will be my first winter with the ACR and I'm starting to see a few winter storage topics pop up. Does everyone do this, or is it just an east coast thing? California winters aren't that cold and rainy (usually). Am I missing other reasons not to drive in the winter?


Being from Concord which is close to Berkley I suggest you winterize the Viper and drive the Prius around. That in turn will hopefully provide me a little more resources to drive my Viper down in San Diego.


:headbang:
 

Limit

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Posts
586
Reaction score
0
I live in Wisconsin... I was planning on storing it, although I just may drive it some... Make sure your insurance is set up for it. As long as their isn't snow, salt, sand, etc... The cold air will be a nice change for the Viper.
 
OP
OP
W

wigginz

Viper Owner
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Posts
204
Reaction score
0
Location
Concord, CA
Being from Concord which is close to Berkley I suggest you winterize the Viper and drive the Prius around. That in turn will hopefully provide me a little more resources to drive my Viper down in San Diego.


:headbang:

Wait... are you insinuating that Berkley is full of wacko environmentalist hippies?? Driving around here you'd think all they sell in Nor Cal is the Prius.

You know what they say about guys with large carbon footprints...
 
Last edited:

Catwood

Viper Owner
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Posts
1,470
Reaction score
0
I'm fearing that some of the wacko Berkeley stuff may have rubbed off on my Viper brethren.

Winter Hibernation.....HA!

I'm calling it race season! finally getting cool enough to go to the track.
 

mike & juli

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Posts
11,715
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Will someone kill this post. It's too early to be discussing this. You all are making me depressed. I need to go now...
for a drive...
:drive:

I AGREE!!! WAYYYY too early for this!! Winter is LONGGGGGGG enough already, let's not think of it just yet!! 80's today anyway, HOT for us in October! Let's DRIVE! :drive:
~juli
 

Fast Too

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Posts
1,113
Reaction score
0
Location
Linden, VA
It's easy to drive your car in an area where snow doesn't fall. ;) I'd do the same. Instead, I content myself with 10,000 miles during the summer months.

Steve

I live in the mountains of Virginia, and I guess that grader (not a plow) the Virginia Department of Transportation keeps parked about an 1/8th of a mile from my house in the winter to remove snow drifts is for looks. There is also a ski lift on the next ridge over. 10K miles in the summer is a bunch of driving though. Glad to hear you drive your car. I have had mine new since March and already have close to that many miles (was down a month for mods) and by this time next year I should be about at 30K..........Guess I'll be buying an 08 in the next year or two. In the interim I'm in the market for chains or snow tires :rolaugh: Drive em if you got em and can. Weather permitting of course.......
 

dodgefever

Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Posts
392
Reaction score
0
Location
Currituck, NC
We get a lot of good driving days in the winter here on the coast. You just have to be careful though. 35 degree tires on top of 35 degree roads can easily spell trouble.
 

Steve 00RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 18, 2000
Posts
1,751
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
I live in the mountains of Virginia, and I guess that grader (not a plow) the Virginia Department of Transportation keeps parked about an 1/8th of a mile from my house in the winter to remove snow drifts is for looks. There is also a ski lift on the next ridge over. 10K miles in the summer is a bunch of driving though. Glad to hear you drive your car. I have had mine new since March and already have close to that many miles (was down a month for mods) and by this time next year I should be about at 30K..........Guess I'll be buying an 08 in the next year or two. In the interim I'm in the market for chains or snow tires :rolaugh: Drive em if you got em and can. Weather permitting of course.......

Fair enough.........I'm not sure how much snow that translates into for your area, but we have hit 350" or 360" here before (about 10 yrs ago). This past April we got 5 feet of snow over a week's time. That was a record. Once the salt comes out here in November (sometimes October), that's it till spring. Almost all roads here, with the exception of the highways remain snow covered till spring. They use graders here too, but they're way too slow too move the amount we get. Graders are typically used here to peel things down and widen snow narrowed roads every now and again. They are a poor tool, and not very effective, at cleaning up after a storm. Our plows are actually bigger than the graders and can move many times the snow a grader can....much faster. Our county at one time used to say we had the machinery to keep all main and secondary roads clear at a snow rate of one inch per hour. In other words we could take care of a 2 foot storm in 24 hours.

The only possible positive thing winter does for us is keep the miles down. If we lived in year round sunny weather our 2000 car would be pushing 150K miles instead of 'just' half that much :drive:

Steve
 

RoadiJeff

Viper Owner
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Posts
954
Reaction score
0
Location
Wildwood, MO
I average around 2,000 miles/yr but I still drive it at least once every month. Never, ever in the rain, snow, sleet or hail. I would not make a good mailman.

I get a laugh from some owners who chastise those of us who don't drive our cars into the ground but some of them are the same ones who park it 4-5 months over the winter.
 

ViperTony

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 3, 2006
Posts
7,554
Reaction score
0
In CT we've been having warm winters the last few years it seems. I don't bother putting the cover on it and I've been able to drive in between snow falls as long as the roads a clear of sand/salt. I'll keep a battery tend on it from time to time but I've been fortunate to drive it regularly through the winter. IF I had to put it away for the winter, I would definitely buy one of the car bubbles. It looks cozy enough to sleep in.:)
 

handyman_321

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 22, 2006
Posts
494
Reaction score
0
Location
Courtice, Ontario
Well I'm in the great white north, so the only way I would drive it year round is if I could get a snow blower on the front...lol

She has to go into her bubble for at least 3 months..... Sad
 

IEATVETS

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Posts
2,348
Reaction score
0
Location
Cottage Grove, Wis.
Just put mine away yesterday for it's long winter nap! Will be in the basement of our cabin in northern Wisconsin until it rains at least 2 times. That is usually April.:sadpace:
 

Zan186

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Posts
126
Reaction score
0
Location
Lackawanna, NY
I bought my car capsule last week. Haven't opened the box yet. Soon as the snow flies I am putting it in the bubble. Once it goes in, it won't come out until the snow melts and we get two good rain days to wash away all the salt.
 
Top