After the thrilling days of racing season come to an end, you are left with the task of putting your race car away until the weather fares and the new season rolls around. You spend so much time and money vamping up your racing ride through the on-season that it is only natural to want to ensure your car is safely kept through the winter months. With proper storage, your car can easily roll out onto the track ready to go on an opening day later on. Here is a look at a few important steps to take when storing your race car for the season in a car storage facility:
Drain the water from the engine block after parking your car.
Most off-site car storage facilities don't have climate-controlled units. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure there is no water still hanging around in the engine that can freeze and lead to a cracked radiator or busted engine block. This one critical mistake can lead to the need for a full-on engine replacement when racing season is set to begin again. So drain out any water that you have in the radiator, coolant reservoir, and engine block before you lock up your ride for the season.
Pull the oil and transmission fluid from your car before long-term storage.
Yes, transmission fluid and engine oil are capable of withstanding cold temperatures and still being functional. However, the viscosity changes in the coldest temperatures, which can affect the car's performance later on. For regular cars going into storage, this really s no big deal. However, with a race car, every small change in the engine and operational components affects overall performance on race day. It is a good idea to go ahead and drain the engine and transmission oil just to be on the safe side.
Remove or replace the racing tires on your vehicle after parking.
Racing tires are not the same thing as regular tires. These more solid tires are prone to warping and changes in rubber consistency if they sustain the weight of the car in the same position for a long period. If you don't take off racing wheels or jack up the car slightly, so the pressure is not on the wheels during storage, you can almost guarantee that the tires will have to be replaced first thing out of storage. Either pull off the tires after parking the vehicle and leave the vehicle on jacks or install temp tires for storage.
Contact a company like Ship Creek Storage for more information and assistance.
