First winter as a TVR owner...

[FreeLitres]

I am coming up to my first winter as a TVR owner.

Please could you give me some guidance and advice as to what I should do with my car for the winter?

Here is my situation:
It’s a 1998 Chimaera 500. I have a garage which has a simple single skin door, which means the garage can get cold and drafty in the winter (stuff like weight-lifting equipment has been known to get slightly rusty in there). The car has a wired in battery conditioner. I am planning on keeping the car taxed/insured all year round. It’s a weekend car, so I don’t need to drive it for work – purely for pleasure.

I suppose the general options are:

Lay it up for the winter to avoid salty/slippy roads. What do I need for this – car cover? Disconnect battery? (etc.) Pros/cons?

Try and drive it every weekend. Do I need to wash the chassis every time? Would this make things worse? Benefits of this?

Just park it up in the garage for the winter ‘as it’. Would this ruin the tyres or knack the engine/seals somehow?

What do you guys do with your TVR for the winter?

[clarkmagpie]

I drive mine

[.Mark]

Drive 'em. Get out as much as possible and enjoy the crisp winter days.

Sometimes a roof off blat in the sunshine wrapped up warm is better than a summer cruise. I remember doing Snake Pass one winter, -4C bright clear skies, heavy frost, icicles hanging from the trees, forgotten my coat but stuff it, one of my favourite TVR drives.

[FreeLitres]

clarkmagpie said:

I drive mine

Through snow and icy roads? Is this by choice, or is it an only car for you?

I think my biggest concern it getting salt all over the chassis (as well as crashing!)

[Mr MoJo]

.Mark said:

Drive 'em. Get out as much as possible and enjoy the crisp winter days.

Sometimes a roof off blat in the sunshine wrapped up warm is better than a summer cruise. I remember doing Snake Pass one winter, -4C
bright clear skies, heavy frost, icicles hanging from the trees, forgotten my coat but stuff it, one of my favourite TVR drives.

Exactly this. Cold crisp dry winter days are some of the most enjoyable roof off driving days there are.

Just use it when you can, and take a little bit more care on the damper roads

[FreeLitres]

But what about getting salt all over the chassis? Do you make any effort to get this off? I have heard of some people getting a sprinkler under the car to wash it down, but others said this would be worst than dry salt.

[clarkmagpie]

It's usually by choice.
I have 2 other cars in the household.

Afa GTV V6
Merc CLK 320

Why would i drive anything other than than the Tiv? Unless really crap weather?!


In all honesty though, I have only just started using every day, it is because I get to work with a smile and it gives me something to look forward to when I leave

[Mr MoJo]

Some winter conditions in our country are horrendous, and not for one minute would I suggest taking your P&J out in slushy, muddy, wet and salty conditions. But on those crisp dry sunny days it doesn't get any better
Obviously there are going to be occasions where the car gets used on
wet grimy roads, unless you have a garage queen, but just make sure the chassis is in tip top condition and have it waxoiled/protected every year at service time.
They like to be used you know

Eta, not sure about a sprinkler under the car, but on the odd occasion I've had the car out on a really salty or muddy road I do tend to hose off under the arches, sills and where the outriggers join the chassis. Let it dry off then put it away. Paranoid ? Me ?

Edited by Mr MoJo on Wednesday 13th October 23:26

[dumbfunk]

I've done it both ways and the answer for me was predictably somewhere in the middle.

I used my Griff 400 as an only car for over 2 winters and at 7am in the ice and especially the snow it was absolutely horrific. And not "tee-hee I was sooo sideways" horrific but properly "I am a passenger and if I touch any of the controls I am going to crash" horrific.

The following year I instead garaged my Griff 500 and it was a miserable experience that made me wonder why I'd bought I car I couldn't use. Plus the car felt horrible when I un-mothballed it.

Since then I've kept the car taxed and drive it whenever it's dry-ish and not too cold. Ideally that's a few times per month at the very least. Works for me.



df

[FreeLitres]

dumbfunk said:

The following year I instead garaged my Griff 500 and it was a miserable experience that made me wonder why I'd bought I car I couldn't use. Plus the car felt horrible when I un-mothballed it.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

dumbfunk - in what way did the car feel horrible when you got back into it? Do you mean stale/mouldy or the engine and clutch feeling off?

[Podie]

FreeLitres said:

clarkmagpie said:

I drive mine

Through snow and icy roads? Is this by choice, or is it an only car for you?

I think my biggest concern it getting salt all over the chassis (as well as crashing!)

I drove my 450 Chimaera through two winters... rain, snow and ice. For one of those winters it even lived outside. Just requires a bit more TLC that's all.

[LaserTam]

dumbfunk said:

Since then I've kept the car taxed and drive it whenever it's dry-ish and not too cold. Ideally that's a few times per month at the very least. Works for me.



df

^^^ This

[amazon]

Agree with the what other people have said above - the single best thing you can do is drive it . My cars are certainly none the worse for winter activity

Edited by amazon on Thursday 14th October 09:01

[blujay10]

As the others have said the best thing is to drive as much as possible. Early sunday mornings are best for me...sneak out while Mrs B and the kids are still in lala land, 40 minute blast to get everything nicely warmed up and back home with bread and bacon for the sunday morning fry up! Also get the chassis wax oiled properly and you should be fine, although driving in heavy snow/slush is not much fun. I've had my Chimaera for 5 years and there have only been a couple of weeks when I havent been able to drive because of the weather.

[Gowka]

I drive mine, I even drove up and down the length of Britain last snowy winter, which was fun!!!

[dumbfunk]

FreeLitres said:

dumbfunk - in what way did the car feel horrible when you got back into it? Do you mean stale/mouldy or the engine and clutch feeling off?

It just seemed to run quote roughly for a while and had a load of niggling little problems at the next service. It was kept in a dry garage so there were no mould problems but it gave me the strong impression that these cars like to be used.

Also regarding driving it at winter I'm in agreement with everyone that you shouldn't be scared to use it. It is however a different deal when it's your only car and you have to use it whatever the weather. I remember getting into a spin after driving down a slight snow/ice covered hill surrounded by cars in Birmingham city centre because I lifted off the throttle too quickly and the clutch drag alone locked the rear wheels. It was my error sure but sooooo easy to make. Closest I've come to crashing it in 10 years.


df

[bobbins]

LaserTam said:

dumbfunk said:

Since then I've kept the car taxed and drive it whenever it's dry-ish and not too cold. Ideally that's a few times per month at the very least. Works for me.



df

^^^ This

Yup, same as. Battery conditioner an absolute must.

I've used it in the wet a few times and am pleased it doesn't leak - but try to stick to the dry cos there's a lot more fun to be had then (my wife doesn't close her eyes so much ). If it's icy I think you're increasing your chances of something going wrong - not just you, but others. If there's salt noticeably on the road when you've been out in it get the hosepipe on the outriggers and give it a good going over.

[G20RG B]

I'm in Scotland and from December to end of March it will be in the garage tucked up under a cover with the battery on charge.
I will take the opportunity to clean the chassi and paint/tidy up a few bits in the engine bay and clean it to death ready for coming out in the spring.
Then it will go for a service and MOT and be ready for the driving season again. I don't want to be a winter casualty in the TVR there were a few to many winter accidents last year I'm not going to be one of them..

[Pursyluv]

You will probably find you want to drive it at every opportunity, especially between periods of bad weather, bought mine 20/12/09 and only did 300 miles in 2 months due to snow and ice, unbelieveably frustrating, it's a disciplined man that can ignore a TVR for 3 months.

I said "it's a disciplined man that can ignore a TVR for 3 months"

I meant "it's a disciplined person that can ignore a TVR for 3 months" - sorry Nicky.

Edited by Pursyluv on Thursday 14th October 21:48

[FreeLitres]

Pursyluv said:

it's a disciplined person that can ignore a TVR for 3 months

I get frustrated when I have to miss ONE weekend in the Tiv due to poor weather. I can't imagine missing out on a few months without a drive out!