doo925

Yo BB Guy. I checked with my Z dealer head mech. who suggested the 50 psi in the tires. This pressure is ok for storage, but NO DRIVING !!! This pressure just keeps the flat spots from forming on the tires during storage.

Silverstone 350 & Archman: I've checked with numerous mechs. and car buffs and they almost all agree to NOT run the engine weekly during storage. The reason being is that unless you take the Z out for a good run on the road, condensation will form in various parts of the engine and exhaust due to the fact that the car isn't taken up to full operating conditions.Unless you're storing the car for more than 9 month's, letting the car sit should be OK. For the real long term storage(9 months+), spark plug removal and cylinder fogging with oil is recommended. I for one will be letting mine sit 'til spring.
One last thing: for those of us in a truly cold winter climate, check your anti-freeze. I tested mine and it was rated to only -18c. I have since drained the factory installed anti-freeze and put in a 50/50 mix of distilled water and anti-freeze. This got me down to a rating of -35 to -40c. Just a little insurance for those really cold nights.

Silverstone_350

I'm going to change my oil tomorrow as prep for storage... my question is: what kind of oil should I use? This is actually the first time that I will be changing the oil (hardly past 2500 miles on the odometer), but I plan on changing the oil anyways after the storage period so would it matter if I used the good stuff for now? Should I just wait until Spring time comes along before I get the Mobil 1/Amsoil/Royal Purple? I was thinking about just taking it into the dealership but I'm hesitant after reading about all the horror stories on here about Z drivers and their scum dealership mechanics/salesmen/managers etc. Help?

archman350z

I would probably stick with the dino-juice for another few thousand miles. I'm not going to synthetic until 12,000 (when my service agreement is up). Give the engine a bit more time to loosen up first. You can probably stop down at Wilde Nissan in Waukesha. I was down there last month car shopping with my Mom (she fell in love with the new Altima...so did I) and the guys were really nice.

As far as storage, synthetics are undoubtedly the best. The condensation that forms in the crankcase does not affect the synthetics (unlike the dino-oils). You can pretty much store them all winter and then run the same oil in spring. Just let the engine come up to temp while idling so that the moisture has a chance to burn off first.

I stopped down at my Nissan dealer after getting the car back from the bodyshop. Both the bodyshop and dealer (the service manager has owned many classic Corvettes over the years) gave some advice:

1) The gas problem. I guess in the newer cars you don't have to worry about the gasoline turning to varnish during storage. In order to meet emissions, all new cars have a closed fuel system. Since it is not vented to the atmosphere, the agents in gasoline cannot evaporate and leave behind all the "gunk." So keep the tank full!

2) It's important to put the tires on something if you're storing on concrete. I guess there is some kind of reaction that can occur between the tire and the lime in concrete over a long period of time. Even simple cardboard will work.

3) The bodyshop recommended covering the car in plastic (he stated a particular kind, but I forgot...) starting from the bottom. I guess it does an awesome job of keeping the car clean.

I hope this helps!