Five Tips for Porsche Winter Storage

For most of my Porsche life I lived in snow country that meant putting my Porsche away for the winter. Even though my Porsches are now in North Carolina where I can drive year-around I still find myself putting the air-cooled cars away since the road conditions in the mountains limit drives through the winter months.

My 1986 Carrera 3.2 that I have owned for over 20 years has had the same routine every November during my ownership:

1. Fill the gas tank.

2. Over-inflate the tires to 42 psi.

3. Connect the car into a battery tender.

4. Cover the car with a flannel indoor car cover that breathes.

5. Wait until Spring to drive the heck out of your Porsche.

It is a very simple process to put the car away and it starts right up come spring. The German engineering is marvelous. One time due to a company move my Porsche Carrera sat stored this way for three years. Once I uncovered it and inserted the key I expected the engine to turn and turn before it fired. It started on the first turn of the key.

The purpose for filling the gas tank is to eliminate moisture build-up. The tires are over-inflated to limit flat-spotting and the battery is plugged in to retain the charge and extend the life of the battery. It is hard to believe, but I have the same battery in the car since I bought it 22 years ago. I probably just jinxed it since mentioning it but for now the battery is going strong so why change it.

When I first bought the car my thought was to put it on jack stands, but my mechanic cautioned against it saying that it was bad for the shocks to be fully extended hanging like that. He gave me the routine for Porsche Winter Storage.

This weekend my ’86 911 Carrera and ’73 914 went through the winter storage prep and are now tucked away under their soft flannel car covers waiting for the spring driving season to start again. It is heresy to say on this site but I will drive my water-pumper 2009 911 Twin Turbo over the winter for my Porsche driving experience.