Are You Storing or Driving Away the Winter Blues?

Snow is on the ground in several parts of the world and that usually means one of two things. Television is dominated by repeated broadcasts of romantic comedies and seasonal movies and mall parking lots become an overcrowded menace, S2000s are either in hibernation for the winter or find themselves doing winter duty.

dang! its cold out here bro. Park me inside.

The S2000 Vintage Owners forum contains a winter/long-term storage thread with detailed tips on storage. Be it storing the car in a barn a few miles away or comfortably within the confines of one’s heated garage, these tips should give you some insight about what you can do to keep the S comfortably hibernated and ready for action come spring. Tips include keeping the battery charged, adding fuel stabilizer and strategies for keeping rodents and pests from feasting on your parked car. If storing or considering long or short-term storage, it will do you good to peruse this thread.

Now there are those of our members that care less whether there is an inch or a foot of frozen precipitation on the ground. They believe the car needs to be out there in frolic mode, snow or not. Some owners are dictated by a lack of choice and we must add that the S2000 is just as good as its driver, in the snow. Discussion is afoot in a thread in the S2000 Talk forum on tips for driving in the winter. Given its propensity to punish a driver for his/her mistakes, the S2000 must be set up for driving in cold and snowy conditions just as a race car needs to be prepped for inclement weather.

For those considering driving the car all year long, it may be wise to minimally invest in a set of snow tires mounted on a set of dedicated wheels (a set of AP1 wheels would be perfect). This will ensure that you have better grip during the slippery season and could very well go a long way in keeping you from a mishap.

Other suggestions include getting a hardtop, wind blocker and seat heaters but the biggest adjustment in addition to the tires is the all-important driver mod. Our member, Conedodger has the following to say: “Smooth inputs on all the controls. Light touch on the steering wheel. Do not over-correct for a slide. That will get the car swinging back and forth and will cause a spin. Treat the gas and the brake pedals like they have oranges under them. Squeeze the pedals, don’t stomp on them (you don’t want to crush the oranges). Leave plenty of distance between you and the driver ahead. You may have confidence that you can stop in a shorter distance, but the guy behind you may misjudge and come sliding at you. If you have left room in front of you, you can use it to get out of the way of the guy behind you”.

Participating in an ice racing school or also just testing the limits on a quiet snow-filled parking lot will also help in fine-tuning winter skills. Regardless of one’s experience, it is a good idea to spend time practicing driving in the snow. This is also of benefit to those that drive a winter beater while storing their S2000.

We are sure those storing cars look forward to vicariously driving the S2000 through those out there braving the cold. So when you are out there, be alert and lay off the eggnog. Most importantly, dress for the occasion (unlike Julian Assange) and stay warm.

Tell us about yourself. Are you storing or driving this winter? What precautions do you take?

Image courtesy of diskoe.

NOTE: S2KI welcomes the opinions of its members on the S2000 and on all topics related to the S. Should you feel the creative urge to pen a few words then by all means do so and PM Energetic, Aashish2 or Onehots2k OR send us links to what you would like us to write about and we will feature you (or your community) on the S2KI Home Page.