De-mods for winter?

So I made it to Minneapolis from Phoenix. (34º and snow? WTF?!?!) And since my car has only seen snow/cold during day trips to Flagstaff I'm learning new things about how parts react to the cold.

Obviously summer tires come off for the winter but what else? My brakes scream until they warm up. (I daily on DBA 4000s with cheap pads). Would putting on stock rotors be better? What about the exhaust? Intake?

Just curious as this is new to me.

 

hey welcome back to where hell froze over, anyways it been a long winter here. Just make sure you keep RPMS down until everything warms up in the car. I dont know about your tune on the car but it is not the desert air here and it might make a differnce on your tune. I been thinking about moving down there and would definatley would have someone check it out. Someone will chime in on that. **********D

 

Rotors don't give a **** about temperature.. it's yer pads son.. yer pads. Make sure your using pads that function in low temp. something like a Hawk HP+ or more aggressive are a bad plan.
Exhaust and intake changes are unnecessary. You may need a re-tune to compensate for our different gas, altitude, and temperature ranges though, if you were custom tuned in Phoenix.

The only other things would be suspension. Soften things up, add ride height, or best option is to often just go back to stock. Higher rate springs or worse, coil overs, can make your car excessively twitchy on snowy/icy days.

Welcome to the frozen hell. It gets better in the summer... for awhile. Be prepared to learn the meaning of the word "Humidity".

 

Thanks guys. I'm running an OTS tune right now. I knew I'd need something different when i got here so i went conservative. I'm looking to get a catless downpipe and tune soon. Any suggestions on local tuners?

What kind of pads would you suggest for the cold? I figured the AutoZone gold pads would be fine. If anything is gonna heat up quick, I'd think they would.

And i appreciate the info. And if you guys do visit Phoenix with your cars, flash a conservative tune before you go. Gas there is crap and with the heat (115º+ in the summer) guys blow engines all the time if they don't have a local tune. Even Cobb makes a special OTS tune for our gas.

 

Contact Nuke at NF Performance for a tune. Welcome to the land that spring forgot!

 

Oh, and you are now in E85 territory, so that is now an option for you as well.

 

Check out NF in the vendor section. Reputable guys, and reasonably priced. Nuke knows what he's doing and works some magic with his laptop. You won't be disappointed.

 

And Broco beat me to it! Lol

 

Another vote for NF

 

Thanks. I'm super excited about an E85 tune but for now (as in May sometime) I'm thinking just a downpipe and tune.

From what i understand, E85 requires a fuel pump and injectors, right?

 

Correct on the FP and injectors. I wouldn't go back to pump gas but that's me.

 

For pads, the autozone specials should be fine. I've run my HP+'s in colder temps, and its doable, but not preferable.

Otherwise frequent (touchless) car washes with undercarriage spray are a must during the winter to help wash away the salt. You mentioned removing summer tires, which is an absolute must!

Intake you can leave alone, but if you have a cold air intake, be careful in the car washes with the undercarriage spray.

And yes, talk to Nuke about a tune. From your other threads, it sounds like you are into competitive racing. Make sure to mention that to Nuke...he has some tricks up his sleeve

 

Really...

 

I am also tuned by Nuke.

I do not de-mod for winter. Just winter tires.

 

This is very true. They also won't empty your wallet. They are honest and they support the community/forum.


I ran my HP+ pads this winter and last without issues. However, my new StopTech Streets are in and will be my DD from now on. The HP+ pads are just going to be for track days.

 

I suggest buying a mansion with a 2 story heated garage. Keep your cars in there and enjoy.

And let me park my car there too.

 

Thanks but I'm having a tough time finding a place with a 3-car garage for what i want to pay.

 

I was hoping to stay in the $1500-$1600/mo range but that looks more like townhome kinda prices. Oh well. At least a townhome comes with snow removal.

 

I'm looking to rent. Not sure if I'll be here more than 2-3 yrs with my job. But, no, my credit is actually pretty good.

 

My wife and i both refuse to park our cars outside so a 2 car garage is an absolute minimum. But there are townhomes with 2 car garages. We've even found some houses with 3 car garages in the $1800-$1900 range. Little more than we were hoping but not the end of the world. Now these property managers need to get off their butts and get back to us. :-P

 

There is plenty out there to be had! Rent or own. If you are here on a short stay just watch out for re-sale. Good luck*************D