Would you?

[Gene Wilkes]

Long term through the winter, would you leave you car up on jack stands to prevent flat spots on the tires?

[island911]

Good idea, islandman. thanks for the reminder.

[livi]

No. It has been suggested that it is potentially harmful for certain suspension parts.

Besides, it´s quite easy to roll the car a feet or two once in a while to prevent flat spots.

[bigchillcar]

'to jack or not to jack'...that is the question?

[chrisp]

I do for a variety of reasons

- I'm not worried about the issue regarding shock shafts getting rusty. I have spare shocks in my garage and those don't seem to get rusty.

- I want my relatively new bushings to have a chance to rebound from the static load during the season when the car is on the ground

- Main Reason #1: I prefer to keep the car in a position to work on it. Pulling wheels on/off 4-5 times a winter and going through the jacking effort doesn't make sense.

- I lift the car to a height that is easier to work on. Getting to this height is a little bit of a chore with a normal floor jack so I prefer to do it once. This is semi-related to the point above.

- Main Reason #2: I lift the car to a height that gives more breathing room/ventilation space underneath. It's in a non-insulated garage and gets condensation every now and then. I have a fan to ventilate the undercarraige when it's bad.

- I store the wheels/tires I take off under the car (small garage and need the space) and it needs to be that much higher off the ground to do this.

[Gene Wilkes]

I hope to hear more opinions on this subject!

[Dantilla]

The 911 is currently up on jackstands, and will probably stay that way for a few months. I'm mounting new race seats, and need to do a bit of fabricating for proper mounting of the harnesses. It's easier when I don't have to bend over very far when trial fitting things and taking measurements. Even with 23/30 T-bars, it's nice to have the car solid instead of on its suspension for this kind of stuff.

Then will come an oil change and valve adjustment. The car will just stay where it is until I want to drive it again.

My 944 race car, however, is just sitting on its suspension. Not on Hoosiers, of course, but on street tires that see very little use other than getting the car on and off the trailer.

So I guess I can't vote unless you add a "One of each" catagory.

[K9Torro]

I would move to where I can drive my car all year long , like where I live now...

Todd

[austria3]

NO !

Leaving the 911 (with torsion bar suspension) lifted up for a longer time could cause the torsion bar to break.

I bought a set of cookie cutter with old tires so I don't have to worry about flat spots, increasing the tire pressure also does help.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Don't flat spots go away after a few minutes, once the tires are warm? Aren't we deaing with a non-issue here? There are flat spots from hard braking and wheel lock, which don't go away, but I don't understand the fuss about letting rubber take a set...and then let it relieve it, in the spring. I have _never_ had what you call "flat spots" (a misnomer, really, since true flat spots are sanded-away areas on the tread) last longer than a trip to the post office and back.

[racer]

Seems like a hassle. I'd rather drive it, even in the winter, than to store it for months at a time.

[mnmike]

id rather risk flat spots (if I forget to move it a few inches every month) than messing up the suspension..

[Gene Wilkes]

Has anyone ever experienced problems from leaving your Pcar on jack stands for the winter????

[real550A]

I've left 911's on the lift with the wheels off for months at a time
while engines were out, etc. Never had a suspension issue result.
It also makes another heated parking spot, which is valuable in the winter in Minnesota!

[tab tanner]

Mine sets in a heated shop, I have never gotten any flat spots on the tires. But put it in my unheated garage and I'll have some in a day or two

[porsche930dude]

This is more of an issue with old bias ply tires. radials may get flat spots for a mile or so but cause no damage to the tire. increased air pressure also helps

[Zeke]

Or, you can just get some car roll-around dollies with the radiused cradle and have the best of worlds.

Most of the race cars I'm familiar with spend more time on stands or a rack than on the ground. Never heard of specific supension problems due to that fact alone.

Frankly, I think sunlight through a garage window that hits a parked car for extended periods of time will do more damage than wieghted rubber on the ground unless everything is well covered with solid covering including the tires.

[imcarthur]

Unheated off-site storage here. Unjacked with max tire pressure & I roll it slightly at least once. Around 4 1/2 months sitting with no flat spots that don't disappear in 10 miles.

Ian

[LakeCleElum]

I know a member here that recently bought a '72 Targa that had been sitting in a garage for 14 yrs. The tires were new when parked. The flat sports never went away and the tires had to be junked.

BUT, I wouldn't do it for one winter....Sneak it out and drive it once in awhile.....

[ben parrish]

14 years is extreme; no tire would be worth a darn over that time. Look at it this way: How many car lots keep cars on them for 3-9 months without moving them? Plenty!
Tires will not "flat spot" to the point of being ruined in 6 months. A few miles driving and they will be fine. My Brigestones "flat spot" within a few days and re-true themselves within a few miles.
Really, this is a non-issue but it can't hurt to keep it on stands or move it a few feet every month if it floats your boat.
Too much work and I have more important things to worry about.
Ben