I think most people here love the idea of blasting through the worst of winter storms with their 4Runners....but others (like the OP) are using their vehicle as a showpiece and therefore want it to stay as pristine as possible forever.
For me, the whole idea of getting a 4Runner in the first place was for NY winters. I keep my CAR cozy in the garage during the winter and keep the 4Runner plowing through the winter weather.
I don't need them to be perfect forever, both have been wheeled and both have a dents and sings from it.... But the salt and de-ice chemical they use here are nutz, and I cannot stand seeing all these rust buckets up here. When we go to the few Toyota event we do every year, I don't want the suspension and armor all rusted up when people try to look at it...rock marks, dents, gouges, even a little packed dirt is not an issue, but rust....eeeewwwwww
Well Hell, I didn't see the pic when I viewed the thread earlier today.
If mine looked as nice as those, maybe I'd mothball it too!
I understand both sides of the fence, whatever makes you happy, it's all good in the end.
I have 3 sons, so they cannot look new forever (or even a week), but I have the ability to keep them in one piece, so I try. I idid the sma ewith both of my 4th gens here....
I try to keep my 4runner and ML out of the salt as much as possible, and use the truck more but both inevitably get used in winter and washed ASAP after.
Your rigs do look sick though.... like 2 hibernating bears.
I kept yours in the heated warehouse last year, it was a little spoiled but it deserved it. I miss it every time I smash the skinny pedal in my 5th gens...
Sweet looking shop! What type of insulation do you have?
Poly-encapsulated insulation on the walls and 2" blue hard foam on the ceilings.
...But if you store it through the winter... then what do you go snow wheelin in ? :lookout:
I have 3 other Toyota 4x4s that we drive, my wife drives the 3rd gen, adn I drive the Tundra mostly... I do have to admit, last winter I ran into a guy driving a pretty sweet Xtera and he invited me down by trapper johns to wheel in the snow. So we took the SR5 out for the day to play in the snow..... then washed it twice and stored it back in the warehouse.... I think this is what caused the rocker trim to rust on me...
Well, of course, that is not going to make a lot of sense to those of us who LOVE driving in Winter, but I guess I can allow for a difference of opinion. I just hope you don't get into trouble driving an inferior vehicle in winter, while your two snow beasts are sleeping in the garage, when they could be protecting you on the icy roads!
On your method of winter storage - I get the Sta-bil, but why a half tank of gas? That translates into a half tank of condensation. Seems to me, conventional wisdom is in favour of a FULL tank of gas. That way, there is no air space at the top for condensation to form.
Also, we usually put 'em up on blocks for storage - take the weight off the suspension and the tires.
Do you do anything to discourage the mice? My FJ twice had the knock sensor harness destroyed by mice. It seems they like the soy-based insulation Toyota was using on the wiring. (The Honda Piot was apparently even worse in this regard!)
Bet you're happy to be back in your Runner come spring!
You have given me something to think about, Having never stored a vehicle before last winter, I am shooting from the hip here. A guy here told me that you do half a tank, that way when you take it out of storage, you can go fill it up with fresh gas and dilute the older stuff. Your point does however seem to hold water (pun intended). I did not put it on blocks, I suspect at some point during the winter I will need one or both of the trucks out of the shop for one reason or another so I want them easy to move. You have me loosing sleep about the mice now.
You need a good anti rust treatment and your good to go
Ziebart is up here, but is a nasty coating that will render the underside of my vehicle ugly as a if it were rusted. I am working with a company in TX to bring a new product to the vehicle market that is clear, thin a s spray paint, chemically bonded to most surfaces and is extremely hydrophobic. It may change the game for me in the future. So far the main limitation is heat, It can only withstand roughly 175 degrees, leaving areas around exhaust manifold and pipes prone to rust.
For now, we keep storing them until I find a better solution, or we replace them with the "6th gen" and these become our winter vehicles.
