FUELAB Tech Tips: Winterizing

Winter is fast approaching. That means it’s time to remove the summer air from your tires, fill them with winter air, and do a little fuel system winterization on the race car! Winter is fast approaching. That means it’s time to remove the summer air from your tires, fill them with winter air, and do a little fuel system winterization on the race car!



Contrary to popular belief, your car’s fuel tank is not a long-term fuel storage vessel. For those of you that just run pump gas, this is as easy and draining the fuel out or just dumping a little Sta-bil (or equivalent) in the tank.

For those of you that are running a something a bit more spicy than pump gas, the process is just a little more involved, but not much.

Start with draining the good stuff. After that, cycle the system with pump gas (bonus points if you add some Sta-bil or similar) to flush the pump, filters, lines, and the carb or EFI bits that are downstream. Some folks will even go the extra mile and remove the pump completely after flushing and spray lube (WD-40, light oil, 2-stroke oil, top end lube, etc.) down the inlet of the pump and manually spin it by hand a bit to work it around.

Whatever you do, don’t do what this guy did, which was nothing at all. A few minutes of post-season prep work will save you a ton of headaches, time, and money come that first spring day when it’s time to dust off your car and blow the winter cobwebs out.