Question for the hibernators, when do you emerge for Spring?

[jimmyb]

So in Toronto the weather is looking pretty good Wed/Thurs, and the next 2 week stretch is mixed. My car is off insurance at the moment & initially I was going to wait until April to bring it out for the season but considering restarting the coverage so I can do some driving this week... I'm getting antsy, I really want to put some km's on so I can get past the break-in period (only 225km so far). The main roads near me are also horrible right now, lots of pot holes so still a bit hesitant and may just wait until April...

Wondering what other people normally do?

 

[Murray20c8]

I used to wait until mid April, but I never took Insurance off it. If you are charged at a 6month rate then you might want to wait. Mid July to Mid October is 6 months.
We could easily get more snow up to early April, so it's a gamble either way

 

[Jeffer2013]

end of april after filing taxes

 

[gone]

Over the past couple years, I've:

1. provided a list of bad potholes along my normal route to/from work, to my Municipality right around now when potholes are making a more obvious appearance. The hope is to have most of them fixed by the time I'm driving my C8. My City has a program where you post notice of potholes online and they use that as a reference and I've found this to be fairly effective. I've destroyed tires and a rim before on bad potholes so I don't want that with the more expensive C8 tires and (aftermarket) rims;
2. "unparked" my C8 when the roads I use are clear of snow/ice and all daily temperatures are forecast to be almost 100% above zero, into the foreseeable future. That's been as early as mid-March in the past. I don't mind some snow the odd time with ***all-season tires*** and have driven with them on snow before w/o problem. The type of tires you have is critical, IMO, not only for grip but also stopping distance, if you're safety conscious;
3. ideally I'd like to wait for the street cleaners to clear all road debris off but I've found I'm simply too eager to get the C8 out and about, so I drive it knowing the increased risks of rock chips. Having PPF in all the usual areas plus my front windshield coated with a protective film, makes that decision easier. I used to wait for the streets to be cleaned of all "grit" before taking out my motorcycle, but cornering in a 4-wheeled vehicle, even over grit, isn't so bad as long as you drive reasonably knowing the City streets might not be completely clean.

Good luck!

 

[Murray20c8]

OH! Also I used to wait for a good rain to clean away all the salt.

 

[gdb069]

All season M+S tires so I drove from purchased in October. The car handled our little snow quite well. Heading up for skiing I got stopped by a police roadblock checking for winter tires and they were shocked this performance car had snow tires. Typically I will park in mid-October and reanimate mid-April. I have many years of storing motorcycles and was subject to "spring fever" but have learned to wait.

 

[Sparro]

Probably sometime in April for me. Once the streets are a little nice up here in the sticks I'll call my insurance company and start it back up.

 

[YFCvii]

… not until after this “road-ent” sees its shadow

 

[DenisC8]

I am thinking last week of April/1st week of May for me.

 

[Rruuff Day]

I'm hoping for mid April. If I stay way from the city, which is pretty easy for me, I avoid the salted roads. Grit on the highways will be worn off by then unless we get a late snow or ice storm. Fingers crossed. Driving Insurance is easy. I just call my girl and she emails me a pink card the same day.

 

[harshadt]

Hopefully by May 1st. We are finally getting some days above 0 C so there’s a chance it may be a few days earlier, but not by much. We’ve had more snow and cold this year than any other in memory

 

[Cariboocreek]

As soon as possible. The wifeys Camaro will come out first. I will drive it for a couple of weeks to determine that everything is working alright…. Likely April 1ish. Then my Grand Sport will show up. Likely mid April.

 

[gdb069]

....Driving Insurance is easy. ...

Finally BC insurance has caught up with the 2000s so we can renew on-line and no sticker needed. That only took 20 years. I guess they waited to see if the world would end due to Y2K.

 

[WPGZ06]

Probably be May for me here in Manitoba, we have a ton of snow this year. I always wait until street cleaners have been out before car sees the road.

 

[jimmyb]

hmmm, so sounds like this week is a bit too early then, guess it's not worth it for only 1 or 2 good days in the foreseeable future. I'll see what early April brings...

 

[MY21C8]

The car should not be driven until the temperature is a consistent 7 degrees or higher. Unless you have winter tires or like driving on hockey pucks.

 

[Thom]

I have the non Z51 all season tires and drive all year round on bare dry roads when available. Never had a problem if I was driving sanely.

 

[WHITELIGHTNING59]

You could move to Vancouver and drive the C8 about 360 days a year !!!

 

[Murray20c8]

I have the non Z51 all season tires and drive all year round on bare dry roads when available. Never had a problem if I was driving sanely.

Like he said, but delete "sanely"

 

[GreenTurtle2C8]

Today in a month. Right after Ron Fellows I am sure that will get me primed for it. I have not lifted the cover since late October to even look at it.
It will be like driving it of the lot last June. Plus I have not seen the roads so bad in BC as this year. Potholes galore.