Car Cover "Trick"

[FElony]

Car cover getting shredded by the wind? No matter what you tie it to, it only delays the inevitable? Yep. Several months ago, I called upon my one remaining gray cell to solve this problem. Y'all seen those 100-ft. spools of 3/8" nylon rope at Wally World? Well, I put a fresh cover on an R-Code intermediate close to the house, so I could watch it. I tied the end of the rope to the right leaf spring shackle and began unwinding it around the car. Two loops around the trunk, two around the roof, two around the hood, more or less evenly spaced. The end of the rope tied off around the right side fender support strut. So now the car is spiral wound, like the notebooks.

The idea here is to inhibit aggressive air movement from billowing the fabric and fatiguing it. It now would have to "expand" the rope spiral, which ain't gonna happen. Since you are not using the plastic eyelets in the cover, it will not stress or rip there.

I've watched this setup in action when there have been fairly blustery days. Fabric movement is very minimal. At one point one of the roof spirals fell forward onto the windshield. Inspection showed that the rope as a whole had stretched a little bit, so I rewound it, and it has been fine since.

The only caveat here is the long-term integrity of the El Cheapo nylon rope I used. I have another length of it that has been outside for over two years, and it is beginning to look brittle. You guys know where I live. I imagine that higher-quality UV-resistant material would be better here; I just need to track it down.

Anyways, I thought I'd pass this on if it helps anybody. I was going to put this into the other FE Forum, but Ballinger's avatar pic looks like it was taken two days after he died, and it scares me. If any of you are braver, be my guest.

[babybolt]

My buddy, who is the king of letting good cars sit outside and rust away; when he does use a car cover, he uses bungee straps at the bottom perimeter of the tarp.  The bungees provide tension to the cover which keeps it from blowing off/chaffing, etc.

[FElony]

My buddy, who is the king of letting good cars sit outside and rust away; when he does use a car cover, he uses bungee straps at the bottom perimeter of the tarp.  The bungees provide tension to the cover which keeps it from blowing off/chaffing, etc.

Been there failed that. I had eight cars lined up with multiple bungees, which are really only meant for temporary use. After some time in the AZ heat, they lost tension. A couple of good blasts from our infamous monsoons, and I had eight car covers piled against the wall and a sea of dead bungies scattered about. (If you have 8 minutes, here is one AZ monsoon video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbY3DdzV0rA

No rust here, but my cars are sitting on jack stands which are perched on one-foot-square pavers, no wheels attached. Thus, away from ground moisture and rodents, and the suspensions are unloaded instead of compressed.

[TomP]

In my case  the flapping cover pulled to one side and the bungee's metal hook did a number top the paint on the rocker panel.
Now that cover flies off a couple times a month on average.

[GJCAT427]

Go to a military surplus store and get some para cord. Seems to be very tough and doesn't stretch.

[Falcon67]

My "trick" is to buy a cheap BUDGE cover from Walmart and not sweat the details.  They last a couple of years or more easy.  If we store one outside, I just make holes in the cover for bungee cords as needed.  The Mustang was outside the last two weeks and even the old cover with holes that's going in the trash stayed on in 30+ MPH winds.  On cord middle of the front, one right behind the front wheels, one in the rear center.  If really on it, one right in front of the rear wheels.  Never lost one with that arrangement.  We get winds in excess of 40 MPH in the spring, sometime over 50. 

[FElony]

Go to a military surplus store and get some para cord. Seems to be very tough and doesn't stretch.

Thanks! I'll look for that. Hopefully I can find 1/2-mile long spools. 

[FElony]

In my case  the flapping cover pulled to one side and the bungee's metal hook did a number top the paint on the rocker panel.
Now that cover flies off a couple times a month on average.

Give the spiral a try. If it works email me a cheesburgr.   

[FElony]

My "trick" is to buy a cheap BUDGE cover from Walmart and not sweat the details.  They last a couple of years or more easy.  If we store one outside, I just make holes in the cover for bungee cords as needed.  The Mustang was outside the last two weeks and even the old cover with holes that's going in the trash stayed on in 30+ MPH winds.  On cord middle of the front, one right behind the front wheels, one in the rear center.  If really on it, one right in front of the rear wheels.  Never lost one with that arrangement.  We get winds in excess of 40 MPH in the spring, sometime over 50.

All my covers are Budge. All failed with 10 bungies each. I wish our winds were only 30-50 mph. Often well over 70. Well over. We have these things called microbursts, where air columns slam straight down and spread out, like an upside-down mushroom. Here's a video of one taken down the road from me a few years ago. Note estimated wind speed and hail in August. Action kicks up at about the 3 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOSIjoZnHwI

I know you Texans have tornadoes. We don't, thankfully. But the m-bursts do a lot of wreckage.

[Falcon67]

We get the micros here too, pretty much a standard deal with a thunderstorm.  When I say 30~40 MPH I mean all day, not in bursts LOL.   

[FElony]

We get the micros here too, pretty much a standard deal with a thunderstorm.  When I say 30~40 MPH I mean all day, not in bursts LOL.

Yeah, I know. We get sustained winds, too. But hey, if you don't have a problem with covers, then you're lucky. I'm not the only one around here with this situation, but I have by far the most vehicles, so it adds up.

[mike7570]

My buddy, who is the king of letting good cars sit outside and rust away; when he does use a car cover, he uses bungee straps at the bottom perimeter of the tarp.  The bungees provide tension to the cover which keeps it from blowing off/chaffing, etc.

Been there failed that. I had eight cars lined up with multiple bungees, which are really only meant for temporary use. After some time in the AZ heat, they lost tension. A couple of good blasts from our infamous monsoons, and I had eight car covers piled against the wall and a sea of dead bungies scattered about. (If you have 8 minutes, here is one AZ monsoon video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbY3DdzV0rA

No rust here, but my cars are sitting on jack stands which are perched on one-foot-square pavers, no wheels attached. Thus, away from ground moisture and rodents, and the suspensions are unloaded instead of compressed.

Okay, I may have to scratch AZ of my places to move to when I retire. Do they get any of those up around Payson?

[FElony]

Okay, I may have to scratch AZ of my places to move to when I retire. Do they get any of those up around Payson?

Oh you bet. Lots of them originate from the Gulf Coast and roll statewide. Notice some footage shot up in the Grand Canyon.

Watching this in time lapse makes the event seem seem more dramatic than it really is, except for the microbursts, which are a pain, but happen in other states as well. Dust monsoons move fairly rapidly, so you'll get a wave of dirt, then rain, then dirt again usually from a half hour to a couple hours. Usually.

I moved here from SoCal in '91. The list of reasons why I'd not live elsewhere is a mile long. However, if you are accustomed to cold, adjusting to heat can take a few years. Nevertheless, many snowbirds retire here every year. We also have the dragstrip in Phoenix and the one in Tucson.

[mike7570]

I moved here from SoCal in '91. The list of reasons why I'd not live elsewhere is a mile long. However, if you are accustomed to cold, adjusting to heat can take a few years. Nevertheless, many snowbirds retire here every year. We also have the dragstrip in Phoenix and the one in Tucson.

Leaving SoCal also as soon as I can.

[FElony]

I moved here from SoCal in '91. The list of reasons why I'd not live elsewhere is a mile long. However, if you are accustomed to cold, adjusting to heat can take a few years. Nevertheless, many snowbirds retire here every year. We also have the dragstrip in Phoenix and the one in Tucson.

Leaving SoCal also as soon as I can.

I came out here in June of '90 for a few days to get an overall feel of the area. If you haven't already done so, I suggest the same. Payson is a retirement destination for many; it may prove too sedate. Consider any ruckus from your car to be a minus with your neighbors. I recommend against Phoenix city itself, and know that the East Valley has less air pollution than the West, as smog rolls downhill. Lots of options, really, depending on your preferences.