I store my S in the winter here in Indiana in my garage. Sometimes I have the urge to take it out when the weather is decent, but I know there is still salt on the road. My question is this: How much rain would typically be needed to "clean" the road of salt. Sounds like a dumb question, but I truly fear that road salt.

 

First, you worry FAR too much about salt. A lot of us have driven this car as daily drivers in the worst winter conditions imaginable for years. I don't believe any of our cars have rotted away - not even remotely close.
Second, because you seem to worry so much about it, NO AMOUNT OF DRIVING IN THE RAIN WILL BE ENOUGH! You'll simply be splashing "salty" rain water up underneath your car.

 

My brother in law lives in Vermont. Man you should see what the salt did to his Saturn.

 

I bet.

 

I live by the ocean and I guess I enjoy driving my car more than worrying about the salt...I want my car to stay new looking, so I usually wash it once a week and it looks like it's fresh off the showroom. Enjoy your car. Dakota

 

I would think that a good 1/2 hour in a solid rain would do it. But nothing beats a good, long, thorough spraying of the underside with a hose.

BTW, the various road salts are not the only causes of corrosion. To a lesser extent, acidification from sulfurs in fuel will form weak acids that can do the job as well.

If you garage your car, it is a good idea to try and get the underside as dry as you can before you put it in there, and to have some sort of air circulation. The heat and humidity are fodder for rust. My garage never drops below 55 degrees, and i have a small, powewrful industrial fan right in front of the front intake - I use it to cool the car down in the summer to reduce heat soak oil and fuel oxidation, and in the winter as the aforementioned circulator. My wife and her friends think it is "cute" how I fuss over my machines. Cute!? If they only knew the battle we men face to protect our toys...

 

I agree with mjw9000rpm on this. Nearly 50 years of driving on Michigan and Massachusetts roads have convinced me that salt kills cars. One reason I moved to Seattle after retiring is the lack of salt on the roads.

mjw9000rpm, you can probably see when the salt is washed away by the color of the pavement. When it no longer shows any sign of white (I'm talking about dry pavement here), then I wouldn't feel bad about driving on it.

 

I think it's salt combined with humidity/wetness that does the damage. I'm not sure what kind of climate you have in Indiana, mjw, but if you get a lot of thawing and more snow/ice dumping, I would be concerned about the rust potential too..

We've debated this subject many times around here. I'd say there are many good reasons to drive the S2000 through winter (limited slip rear, very strong frame -- accident survival), but you have to weigh the other factors. Salt/wetness included.

Good luck on your decision. I really pine for my car during the winter, and there are in fact quite a few S2000 owners in New England who drive their car through the winter, but mine stays off the road until there's no white to be seen.

 

Here in Canada we sometimes put the salt on so heavy it is slicker than the snow! You can almost hear it eating away at the metal. Also don't forget some of our frame is made out of aluminum,at least that is what I understand....
I would be concerned about oxydization.

 

Plus, with how low the car sits we'd be sledding it!