My car is my daily driver, so I'll be driving it all throughout the winter. I was wondering if there was some things to do to prep it for winter driving. I already got winter tires, but what I was really worried about was rusting/corrosion that people say salt brings. I recently got T1R coilovers (the new, all-alluminum ones), and I've read that salt is really bad on alluminum, so is there something I can get to spray on my coilovers to keep them from coroding?
Also, are there any other trouble areas I should take special care with?
And lastly, when I drive to college I keep the coilovers on the softest setting (roads around campus are bad), but when I'm not, I had them on setting '2', even for daily driving. Would having my dampers set softer all the time except for autocrossing prolong their life? (in other words, does having the dampers stiffer put more stess on them?)
Thanks in advance.

 

Get a "Beater".

 

Id raise up the car to stock height aswell.

 

What benefit would that have?

 

Don't really have the money to drop 5 grand on a beater, and anything cheaper than that I wouldn't trust to get me back and fourth to school. Come on, I know I've seen some of you Canadian guys out in some insane snow with your S2K's

 

Beater = $1000 or less

 

a 3M clear bra and some shody mud flaps for the front n back.

 

That's more along the lines of keeping the paint clean/unchipped. What I was asking was pertaining more to protecting the suspension/underside of the car from salt.

 

just wash it often

 

I have driven a number of nice cars through the snow/winter, some of which were older and less protected from the salt. Best thing to do is just to spray off the bottom of your car every week (or more if you want as it only takes 5 min) once they have started salting the roads. If there is salt on the roads then spray away, when all the salt has melted from rain, then you don't have to worry as much. And I really do mean just a quick spray, just to wash off any salt that might have gotten stuck in cracks and crevices under the car.