The choices seem endless. Descriptions like woven, non-woven, flannel, breathable, water-resistant, indoor, outdoor, and many others only seem to confuse the decision-making process when purchasing a car cover for your Mustang. Then there are the marketing names, like WeatherShield, CoverBond, UltraTect, Evolution, and Noah. When you consider custom covers for all the various makes, models, and body styles in combination with the dozens of different fabrics, car cover manufacturers can offer thousands of different covers. CoverCraft alone offers nearly 500 just for Mustangs.
Of course, you know your Mustang's body style. That's the easy part. But when it comes to choosing the right cover for your Mustang, you need to consider your car's situation, environment, and how the cover will be used, including whether or not you have kids with bikes or a wife who thinks your Mustang's hood is a convenient place to stack the boxes filled with Christmas decorations.
Car covers protect your Mustang...
Car covers protect your Mustang from UV sunlight, dust, and even light rain. Steve Turner, editor of our sister magazine, 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords, uses a CoverCraft WeatherShield HP to protect his Shelby GT500 in the office parking lot. Designed for intense sun environments (Florida, for example), the WeatherShield HP provides excellent UVR protection, plus it repels water and is breathable to allow moisture and heat to escape.
First of all, you can narrow your selection considerably by determining if you need a woven or non-woven cover. Woven covers are typically thinner, which makes them easier to clean in the home washer and less bulky when storing in your trunk. They also tend to have better airflow to prevent heat and moisture from building up underneath. Most have some type of coating, like CoverCraft's Reflec'Tech for sun protection or UltraTech for water repellency. Some have spandex added for stretch, which helps the cover retain its shape and fit snugly on the car.
Non-woven covers, like those made from the popular Evolution and Noah fabrics from Kimberly-Clark, are made from a polypropylene material and are typically multi-layer. Thanks to the layers, they are stronger and thicker than woven fabrics, but that also gives them an advantage for dent and ding protection. On the downside, the thickness makes them heavier and bulkier when storing, and you'll likely need to clean them in a large commercial washer, like those found at local laundromats. Like woven materials, non-wovens are usually treated for sun and water protection.
Then you've got the brand names-CoverBond, SilverGuard, WeatherShield, Dustop, and many more. Even your basic flannel and polycotton. CoverCraft offers 13 different cover materials, and CoverKing has eight; most are available in custom-fit applications for Mustangs.
To help narrow down the choices for Mustang owners, we asked CoverCrafts' Rick Messmore for his advice on covers for the most common Mustang situations.
Thicker car covers, like this...
Thicker car covers, like this Evolution 4 from CoverCraft, offer better dent and ding protection, a definite benefit when your Mustang shares the garage with the kids' bicycles.
Weekend driver, kept in garage and used for shows and cruises on weekends: This is probably the most typical situation for Mustang Monthly readers, whether the Mustang is a nice '66 convertible or a brand-new Shelby GT500. "Dustop would be my number one choice for an indoor cover," says Messmore. "Especially if they aren't going to worry about covering the car overnight at a show. With fabric made by Kimberly-Clark, the car is going to be just as clean when they uncover it as it was when they covered it up. The drawback is that by bonding several different layers of non-woven material together, the Dustop covers tend to be bulkier than woven covers. The plus is that the multiple layers give you dent and ding protection, and they also prevent the dust from finding a pathway through the fabric and onto the car. It works OK outside but has no water repellency. It's not intended for a lot of outdoor use."
Show car that needs to be covered overnight at shows: "If they're in an area where there might be rain or dew, then I would use Noah, a non-woven. Or they could step up to WeatherShield or UltraTech, two woven materials that do a great job keeping the car clean, and they're pretty compact. WeatherShield is our premium fabric with a patented finish that not only sheds water but also blocks dust. The wovens are easily maintained because you can throw them in the washer and dryer. A clean cover helps keep the car cleaner."