All of us who live in winter climates have to get winter tires and wheels. When you take your summer tires and wheels off I'm assuming you put them in your basement/garage whatever. Has anybody had any problems with tires deteriorating while they're off the car? I wouldn't think this would be a problem but I was making sure because I think I'll only need the winter gear on for 4 months...5 months max and then I can go back to my summer stuff. Better to store inside than in the garage? Anybody has experience or insight - advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tires are always stored, until they are sold, or used or whatever. doughnuts sit in the trunk for a long long time before they are used. air pressure will probably be off, but it doesnt disintigrate or anything. I also stored some extra tires in my backyard for like a year and it was perfectly fine. IT SHOULD BE JUST FINE!

 

If possible, store tires in a cool, dark and dry environment. High performance rubber (like race tires or R compound rubber) have a tendency to get dry and hard if exposed to UV and air, so it's always a good idea to put them into black plastic bags and store 'em in the basement. Our street tires and wheels should be fine being stored in either garage or basement. Another tip: be sure to clean (wash and dry) each alloy wheel of all brake dust to prevent any etching or surface pitting before you store them .

David Muramoto
Senior Editor
Nissan Sports Magazine

 

ok thanks a lot

 

Another tip for you...go out and buy some of that foam insulation padding and cut it into squares. Place them under each tire to prevent flat spots.

 

I clean them off really good, put some wax on the wheel, and put some tire gel on the tires to help maintain and condition the rubber. They then go into sealed black bags and stored in the basement stacked on top of each other with a layer of foam & cardboard between each.

 

I had a similar question to jdo's about storing tires. Has anyone tried to coat the tires with a little gear oil? The stuff i got is 85w-140 from the plant that i work at. The place i'll be storing the tires may get hot in the summer.

 

I'm assuming the tire gel is just something I could buy at autozone? another question totally off topic - I looked on 24/7's 100 ques and found recommended tire specs but I was wondering can a 255 tire fit on an 18x8 wheel? what about a 265? thanks

 

You can purchase commercially available tire gels at your local parts store. DO NOT apply any kind of dressing onto the surface of the tread itself! There have been stories of accidents when tires became slippery from this stuff being applied to the contact patch.

An 18 X 8.0 wheel might have sufficent width to fit up to a 245. A 255 or 265 is NOT recommended for that size rim.

 

Anyone have any recommendations on how to store the tires? Got my winter tires in yesterday and while they wont be going on for a while, just wondering how to store them properly. Have a good furnished basement and a backroom to keep them in. Have a set of old tire carriers/wraps from tirerack to wrap them in. Do you need to put a layer of some kind of padding in between each tire? Should they be rotated throughout the winter? Instead of being stacked horizontally can they be stored upright?

Thanks

 

No need to rotate.

 

Thanks cam. No problem sealing them up, is that significantly better than just wrapping them? Currently have them stored/protected in these:

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/..._tire_tote.jsp

Doesnt provide any air seal but sure makes them easier to lug around.

 

Yeah, those seem pretty good. I just put each of mine in one of those big outdoor black trash bags. I dont think they need to be sealed because tires are stored out in the open at any other place.

Those tote's from tirerack seem like a pretty good idea. I'm sure they'll work just fine.