How to store tires?

Twice a year, after a seasonal tire change, most motorists have to think about where and how to store tires so that they do not crack during the "rest" period, thus becoming unusable. You can avoid this situation by creating the necessary conditions for off-season storage of tires. Being made of rubber, car tires are resistant to direct sunlight, heat and water (as well as high humidity). Thus, it is easy to guess that the ideal place for storing tires is a dark, dry room, the air temperature inside which does not exceed 20-25 degrees. More details on how to properly store car tires are described below.

About preparing tires for off-season storage

inevitably remains on the wheels, significantly accelerates the aging of rubber. Therefore, tires should be washed and dried before storing them. It is equally important to clean the protector from stones and other foreign objects. Then you can treat the tires with a special preservation agent. Do not confuse this product with a tire color recovery chemistry that contains a solvent. Silicone grease is excellent for treating tires, absorbing into micropores and displacing moisture.

So that after six months you do not have to think about which side of the car each tire was on, all tires should be marked. If the rubber has a directional tread pattern and the tires are supposed to be stored without removing them from the rims, it will be enough to simply apply the appropriate marks on the rear and front axles. Color-coded spool caps are ideal for this purpose (for example, the front wheels may be black and the rear wheels may be nickel-plated). Many people advise keeping tires in plastic bags. However, there is a small addition to this advice. If rubber is stored on stamped steel rims, the bag should not be sealed, as this can lead to condensation accumulation and subsequent corrosion of the wheels.

Garage, storage room, balcony - popular places for storing tires

An ideal place for storing tires is an insulated brick garage, but not every modern motorist owns a “house” for his vehicle. In such a situation, many car owners prefer to store their tires on their balconies. However, this option is far from optimal. If the balcony is not glazed, rubber during off-season storage will experience all the "delights" of a harsh winter, which will inevitably lead to a deterioration in its performance.

Specialized tire storage point

If in your case it is not possible to store tires in the garage or on the balcony, due to the absence of the latter, it's time to remember about the relatively new service that began to appear en masse in the price lists of service stations and tire shops - off-season storage of tires. So, deciding to entrust the tires for six months to a tire center or a car service station, first of all, carefully study the storage agreement. This document should indicate in what conditions the rubber will be kept (temperature and humidity), as well as what responsibility the organization that has taken upon itself to ensure proper storage bears in case of damage or loss of your property.

If at the "tire fitting" you are offered to simply hand over the tires according to the receipt, without signing the contract, it is better to refuse. Be sure to pay attention to the mechanism for assessing the condition of tires when receiving and issuing to the client, ask how this company compensates for losses. After making sure that there are clauses in the text of the agreement that protect the rights of the client, you can proceed to inspect the premises where the tires will be stored. A big plus in favor of a tire center will be the availability of a thermometer and a hygrometer (a device for measuring air humidity) in the warehouse.

If the air humidity exceeds 85-90 percent, it is better not to mess with such a place for storing tires. In the absence of devices, you can only guess what microclimate will reign in this room during the entire period of your tires stay there. Electric heaters that dry out the air (which is extremely harmful to rubber) should also warn customers against placing tires in this warehouse. You can learn more about storing tires in such centers, as well as other options for off-season placement of tires, by watching the video below. In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the correct storage of tires is the key to maintaining their performance, durability and safety at the proper level during further driving.

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