How to store tires correctly

Twice a year, car owners are faced with the need to replace tires. Difficulties arise not so much with the replacement (it is done in any tire service), but with the specifics of storing tires at different times of the year. A new set of "shoes" for a car is very expensive. Therefore, you need to take care of how to store tires in advance.

General Principles

The first thing that every car enthusiast needs to learn is that tires should not be lying around in places unsuitable for this (if only where: in the country, balcony, etc.). To store them, you need to choose a cool, dark room. At the same time, the humidity indicator in the room should be low - moisture has a detrimental effect on the tires. As well as dirt, high temperatures and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Any of these factors, with prolonged exposure, can lead to the fact that the tires age, microcracks form on them, and the rubber itself loses its elasticity. It is not recommended to use such tires, as the car may lose control stability.

Before storing tires, you must clean them from dirt, rinse and dry them. To improve preservation, you can treat the rubber with a special preservative compound. Marking will not hurt either - special marks for the right and left wheels of the rear and front axle. The marking will help you to install the wheels in their “native” places in the future. And in order to balance tire wear, you can swap them: the rear ones are installed on the front axle and vice versa.

Next, you need to decide how to store car tires: with or without disks. In the first case, the tires should not be placed vertically. They must be hung or stacked. In the second case, vertical storage of tires is acceptable. But to prevent deformation of the wheel, you need to turn it over once a month.

Choosing a storage location

The following options are acceptable for storing tires:

• home conditions;
• specialized premises;
• storage on the car.

Home conditions

Car enthusiasts often store tires at home or in a garage. In the first case, a pantry is suitable for storage, in which all the conditions for the safety of tires are met. The balcony, which is used by a number of motorists, is no longer such a great option. It is good if the balcony is glazed. In this case, the tires must be covered with special covers before storing them.

It is not recommended to store tires on a non-glazed balcony! Open air is destructive for them.

If you have chosen a garage for storing tires, take care of the temperature regime. In a metal garage, rubber can be exposed to high temperatures in summer and cold in winter.

Specialized premises

You can entrust the storage of tires to professionals. In tire centers and car services there are special rooms that support all the conditions necessary for storing rubber. For a certain fee, you do not have to worry about the safety of the wheels.

Before concluding a contract, you should carefully inspect the premises and make sure that the conditions meet the requirements. A contract is required! Otherwise, no one is responsible for your wheels.

Car storage

If the machine has not been used for a long time, then it is possible not to remove the rubber from it. But to prevent its damage, you need to do the following:

• unload the car as much as possible;
• place the car on stands;
• cover the rubber;
• maintain the required tire pressure;
• change the position of the machine once a month.

Basic requirements for the storage location

We systematize the basic requirements for the storage location:

1. Temperature: it is necessary to observe the optimal temperature regime and avoid too high and low temperatures.
2. Humidity: constant monitoring of this parameter is necessary. Any type of precipitation on the wheels is contraindicated.
3. Lighting: the room should be dark.
4. Prevention of deformation: the wheels must be free. External stress must be eliminated.
5. Protection against exposure to rubber chemicals: contact with oils, solvents and greases is prohibited.

The specifics of storing winter tires

1. Winter tires are softer, so it is recommended to store them on disks.
2. When storing rubber in piles, it is necessary to reduce the pressure in them so that the tires do not inflate. It is recommended to maintain the pressure at the level of 1,5 atm.
3. Winter tires have a deeper tread, so they need to be cleaned with special care.
4. When storing winter tires, avoid exposure to high temperatures and direct sunlight.

Summer tires and storage features

For storing summer tires, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

1. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight by packing wheels in special bags.
2. Use special preservatives to reliably protect rubber from negative environmental influences.
3. To avoid cracks on the wheels, store them in a warm room.

Tips for Fitting Tires After Storage

Before installing the wheels on the car, you must carefully inspect them for wear and damage. If the wear is uneven, you need to swap the wheels.

It is necessary to measure the tread depth to ensure that the tires can be used. If this indicator approaches a minimum, then soon the tires must be replaced.

The age of the tires also matters. Even if they look good visually, it is recommended to replace the tires after six to seven years from the date of production. Over time, rubber loses its physical properties, which reduces road safety.

Conclusion

So that when changing winter tires to summer tires and vice versa, you do not have to purchase new sets, they must be properly stored. Wet surfaces, contaminated with gasoline and oils, open air, low and high temperatures are not acceptable for wheel storage. In order to avoid deformation of the wheels, you need to know the main differences between storing them with and without disks. There are also small nuances in the storage of winter and summer rubber. Knowing all these rules and features, as well as following them, will increase the life of the wheels.