Maintenance and storage of summer tires. What to remember?
Summer tires and rims must be taken care of during disassembly. We advise you on how to prepare them for long winter storage.
Unlike winter tires, summer rubber compounds are less resistant to low temperatures. Summer tires harden quickly in the cold. If they have not been regularly lubricated, and in addition they are several years old, then in such conditions they may even crack. Therefore, the cold turn of October and November is considered a good time to put summer wheels (or just tires) in the garage.
Step by step replacement
While it may seem easy to change wheels, there are a few important things to keep in mind. – Before we raise the car, we must apply the handbrake and shift into gear. It is also worth loosening the screws. We do this one at a time on each wheel, advises Stanisław Plonka, a car mechanic from Rzeszów.
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Only after loosening the screws should the car be lifted up. If possible, it is most convenient to do this with a larger hydraulic jack. Unlike what is usually carried in the trunk, it is more stable and convenient to use. Before placing the jack under the threshold, a thin rubber band, for example, from a bicycle inner tube, can be placed in place of the handle. Thanks to this, the metal handle will not stick to the car chassis. In this way, we avoid the risk of corrosion of the lapped element.
Raising the car, unscrew the nuts and change the wheel. The winter tire should be slightly screwed on the lift. Only after getting out of the vehicle should you check that the screws are securely tightened. After replacing all four wheels, you can start servicing the summer kit. Before proceeding with cleaning, we suggest visiting the vulcanizer to check the wheel balance. Thanks to this, the wheels will be immediately ready for use in the spring.
Rinse and lubricate
Since rubber does not like solvents, gasoline and other chemicals, tires should be thoroughly washed with warm water and a small amount of car shampoo. We also provide a rim bath. We especially carefully clean the corners and nooks and crannies where brake sludge accumulates. If you do not remove now, then after the winter it will be much more difficult. We also clean the discs from the inside, where the most dirt accumulates in summer due to difficult access.
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Rinse the washed wheels thoroughly with clean water and then wipe them dry. It is good to preserve tires with milk or silicone-based foam. Such a preparation will return elasticity and expressive color to rubber. The rims can be additionally fixed with a paste or milk, the same that we use to polish the body. Stubborn soiling, such as tar, can be removed from the varnish with a cloth soaked in extractive gasoline.
One above the other or next to each other
Wheels prepared in this way can already be stored for winter storage. – If the tires are on rims, stack them one on top of the other. They can also be hung on a special stand. Place the tires themselves horizontally, one next to the other. Under them, you can put cardboard or thin slats. In order not to deform, we turn them around several times during the winter, explains Andrzej Wilczyński, owner of a vulcanization plant in Rzeszów.
To keep the tread in shape, it is also worth removing small pebbles from it. We use a hard, but thin and blunt tool that will not damage the rubber. – The tire storage place should be dry and cool, away from petrol, oil, paints, solvents and acids. It is also good that direct sunlight does not fall on the wheels. Such well-maintained tires will serve us for a long time,” adds A. Wilczynski.
The cheapest tire service can be bought in a hypermarket or online auctions. Prices start at around 50 PLN. It’s good when the design has wheels, because thanks to this, the wheels can be freely moved throughout the garage.
