Topic: Storing Summer Tires in Winter Time

[RunsinLight]

This is my first time buying winter tires and I have a few questions.

1) Is there a particular way out of seasons tires should be stored? Someone told me you hang
    them from the ceiling or store them in tire bags.

2) Does the whole tire and rim fit inside the bag?

3) My tires are P205/50R17. Can someone explain what those numbers mean?

4) If I was to buy my tires at Tire Trends would it be cheeper to buy the rims at Canadian Tire?

[dr_spock]

There are a number of ways to store your tires.   I use tire stands from Canadian Tire.   You can also bag them, store them on the side or up, etc.

Here is a link to the Tire Bible:

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

[mar1990]

I just stack them on their sides in my garage.  I lay a piece of cardboard on the ground first.  What benefit do the stands give?
If they can't take the weight of up to 3 other tires sitting on them, how would they handle cornering?  Bags are not necessary.  I think the intent of the plastic bags is to keep the inside of the car clean after the tires are swapped, when you take your tires home.

A friend of mine, mounts them on his garage wall to keep them out of the way.

If you are buying rims for the winter tires, the rims on the summer tires stay on the tires

As for costs, you will have to factor in mounting and balancing, and the inconvience of having them done.  Then again if you are thinking of it now, you can most certainly beat the crowds.
Also, will you be mounting them to the car yourself, or taking them in?

Also the generic Crappy tire rims, may not be hubcentric. (ie the hole in the middle of the rim is slightly bigger than the hub on the car. The rammifications of this are that you have to tighten the lug nuts carefully, making sure all 4 or 5 are centered so that rim is centered).  I believe Tire Trends will sell you the correct hubcentric rim, but don't quote me on that as I have never used them.

[tpl]

I just store in a pile on their side, they are on rims ... don't bother with sheets of cardboard but my garage floor is old and well cured concrete and does not get wet at the place the tires are stored

[Squishy]

The tires should be inflated to the max sidewall pressure before storage, and stored away from direct sunlight.  If you must store in a room with traffic like a garage or basement, make sure it does not contain fluorescent lighting and/or electric motors as they generate ozone which damages the tires.

Don't put more than four tires in a horizontal stack if they are to be stored that way for a long time.  Stack white-to-white and black-to-black if you have OWL or RWL tires, as the rubber compound is different on the "white" side to resist staining the letters.  Avoid storing on ground that has a visible oil stain, or which is very heat absorbent like blacktop.

[random006]

Up until this year, I've always stored my "other" season tires:

• in bags
• stacked one on top of the other
• "outer rim side" up (applies only to my fancy rims sporting my all-seasons)
• raised off the ground by lumber (avoids any ground surface moisture issues)

Now that I'm in an apartment with limited garage space, I pay to have the off season tires stored.

[morty]

According Michelin Canada the following excerpt is their outline for tire storage:

"Tires contain waxes and emollients to protect their outer surfaces from ozone and weather checking. As the tire rolls and flexes, the waxes and emollients continually migrate to the surface, replenishing this protection throughout the normal use of the tire. Consequently, when tires sit outdoors, unused for long periods of time (a month or more) their surfaces become dry and more susceptible to ozone and weather checking, and the casing becomes susceptible to flat spotting. For this reason tires should always be stored in a cool, dry, clean, indoor environment. If storage is for one month or more, eliminate the weight from the tires by raising the vehicle or by removing the tires from the vehicle. Failure to store the tires in accordance with these instructions could result in premature aging of the tires and sudden tire failure.

When tires are stored, be sure they are placed away from sources of heat and ozone such as hot pipes and electric generators. Be sure that surfaces on which tires are stored are clean and free from grease, gasoline or other substances which could deteriorate the rubber. (Tires exposed to these materials during storage or driving could be subject to sudden failure.)"

[random006]

So what I did up until now was the correct thing to do it seems.

[Trainman]

...

3) My tires are P205/50R17. Can someone explain what those numbers mean?

...

Surprised no one answered this one.  Here goes:



Does that help?

[morty]

Looks like I missed a bunch of questions 

The complete tire and wheel will fit in the bag...no problem!

The sizing was well answered by Trainman so I will skip...

If we offer OE spec steel wheels for your vehicle it is the better way to go. CT mostly offers universal fit, which is one wheel fits all and are not hub-centric, which leads to vibration issues. If you purchase the tire and wheel from us we include free mounting, RoadForce Balance, inflate with Nitrogen Inflation and include new lug nuts at no additional charge...This can be up to $100 in value!

[CaldwellB]

"The tires should be inflated to the max sidewall pressure before storage"

Is this true?  I've been deflating mine to ~ 15 psi.  Here's a previous thread that mentions to deflate them prior to storage.   

[CaldwellB]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,29243.0.html

[gotak]

So I am guessing the basement is fine basically? Cause we do have the washer and dryer in the basement but it's impractical to put it anywhere else.

[Craig]

We put hooks into the wall of our garage and hang the tires against the block wall.  8 tires in a zigzag pattern just fit, and keep the tires out of the way.

[Benhaze]

We put hooks into the wall of our garage and hang the tires against the block wall.  8 tires in a zigzag pattern just fit, and keep the tires out of the way.

I'd like to see a picture of that. Must be interesting to see.

[Squishy]

"The tires should be inflated to the max sidewall pressure before storage"

Is this true?  I've been deflating mine to ~ 15 psi.  Here's a previous thread that mentions to deflate them prior to storage.  

I've been bumping up the pressure so that the lower tires can better hold the weight of the rest of the tires.  It makes more sense to me than deflating it to reduce oxygen migration, since the same process happens when the tire is mounted anyways.  But then, I've always agreed with or listened to capriracer's advice, so I'll have to consult my magic 8 ball on this one.

[morty]

I dont think there is any need to inflate to max pressure for storage. There is no real weight on the tire when compared to its life on a vehicle. Same reasoning on the inflating the lower tire to a higher pressure. Really a non issue. Tires are stored in warehouses in stacks unmounted for months at a time with no air and they are more than ok. Just be certain they are dry, do not get in contact with petroleum products, ozone or excessive heat. Other than that it is relatively simple.

[Trainman]

...

The sizing was well answered by Trainman so I will skip...

...

I take no credit for that, just posted an image.  Here is the link to the entire article, there are lots of links in it as well: http://www.geocities.com/dtmcbride/products/tires.html

[Craig]

We put hooks into the wall of our garage and hang the tires against the block wall.  8 tires in a zigzag pattern just fit, and keep the tires out of the way.

I'd like to see a picture of that. Must be interesting to see.

It looks remarkably like what you are probably imagining, but in the absence of a photograph, I will focus all my ASCII art skill and create a masterpiece for you:

Code: [Select]

------------
| O O O O  |
|  O O O O |
|          |
------------

[ovr50]

Some upper-end dealerships will store your unused wheels/tires and do both switches for a yearly fee - local BMW shop charges about $250 for that service, IIRC. This saves storing them at home, saves loading/lugging 4 heavy wheels/tires twice a year, and saves on the interior of your vehicle, as I have yet to be able to get all 4 wheels/tires in any car (can in Highlander, but not a car).