How to store winter and summer tires

Twice a year - in autumn and spring, car owners change tires. How to organize the storage of tires so that they last for several seasons up to the maximum permitted wear of treads? The purchase of a new set of “shoes” for a car is quite expensive, so it is important to know how to properly store wheels removed for a long period. Summer and winter tires should be stored in different ways. But there are a number of rules that are mandatory for both types of rubber.

General rules for tire storage

Car tires are made of rubber, although very durable. When organizing a place for long-term storage of wheels, first of all, it is necessary to consider what can cause negative consequences for them.

• Tires do not tolerate prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Continuous exposure to sunlight on tires causes them to dry out. Microcracks not visible to the naked eye are formed in them. This ages the rubber and can lead to rupture during movement. Therefore, storage of wheels under the open sky or light canopies is possible only for a short period of time - no more than a month. For the same reason, you should not store both winter and summer tires on an open balcony. In extreme cases, the tires must be covered with opaque material.
• The temperature range that modern tires are able to withstand is wide enough. According to GOST, temperature fluctuations during storage of these products from + 35 ° C to -30 ° C are permissible. But it is better if the wheels are not subject to the maximum permissible values. You can not store tires near cold appliances in cold weather. In a metal garage, wheels can only be stored in winter.
• It is necessary to avoid getting on the tires of various chemically active substances (acids, solvents, gasoline, alkalis, oils, etc.), as well as their vapors. It is not desirable that the tires be in contact with corrosive metals and copper for a long time.
• When placing automobile tires for long-term storage, they must not be allowed to undergo any kind of deformation (point, bending, compression). The dents formed on the tires can not be completely leveled by pumping, and even trips are impossible; such tires will have to be replaced.

After removing the wheels from the car, it is advisable to mark them, indicating the location, for example - the right front (PP) or left rear (LZ). This will help in the future to establish wheels in the same places. And with uneven tread wear, it is advisable to swap tires on the principle - crosswise.

Storage of summer tires

Summer tires are designed for use in the warm season. It tolerates high temperatures well, but in the cold it becomes hard and brittle. In the northern regions, where in winter the temperature drops below minus 40 degrees, summer tires can crack and become unsuitable for further use. So, how to store tires that are dismantled in the fall?

• Optimum summer tires should be placed for the winter in a warm room. If this is not possible, then you can store it in the garage or in the country. You can use a dry basement, where the temperature even in severe frosts does not fall below 0 °.
• Before storing the wheels for storage, they must be washed and dried.
• It is best to store summer tires on disks in the inflated form. What pressure should be in tires - opinions differ. Actually, 1-1.5 Atm is enough. The main thing is that during storage they are not subjected to deformation.
• When storing the wheels on disks, they are either stacked on a flat surface in a pile - one on top of the other (but no more than 4 pieces in each) or suspended by putting a metal pipe (rod) or special hooks through the central hole in the disk.
• If summer tires are stored without discs, then they should be installed in a strictly upright position so that the tires are not clamped on the sides. Tires installed in this way must be turned periodically (every three to four weeks) by 25-30 degrees. This will avoid deformation and maintain balance.

You can not install summer tires on racks, consisting of thin pins or corners, as this can cause irreversible deformation on it.

• It is better to cover or cover tires during storage so that dust or debris cannot get inside.

Winter tires storage

Winter tires are stored similarly to summer. But keep in mind that such tires are softer. Therefore, it is advisable to store them on disks. In no case should you leave the wheels for a long time in the sun, and not only because winter tires do not tolerate ultraviolet radiation. When heated above +50 degrees, they will become worthless. For the same reason, wheels used in winter should not be stored in metal warehouses, garages or crates. In the sun, such storages heat up to very high temperatures.

Brick, concrete garages, dry cellars and any other dry rooms are ideal for tire storage.

If winter tires are removed from the disks, then during storage (only in an upright position) it must be regularly rotated. Considering that it is much softer than summer, it needs to be scrolled somewhat more often, about once every two to three weeks. In no case should you store tires in a lying position or hanging them. This will inevitably lead to irreversible deformation.

When stored on the disks in the inflated form, the wheels are stacked on a flat surface in a pile or suspended just like summer ones. It is advisable to lower the pressure somewhat so that the tires do not inflate, but it is impossible to bleed air to the end, since when stored in a pile, the side surfaces will deform.

It is clear that before storage, the wheels should be cleaned of dirt and washed.

What to look for when installing tires on a car after storage

Having figured out how to store the wheels in the offseason, it will not hurt to find out how to properly start tire operation after long storage. When removing the wheels from the store, they should be carefully examined for damage and wear. If uneven wear on the wheels is detected, swap them. In this case, it is also advisable to check and adjust the alignment.

You should measure the tread depth, and if this value is close to the minimum, you need to plan the acquisition of new tires.

It is highly advisable to balance the wheels annually. Unbalanced tires can be one of the reasons for uneven tread wear. In addition, the imbalance leads to premature wear of suspension parts.

You should pay attention to the time elapsed from the date of manufacture of tires. Even if the tires are little used and look good on the outside, they have normal treads, still after 6-7 years they should be replaced with new ones. Rubber over time loses its physical and chemical properties, which seriously reduces safety during trips.

You can determine the age of the tires by marking on the side of the wheels. The DOT number determines the production date. The first two digits are the number of weeks since the beginning of the year, the second two are the year of manufacture. So 1114 means that the tire was made at 11 weeks (March) in 2014.

Observing these simple rules, you can keep the “shoe” for your car intact for a number of seasons and ensure comfortable and safe trips.