Why Store Off-Season Tires?
Your car tires are essential to your vehicle, but you may not need a certain type year-round. For example, winter tires might not be the best option for driving during the summer.
Ensuring that your tires are properly stored between uses can help maintain their appearance, performance, and operability when you pull them out again. And when they arent stored correctly, costly consequences can occur.
Inadequate storage can negatively affect your tires rubber compounds, lead to premature deterioration, and in some cases, dry-rotting. All of these issues can cause your tires to become unusable or in need of repair. Fortunately, tires can last for several years if stored in the right conditions
How to Properly Store Car Tires
1. Inspect Your Tires
Before stowing away your tires for the season, youll want to ensure theyre in proper condition. You wouldnt want to pull them out for reinstallation only to discover that theyre heavily worn, punctured, or otherwise unusable. Instead, inspect your tires for uneven wear, perforations, and cracks before stashing them away.
Its also a good idea to take note of each tires location on the vehicle (right-front, left-back, etc) before removal. A thorough inspection can help ensure that your tires are rotated properly before their next use
2. Clean Your Off-Season Tires
Your tires will need to be properly cleaned before stowing them away. Contaminants like gasoline, oil, brake dust, and other harmful substances can lead to tire deterioration over time.
However, when selecting the cleaning agent, youll want to use soap that doesnt have petroleum-based products, tire dressings, oils, or other solvents in its ingredient list. These substances have long-term corrosive qualities that may degrade or damage the rubber compounds of your tires, leading to premature wear and cracking.
How to clean tires for storage:
- Use warm, soapy water to wipe down and handwash tires
- Rinse tires thoroughly with plain water
- Ensure tires are completely dry before stowing them away
3. Keep Your Tires Out of Direct Sunlight
Excessive sunlight, extreme fluctuations in temperature, and overexposure to the elements are some of the biggest factors that cause premature tire aging. Consequently, its best to store off-season tires in a cool, dry, temperature-regulated environment out of direct sunlight.
To ensure a consistent environment for your tires, avoid storing them in unventilated areas like sheds or attics — these often experience varying temperatures and damaging humidity. Instead, place your tires in climate-controlled locations like a storage unit or basement.
Note: Take special care not to place your tires near furnaces, battery chargers, water heaters, generators, compressors, or other electric motor-equipped products. Each of these items can emit damaging ozone that may break down the structure of your tires.
4. Store Your Tires in the Appropriate Position
Now that youve found the optimal location for storing your tires, its time to make sure theyre positioned correctly. Stacking tires the wrong way or storing them directly on the ground instead of on a shelf or clean wood pallet can lead to tire defects over time. Additionally, there are a few different rules when storing rimmed tires versus unmounted ones.
How to store rimmed tires:
Rimmed tires are best hung through the rim on tire hooks. Hooking the tire through the rim helps keep weight off the tires, minimizing the potential for warping or other defects.
If tire hooks are unavailable, try storing them in a vertical stack atop a wooden pallet. This way, the weight of your rims isnt putting unneeded pressure on your tires treads. Readjust the tires on a monthly basis to prevent flat spots or damage as time passes.
How to store tires without rims:
Tires without rims should be stacked on top of one another or stored upright. Avoid hanging unmounted tires on tire hooks since this can cause them to sag or droop.
Alternatively, you can purchase a set of tire racks for optimal storage. These mounting options help keep the tires weight off the ground, preventing undue damage.
5. Inspect Your Tires Before Reinstallation
Youll want to inspect your tires for signs of age, deterioration, dry rotting, or unusual wear. Old tires or ones that have been stored for extended periods can become compromised when the rubber compound breaks down. If you dont feel comfortable with ensuring that your tires are road-ready, visit your nearest INFINITI service center for an in-depth inspection.
Properly storing your tires is just one step of good tire maintenance. Make sure you stop by your local service center regularly for routine tire maintenance and help with choosing new tires if needed. Shop INFINITI tire-compatible parts and accessories from Genuine INFINITI Parts today!