gellie

Are there any special precautions when storing tires for the winter? I plan on placing them in a non heated garage for several months. Thanks

No HTwo O

Street tires or R compound? How old?

I think for street tires, just lay them flat is fine (I assume no wheels). For R compund tires, I think those (some) need to be protected against freezing.

gellie

Thanks just steet tires.

Jim Michaels

Maybe I'm more **** than most, but I store my R-comps in the basement, in plastic bags, on carpet, and away from electric motors. I've never stored street tires, but I'd probably do the same for them from force of habit.

Thanks for the reminder; it's about that time.

rideau

Some street tires require heated storage (Yoko Advan AD 07/08 series for example). If you check the Tire rack descriptions for your tires, the temp requirements for storage will likely be there.

brad@tirerack.com

Here's a good writeup on tire storage. It covers just about anything. It's worth mentioning also not to hit an R comp tire sharply. They tend to be a bit softer and can actually crack if hit hard enough.

V

Damon, thanks for the link, very useful. I have two questions for you?

1. How important is it to store tires in an airtight bag?

2. I'm about to purchase a set of R-comps from the US. If the tires are exposed to tempratures below freezing point during the transport to Europe (it could happen as winter is approaching), is this bad for the tires? Would you not recommend using them after that or is it no problem at all? I'm thinking R888's, MPSC's etc.


Many thanks in advance

V

Anyone?

Jim Michaels

Well, I have been wondering why you're interested in ordering R-comps to Sweden at this time of year, as I assume that you won't be using them until spring. If so, then you'd have to store them over the winter instead of ordering fresher tires in the spring.

I store tires in air tight bags, but don't know how much difference that makes, as I can't seem to get all the air out of the bags before I close them. One way to approximate an airless bag is to puncture the bag after closing, squeeze as much of the air out as feasible, and then patch the hole with tape. I use 45 gallon (170 liter) bags that measure 3' 2" X 3' 9" (96,5 cm X 114,3 cm).

My uninformed guess is that brief periods of exposure to below freezing temperatures (such as might occur during transfer from one warmer place to another) wouldn't do much, if any, harm, but extended periods (such as sitting out over night) in the cold probably would.

V

Hi Jim, thanks for your reply.

Well the short version is that tires are much cheaper in the US than here and with shipping costs via carrier being low, it can certainly be worth it to import tires. I got a possibility to by new R-comps through a RLer, which means that the tires are about half price compared to new in Sweden. I will have to check with the carrier but the tires are going on a ship so I assume that the tempratures can drop below freezing in the winter (but I will have to check with them). The tires will be stored over the winter and possibly even until next season (2013).

Sorry for the semi-OT.