Sadly for those of us living in cooler climates, the race season has reached its end or will be doing so shortly. In order to make the most out of the tire life you have left over, it’s important that you properly store them during the off-season. Taking the below simple steps will help ensure that you don’t hurt the useful life of the tires. You’ll be glad you did this when the new race season begins!
What to Do:
- Remove the tires from the vehicle. Resist the temptation to keep them on the car during the off-season. I keep a set of junky rims and tires just for this purpose.
- Deflate the air from the tires.
- Store the tires on their side in a dark, cool, dry room such as your cellar. The temperature range in this storage location should be between 40 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- It is suggested that you place the tires in a black plastic bag. If you will be storing them in your basement out of sun light, I don’t think there much of a benefit to do this.
Items to Avoid:
- Avoid storing tires in direct sunlight or near electric motors. Sunlight causes ultraviolet damage breaking down the rubber compounds. Similarly, electric motors emit small amounts of ozone which causes degradation in the tire compound.
- Do not apply chemical treatments to the tires. It’s not necessary and can actually damage the integrity of the tire by breaking down the rubber properties.
- Do not allow the tires to come in contact with oils, greases, solvents, or other petroleum products that cause rubber to soften or deteriorate.
- Do not store tires in sub-freezing temperatures for any length of time. If this happens, the rubber can freeze and may crack.
Information provided courtesy of Hoosier race tires
