Dear Tracy,

I am planning to switch my tires this weekend and am wondering about proper tire storage. Can you tell me the best way to store tires while they are not in use?

Jim G

Dear Jim,

Great question! Proper tire storage is an important part of tire maintenance, and it is too often overlooked. Storing your tires the right way will keep them looking good and performing well.

Store tires is a clean, cool and dry area, away from sunlight and protected from strong air currents. While the rubber used to make tires is formulated to resist the effects of sunlight, ozone, and water, these elements do cause wear. During storage it is easy to minimize exposure to these stresses and help extend tire life.

Here are a few additional suggestions:

• Wrap tires or cover them. A variety of cover types are available online or from auto part stores.
• Tires mounted on rims should be stacked, no more than four deep, underneath a tire cover.
• Tires not mounted on rims should be stored upright, under a cover rather than stacked or suspended from the ceiling.
• Tires with whitewall or raised white lettering should be stored with the whitewall or raised white lettering facing each other to prevent black rubber staining.

• If tires must be stored outdoors, they should be raised off the storage surface.
• Tires stored while mounted on rims should be inflated to 10 psi
• Tires initially put in storage during warm weather should be inflated to about 15 psi to offset the pressure drop during cold weather months