What To Do To Safely Store Your Winter Wheels And Tires

With winter coming to an end, you may be left with the question of what to do with your winter wheels and tires. Winter treads can be a saving grace when the roads are covered with snow and ice, but they can be an awful pain to find a place to store them without them being in your way the rest of the year. One solution to this problem is storing them in a mini storage unit. Here, you will learn how to prepare the wheels and tires and store them properly so they will be in perfect condition for next winter.

Do a Thorough Cleaning

Cleaning the wheels and tires thoroughly is the first important step in protecting your investment. Use quality wheel and tire cleaning product. You need to remove all of the dirt, salt and brake dust that has accumulated on the wheels and tires over the winter. This will help to prevent corrosion and breakdown of the rubber, which can lead to dry-rot.

Tip: Don't use tire dressing products. If you store tires with the finishing spray that makes them shine, the chances of the rubber breaking down is much greater.

Pack Them Up

After the wheels and tires are dry, fill them to the maximum air pressure recommended by the manufacturer. You can find the limit stamped on the side of the tire. The reason you want to fully inflate them is that they will slowly lose air over the spring, summer and fall seasons and by the time you retrieve them for the following winter, they may no longer be in the same shape if you don't fill them fully with air before storing them.

Now, use large garbage bags or sheets of plastic to individually wrap the wheels and tires. Once wrapped, remove as much air from the plastic as possible and duct tape it closed.

Storage

For the best results, look for a mini storage facility that offers climate-controlled units. You don't want the wheels and tires to be exposed to rapidly changing temperatures, high heat or extreme levels of humidity.

When you place the tires in the unit, don't place them directly on the concrete floor. Instead, lay a couple pallets on the floor to keep them raised up off of the concrete to prevent wicking the moisture out of the concrete.

Stack your wheels and tires two by two. Stacking all four tires on top of each other will damage the sidewalls and leave you in need of new winter tires after all of the work that you have done to preserve them for next year.

This process goes much quicker than you might think. Taking this time will help you extend the life of your winter wheels and tires without tripping over them in your garage or finding a place in your home to store them. Visit Santa Monica Mini Storage if you're looking for a storage facility in your area.


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