As a seasoned traveler who’s spent countless hours on the road in various vehicles, I know the importance of tire maintenance and the role it plays in the longevity of your tires.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll draw upon my experiences and the expert advice provided by Michelin to help you understand the best practices for storing your auto, truck, and recreational vehicle tires to maximize their lifespan.

Understanding Your Tires

Michelin Tires’ guide, the “Michelin RV Tires Guide,” highlights the importance of tire flexibility, which is achieved through a mixture of various materials, rubber compounds, plasticizers, and other chemicals in the tire’s makeup.

However, these properties change over time due to various factors such as weather, storage conditions, and usage. Elements such as ozone, sunlight (UV light), moisture, oil, and grease can cause a tire to gradually lose its flexibility, both when in use and in storage.

How to Properly Store Tires Off the Vehicle

This advice applies to all vehicles, including trucks and Class B recreational vehicles. When switching out your seasonal tires, ensure their storage location is clean, cool, dry, sunless, and away from strong air currents.

To prevent damage, tires should be stored off the ground or away from asphalt or cement pads, a wooden shelf or pallet is an ideal solution.

Steps for Storing Tires Off the Vehicle

To aid in proper storage, many tire dealers offer a variety of tire racks that keep tires off the ground, aligned, and well-supported to prevent deformation. Here are some steps for correct off-vehicle tire storage:

  1. Clean the tires with soap and water before storage and allow them to dry thoroughly in a shaded location.
  2. Place each tire in a storage bag to minimize exposure to light and ozone. Most tire stores provide opaque polyethylene bags for this purpose.
  3. Stack tires flat and no more than four high to help them retain their shape.
  4. If stored on rims, inflate tires to 10psi or 15psi if put into storage warm, as the pressure will drop during winter.

Storage Don’ts for Tires

Avoid storing tires in areas exposed to moisture, oil, grease, extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, or electric motors that generate ozone. Additionally, don’t store tires on or next to highly reflective surfaces such as sand or snow, or on black asphalt or other surfaces that absorb solar heat.

Storing Tires on the Vehicle

RV tires are typically stored on the vehicle. Ideal storage involves placing the vehicle on blocks to remove weight from the tires. If this isn’t possible, adhere to these tips for optimal tire protection:

  1. Unload the vehicle to reduce the weight on the tires.
  2. Clean the tires with soap and warm water, ensuring they’re completely dry before storage and especially before covering.
  3. Keep tires inflated to the recommended operating pressure. Goodyear even suggests inflating by an extra 25%, as long as it doesn’t exceed the maximum.
  4. Check pressure every two to three months, and before the vehicle returns to service.
  5. If the vehicle can’t be blocked up, store it on a firm, clean, well-drained, and level surface.
  6. Every quarter, except in very cold weather, moves the vehicle to prevent flat-spotting and ozone checking in the bulge area.
  7. If the vehicle is stored outdoors, use tire covers to reduce UV damage.

Conclusion: Prolonging Tire Life with Proper Storage

Appropriate storage can significantly extend your tire life by helping the rubber resist UV light, ozone, moisture, oil, grease, and tread and sidewall deformation. Devoting just a half-hour now and then for care can add extra traveling distance and reduce the likelihood of future problems.

So, as someone who’s been in your shoes, I assure you that a little tire maintenance can go a long way in enhancing your road trips and preserving your vehicle’s health.