What is the most profitable way to store tires - all the ways

There are usually no special problems with the safety of rubber. There are three main places to save it. First of all, this is, of course, a garage, an apartment in which the car owner lives, and finally, in a company specializing in storing rubber.

Basic rules for storing rubber
Tires and rims
The inconvenience of having tires on the balcony
The inconvenience of having tires on the balcony
Notes on storing tires
Tire storage. Which method should I choose?

Seasonal tire storage service

The process of remounting a set of tires onto wheels is carried out only on special equipment in a tire workshop. Reputable tire centers also offer seasonal tire storage services. This is convenient, because anyway, you won’t be able to use your tires without a visit to the workshop. For a year in the capital region, you will be charged from 6,000 rubles (500 rubles per month) for storing tires. If you leave the wheels assembled with discs, the service will cost from 8,000 rubles. In any case, it will be cheaper if you sign a long-term contract. What is the disadvantage of this method? There are two main ones:

There is no complete confidence that your tires or wheel assembly will be stored correctly. You have to take the word of the employees of such tire centers.
Tires are often stored in a remote warehouse. So customers are asked to inform us in advance (3-5 days) of the desired date for receiving the tires so that they can be delivered to the workshop in time. What if you urgently need at least two tires? For example, you have studless winter tires, but in the second half of the season you damaged a summer tire, and there is a spare tire in the trunk. It is quite reasonable to travel through the season using two Velcro straps - taking the necessary precautions.

One of the warehouses where tires from tire shop customers are stored.
Note the flat tire without a rim in the foreground. The flattened appearance of the tires suggests that the others are also without rims. But this storage method is wrong. One of the warehouses where tires from tire shop customers are stored. Note the flat tire without a rim in the foreground. The flattened appearance of the tires suggests that the others are also without rims. But this storage method is wrong.

Keep in mind that if you have a replacement set of tires on your rims, then you no longer have to come to the tire shop every six months. Conversations that balancing is urgently needed every season are supported primarily by employees of tire workshops. In my opinion, if there is no damage or missing balancing weights on the wheel, and when driving at speeds characteristic of your driving style, you do not feel runout, then balancing can be postponed until a future time.

How to store wheels and tires separately

There are two options for storing wheels on the balcony. Someone changes them completely, that is, along with the disks. Others only change tires. Naturally, storage methods in these two cases will differ.

Proper storage of wheels and tires

Storing wheels on the balcony

The assembled wheels should be stored horizontally. Most often they are placed in one stack on top of each other, since free space on the balcony is usually limited. Although the ideal would be to place each wheel on a flat horizontal surface and not place anything else on top. In any case, even if you have placed all four wheels in one stack, do not even think about putting anything on top. There is no need to use them as an extra shelf on the balcony. Due to the additional load, the rubber may become deformed.

Storing wheels with rims in covers

You can often hear a recommendation that before storing wheels you should deflate the tires a little, to about one and a half atmospheres. On this issue, the opinions of masters usually differ; some believe that this should not be done, while others believe that this is simply a pointless activity. Therefore, we can only say unequivocally that this will not significantly affect anything - neither for the worse nor for the better.

There is another option for storing wheels on the balcony - you can hang them on a chain. To tell the truth, this is the best method that can be used, although it is difficult to implement in practice. Indeed, in addition to the fact that you will have to use a large area of the balcony, you will also need to make holding hooks in order to hang these chains. But if you want to preserve your wheels as much as possible, then this is the option for you. They should be hung by the disks.

Wheel storage method

Storing tires on the balcony

The first and most important rule is that empty rubber tires can only be stored in a vertical position, otherwise they will become deformed. Most often they are placed on a flat horizontal surface, but it will be better if you place them in special semicircular stands that match the size of the tires. Such stands can be purchased in specialized stores. Just don’t forget that tire diameters vary, so the stands need to be selected accordingly. Theoretically, you can make them yourself.

Tire stand

The standard storage period for tires on a balcony is six months. Therefore, the second important rule is that every month and a half you should rotate the tires a little so that the fulcrum changes. With this scheme, the load on them will be optimally distributed. Otherwise, changes in the shape of the tread are possible in the place where the tire has been standing on the surface for six months. This will lead to poor traction between the wheel and the road. This is especially dangerous with winter tires.

You can't store tires like that.

Temporary storage

As an experiment, we fit two sets of wheels into 1 m³. But you can’t store them like that.

If a family has several cars, then it makes sense to use a temporary storage warehouse. It's cheaper that way.

It is enough to rent a cell of the required size. The price in Moscow for a volume of 1 m³ is from 1000 rubles per month. 2 m³ is enough for two sets of wheels. But here you yourself will position the tires correctly.

In addition, tires with and without rims occupy the same volume. So for assembled wheels, renting a temporary storage warehouse is more profitable than using the storage service at a tire center warehouse - there, let me remind you, they will ask for more for wheels than for tires without rims.

The inconvenience of having tires on the balcony

Option for storing wheels The disadvantage of having four wheels on the balcony is the constant presence of the smell of rubber on the balcony, as well as taking up quite a lot of space in the small spaces of our balconies. All this leads to the fact that many people like to store the assembled wheels in a suspended state.

Sometimes stacked wheels are arranged in the form of a table, and the wheels are covered with a cloth, which also prevents the rubber from drying out, which is very important especially in summer. There are many design solutions for storing wheels in a lying position, so many people do not give up storing wheels on the balcony for many years.

Tire storage option It is more difficult to store both winter and summer tires in the cramped conditions of a balcony, since a special rack is required. A tire without a disk is more easily deformed and requires special care and special installation. To make storing tires easier, place them on rims or equip a special rack.

If the family budget allows you to allocate 2-2.5 thousand rubles, then it is possible to store your wheels in a special company, of course, if there is one in your city. Proper preservation of the rubber is guaranteed.

Prerequisites

Whatever storage method you use, it is important to meet several conditions. Tires or wheel assemblies must be thoroughly washed to remove winter chemicals or summer dirt and dried. They should be packed in plastic bags or special storage cases. True, in storage warehouses you will most likely be asked to remove the covers so that they do not interfere with identifying the set of tires. Yes, they can tear. Why do warehouse employees need extra problems and responsibility? There's nothing you can do, those are the rules.

Tires without rims cannot be stacked. They need to be placed vertically in one row. The humidity in the room should not be higher than 60%, and the temperature from zero to 25°C. When storing on a balcony or under a canopy, it is necessary to exclude exposure to sunlight. If you store entire wheels, make sure that the pressure in them is not too low. For storage, 2.2 bar is sufficient. You can also rely on the pressure recommended by your car manufacturer. After this, the wheels should be packed in bags and stacked (no more than four) or hung on the wall on hooks by the holes in the disk.

Instructions for storing tires and wheel assemblies. a - tires, b - assembled wheels.

Experienced motorists about storing tires on the balcony

Tire storage on the balcony: DIY brackets. “The bracket is used for storing wheels in a suspended state and consists of a round steel pipe attached to the base support to the wall at an angle of 90°. With the help of such structures, the balcony area is used vertically quite effectively.
Due to the location of the suspension guide at a slight angle to the base, during hanging the wheels are deflected towards the wall, thereby distributing the load on the support evenly.
It is worth considering that the standard bracket can support weight up to 60 kg.
You can make a suspension yourself; all you need is desire and a little experience in working with a welding machine. You should prepare a round steel pipe (55–60 cm) and a metal strip (two pieces measuring 8–10 cm by 15–20 cm), which will act as a support for the bracket. In each segment you need to make 1-2 holes at the top and bottom for fasteners.
Cut a piece of pipe so that one edge has a bevel of 10–15°. Thus, the guide will be located at an angle to the support; it should be welded in the center. Finally, the structure must be painted to protect it from external aggressive influences.
If it is necessary to install several brackets on the balcony, then you need to take into account the diameter of the wheels plus the air cushion between them (several cm).”
Responsible storage of tires .
“As an experienced driver, I would not recommend storing tires on the balcony, especially if the winter is as cold as we have in Siberia. At very low temperatures, rubber becomes completely unsuitable for further use. However, if the readings do not fall below -15 °C, then you can store the tires on the balcony by placing them in covers. And yet, it is better to choose a basement or garage for rubber, especially since the health and even life of people depends on the condition it is in. Therefore, you need to take care of your tires and store them correctly, then they will never let you down.”
Is it possible to store tires on the balcony next to chemicals ?
“Under no circumstances should tires be stored on the balcony if there are chemically active substances there, such as solvents, as well as fuels and lubricants and organic compounds, which can often be seen in garages.”

Where and how to store tires in winter

Wheels can be stored in a garage. The only thing you need to know is the special microclimatic requirements for the garage space. If such a building is provided with a high-level ventilation system, the garage can be considered as a storage facility for winter, summer and all-season tires.

In some situations, the driver does not have his own separate garage. And in this case, as a rule, a balcony comes to the rescue.

Few car enthusiasts wonder whether it is even possible to store tires on the balcony. Based on the advice of experts, it was possible to conclude that balcony storage cannot be called good, especially if the balcony is not glazed. This is due to the fact that storing expensive car tires outdoors is prohibited. In addition, tires can be negatively affected by temperature changes, sunlight, wind, as well as small birds, which sometimes mechanically damage uncovered rubber.

Thus, to store “shoes” for the car, it is best to use a separate room in which it is possible to create a microclimate for each specific pair of tires.

Related article: How much does it cost to repair a balcony?

Preparation for storage

Since you are interested in the long life of both parts of the wheel - the metal rim and the rubber tire, before you put away a set of tires for the winter or summer, you need to take proper care of them.

Marking tires

Since the configuration of the wheels on the car is of fundamental importance, the tires should be marked before removal. Most car enthusiasts use combinations of the letters “P” to mean front, “Z” to mean rear, “L” to mean left, and “P” to mean right. In this case, the right front wheel Marks must be applied with special paint or chalk, although in the latter case you will have to try to protect the letters from being washed off.

Washing away road dirt

Rubber storage

When delving deeper into the issue of storing rubber, you can understand that some car enthusiasts do not know why it is necessary to comply with the rules and conditions for storing rubber.

Why do you need to comply with the standards for preserving tires out of season?

Cord delamination due to improper storage

To reduce the likelihood of rubber drying out. Such a change can lead to the appearance of cracks and holes on the surface. The tire may burst while driving.
To prevent deformation. This ensures that the driving characteristics of the car tire are maintained.
If stored incorrectly, cord delamination may occur.

Thus, one can understand the importance of maintaining certain environmental conditions for tires outside the season of their use. In this case, you can use a garage for storage or go to specialized establishments, which are called “tire hotels.” In such places, optimal conditions for a particular type of tire are provided: temperature, air humidity, optimal arrangement of tires in space, depending on the configuration (with or without wheels).