Maxie2U

Avoid flat-spotting and choose your own tire-storage adventure.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...s-this-winter/

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=42&

What do you do?


Poll is for those who put their car in storage for the winter or leave it sitting for more than a month.

owc6

E. Over-inflate to the high 30's and not worry.

Unless you are barning the car (leaving it for years), that's all that is necessary.

bearphoto

Fortunately for those of us out west our winter storage stints are usually no more than a couple days or a week at worst. But I used to live at 7000 ft in mountainous terrain where the roads were covered with "cinders". Cinders are crushed volcanic rock and with the corvette stickey tires, the volcanic rock would just eat paint behind the wheels so winter driving was infrequent. During that time I'd just store the car on the tires and forget about it until the roads were clear.

dvilin

Over inflate by 5 psi and that is it. Been doing this for many years and never a problem.

capecodvette

Folks, tire technology has come a long way. These tires do not develop flat spots. That said, to ease your mind, feel free to increase tire pressure to 40 lbs, and if stored on concrete floor place a strip of carpet underneath.

AdventurePoser

I leave my car on its roof. Because it is a rag top, I put a towel on the garage floor first so as not to scuff the material.

ZMan64

Modern tires can and do develop flat spots. Our cars tires are more susceptible to this because of the softer compound and low aspect ratio.

Patman

But even on the rare case that they do get flat spots, they bounce back very quickly and round out after a few miles of driving (I've experienced this myself). They don't stay as flat spots forever.

ZMan64

Yep, I've experienced it myself also. Drive long enough for the tires to warm up and the warbling goes away. Living in the mid-Atlantic region, my car is normally only stored for short periods, typically no more than s month. However, over extended periods of time (3 months or more?) it is possible for permanent damage to be done.

Boiler_81

My experience does not agree with the long term storage damage potential. I stored my 2016 for 4 1/2 months last winter. They may have been slightly flat spotted when I took it out for the first drive but they cleared up within the first mile or so. I have also winter stored my 66 Corvette with Goodyear radials for 30 years, no issue. My 70 442 was stored on Goodyear radials for 30 years with no issue. Last year I put reproduction Poylglas GT bias ply tires on it. It was stored over the winter and came out in the Spring just fine.

Kracka

Put a sheet of pink foam insulation under each tire; provides the same benefit as the Flatstopper product at a fraction of the cost (much like the hockey puck vs. jacking puck debate).

Widgeon5

I reposition the car a few feet fore or aft (by hand) every week or so. Also keep the garage temp at 45 degrees or above. In most Indiana winters we will get a decent rain every few weeks to wash away the salt so the car can be exercised properly.

ZMan64

Which is why I placed a ? in my last post. From personal experience, I know that modern tires can/do flat spot from sitting relatively short periods of time. Long term parking probably depends on a various factors, including temperatures and humidity.

Foosh

The only places I recently recall reading articles on the dangers of permanent tire flat-spotting are on websites for vendors who sell contraptions that claim to eliminate the danger of permanent flat-spotting.

corvette-22

I over inflate the tires then wait for a warmer day and pull the car out of the garage roll it down the driveway then back in again to assure the tires are now repositioned. I try and accomplish this at least 3 times while in storage.

GM'er

Crossed Flags Fan

Never heard of this....personal experience or urban legend?

ZMan64

These guys aren't hawking any contraptions;

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=42
Or these folks
http://papers.sae.org/2015-01-2196/

Foosh

Yes, I know it can be permanent, and I also know that permanent damage is exceedingly rare. The SAE article is credible, but most interesting was their finding that it's far more likely when a car sits for extended periods at very high temperatures.

ZMan64

^^I agree that the likelihood of permanent flat spotting in most circumstances is minimal. As I stated earlier, my experience has been with temporary flat spots resulting from relatively short periods of time.

The point in providing references was simply to show those that don't believe permanent flat spotting is possible, that it is indeed possible and does happen, however rarely.