rstackjd

There have been a few threads recently about how quickly tires can flat spot. With winter coming much too quickly, I'm trying to get ready to put the baby into hibernation for a few months

What does everyone do to prevent flat spotting when the car is going to sit for 3-4 months?

shacky

I will be putting mine on jack stands so the tires are off the concrete. I picked up 4 stands for $20.

Are flat spots generally temporary?

williammackean

I have observed that the general consensus is:

-Wash vehicle inside & out.
-Over inflate tires by a few pounds.
-Keep tires off pavement. Insulation, plywood, etc.
-Do not put on jackstands!
-Cover tailpipes.
-Vermin prevention. Squeekers, mothballs, Bounce sheets, etc.
-Moisture absorbers in passenger compartment, and possibly a bar of soap.
-Fill tank with higher quality gas, maybe add a can of Seafoam.
-Some say to idle it up to operating temperature once per month.
-Some say to roll it a few inches once per month.
-Many say to just cover it.
-Go inside and brood.

rstackjd

Excellent question - I've wondered that myself.

ain't it the truth. At least I'll have the forum to keep my happy over the winter.

Leftoverture

This will be the first year for Corvette storage. But I have an older Cadillac I have been storing winters for a few years. First, I fill the tank at least 3/4 full and use Sta-Bil preservative. Second, I clean the car and then keep it covered with a breathable (quality) car cover. Also, I keep the battery disconnected. Lastly, I start the car every 4-5 weeks, but only if the temp is 30°F or above, and let it run up to temp. I run the heat until the interior is very warm and then run the A/C (good to keep seals lubricated). Shift the auto into drive and reverse a few times. I never use jackstands. The Caddy remains pristine (but got booted from the garage upon purchase of the Vette).

As for flat-spotting the tires, with the Caddy's harder tire compound, this was never really an issue. As for the Vette - I think it's a good question - but I gotta believe any flat-spotting from sitting would be temporary and would go away on a long drive in warm weather. But to this end I confess a lack of real knowledge.

I do know this. . .as a new Vette owner. . .Winter is coming too fast and Spring won't get here nearly soon enough. . .

JCD

I inflated the tires 5lbs over the max that's on them. Had no problems. Let the car sit all winter.

When you go to start it, pull the fuel injector fuse and crank it over a few times to get oil into the engine. A engine with no oil sounds really bad.

I had it on a tarp on dirt in my barn. I won't be using mothballs again because they stink. But I will be using bounce sheets again. I had the cover on it (pulled over the exhaust too) and a tarp on top of that.

I should just move to FL.

zoro

I've stored a lot of cars over the winter and had no problem with tires sitting on concrete floors.

TR Vert

I inflate my tires to the max on the side walls 50 pis vs. the 30 psi I normally use for driving. Then I jack up the car and place tire cradles (wheel dollies) under all 4 corners...

Here is a paste from Corvette action center under their winter storage section......

Flat Spotting
These days, flat spotting isn't as much of an issue as it was years ago. Due to changes in composition and technology, today's tires are less prone to flat spotting than they were back in the days when '67 big blocks were prowling the streets. Any flat spotting that does occur to today's tire usually disappears within 20-30 minutes of normal driving time at normal highway speeds.

Regardless, some of the owners we spoke to prefer to place their cars on jack stands in order to remove the constant pressure on the tires. Some owners don't like to do this because they feel that it places the car's suspension in an unnatural state that when combined with the added weight of the tires and wheels, could cause permanent damage to the suspension over time. To help settle this dispute, we went to the leading authority on Corvette suspension design and engineering, Guldstrand Motorsports. "We suggest that when people put their cars away for the winter months, they put the cars on stands and remove and bag the tires. This prevents any moisture from having harmful effects [on the tires]. Allowing the suspension to hang is really the least of their worries, and is not detrimental" said Dave Tillotson, Guldstrand's Operations Director. If you choose to remove the tires and wheels from the vehicle prior to storage, please see our Tire Storage Recommendations page from Goodyear for more helpful storage tips.

Some owners feel that specially designed tire cradles, tiles, plastic forms or pieces of cardboard under the tires help to prevent flat-spotting and some owners don't. Most of this is trial and error and there is no easy way to determine what works and what doesn't. It's mostly based upon experience and personal preference.

One method that has proven reliable to this author in the past is to over-inflate the tires to the maximum allowed pressure specified on the sidewall of the tires by the tire manufacturer. By over-inflating the tires, you're hindering their pliability and increasing their resistance to flatten. Just make sure to deflate the tires to the recommended normal operating pressure before driving.

bizaro

no longer an issue at all

mikeb

also.

Perhaps I'm just crazy; some years I'll put it on jack stands, other years I won't. This year I'll remove the tires, only because they're new tires and ZR1 chrome repros- headed for the basement.
Last year I removed the battery and stored it in the basement, This year I think I'll leave it in. (less work if I decide to start it up over the winter months)

Atok

I've read that you should not put a Vette on stands. It is not good for the composite springs to let the suspension hang for an extended period of time. It might be a myth but I don't use stands.

Modern tires don't flat spot like the older bias-ply tires. All I do for added safety is jack the pressure to 45 - 50psi and let it sit on all 4 wheels.

85C4fanatic

These are great solutions for storage. How about changing the oil? should you do it before putting her away ? What is common practice? On another forum I saw a member that created an adapter that bolted to the wheel studs and was connected to a set of floor stand to keep the springs loaded. Neat idea.

Leftoverture

I usually just change it in the Spring when I get it out.

VinceC4

I have several cars I store over the winter..I never use jackstands..letting the suspension hang is not a good idea..and I also have never had flat spots..that is an old belief based on bias-ply tires..todays tires don't get flat spots

rws.1

Change your oil before you put it away.
Gasoline contains sulfur.
blow by puts that sulfur into the oil along with another combustion by product water.
In additon you get water from condensation.
Water in the oil + sulfur = sulphuric acid.....
You do not wnat that sitting inyour engine over the winter to corrode it.
ALWAYS put fresh oil in any engine before you store it.

dbaker

The flat spotting usually temporary.I'll bet most of us run a soft compound tire anyway( UTOG 240 or less).They seem to "un-spot" themselves in about 100 miles or so.

Before you crank the car after 3 or more months of storage,I would take the plugs out and squirt a little wd4o into the spark holes.

Less chance of a dry start.

\db
Carolina

"Fast and cheap won't be reliable.
Cheap and reliable won't be fast.
And fast and reliable won't be cheap."

redvette6spd

I have not tried this but I am going to this year. I have heard parking the car on thick Styrofoam is supposed to prevent flat spots. It conforms to the tire I guess.

mitymek

hmm,usually when you overinflate something rubber and leave it that way for a while it stretches.a deflated baloon for example.but,a common place for stored tires to leak is the bead and overinflating the tire would help that.eh,think i will do what i always do.nothing.hehe.
well,clean and detail,fill the tank,fresh engine oil.then cotton cover with a good breathable cover over that then it sits in the barn on wood floor with some sliced irish spring tossed around underneath it and a few drier sheets here and there.oh and tennis ***** in the magnaflow tips.
flatspots are there every spring.but no worse than if it sits for a week.
i start it a few times over the winter and let it warm up and also check the tire pressure.the cooper zeons never have lost a pound though.

MyOtherCar

So, driving in the rain has harmful effects on the tires?? What, washes off the Armor All??

TomZ

In the past, I just started my car up every few weeks and just moved it a foot or two in the garage to allow the car to sit on a different section of the tire, thus avoiding flat spots. A few weeks later, I just moved it back (and I repeated this cycle every few weeks).
Seemed to work for me!