Storing Winter Tires? You Need to Read This

After the cold and harsh winter, the snow begins to melt, and the flowers start blooming. You’ve made it through one of the most disliked seasons of the year, depending on who you ask, but fear not because you’re the type to prepare. Your winter tires have seen their fair share of usage this season, but winter tires are best used during the season in which they’re named. “Where can I find winter tires near me,” is likely a question you found yourself asking at the start of the season, but once the season ends, what are you supposed to do with them?

The question many drivers have on their minds, especially if this recent set of winter tires is their first, is how do you store them during the summer? What precautions do you have to take, and will decommissioning your winter tires for the next seven or eight months be a hassle? We’ll explain all of this and more below, so keep reading if you want to learn the first thing about the storing process.

Decommissioning Your Tires

A common misconception people have when decommissioning their tires for the season is that they don’t have to clean them. Some drivers think it’s not important, considering you’ll be slapping the tires back onto your vehicle when the wintertime comes around and pick up right where you left off. This misconception couldn’t be further from the truth. Cleaning your tires before storing them is arguably as important as the storing process, so by utilizing a specialized brush, all you’ll need is soap and water.

Cleaning your tires with these three things is all it takes to ensure the tires don’t corrode throughout the year while in storage, and it keeps any leftover dirt from becoming caked into the treads. Don’t go lightly, however, because the grime on the tires from an entire season of usage can be stubborn, so use that tire brush. Once the tire is clean, examine it for any damages, both major and minor, and keep the blemishes in mind before you store the tires. Sometimes, the wear and tear may be so severe you may want to consider purchasing a new set before next season, and storing them won’t be worth it.

After you use the soap, water, and brush on the tires, don’t throw them in storage just yet. If you leave them wet, your tires will start to rust over time, which won’t be fun to deal with once the snow starts falling again. This brings us to our next portion of decommissioning your tires, and that’s whether or not you should keep it on its rims. This doesn’t apply to everybody, especially people who keep rims on their vehicles when swapping tires. The main effect this can have is damaging the wheel if done too often. Considering you’ll be swapping them once a year, you shouldn’t worry about this too much. After all of these steps are taken care of, the next part is both finding the proper place and methods to store your winter tires.

Storing the Tires

Storing your winter tires involves considering a couple of things. The first is where you’re going to store these tires, and the second is how you’re going to go about it. Starting with the first one, you’re going to want a dry location, preferably one without direct exposure to sunlight. For example, if you have a basement, this could be a good place to store them, sans any potential flooding, but that’s a different problem entirely. More commonly, people will opt to store their tires in a garage, which is likely to be your best bet. However, if your garage has multiple windows, try to keep the tires away from the window because direct sunlight can be harmful to the health of the tire. As long as you don’t store your tires outside or in a sunroom, and as long as the room you store them in doesn’t get too hot, you should have no problems with this.

Once you’ve found the place you’ll be storing the tires, now you must decide how you’re going to store them. We’ve heard stories in the past of people stacking the tires with no cover, or in more bizarre cases, covering them with a trash bag. We’re not saying these methods don’t work, but they’re not ideal. Let’s start with tires that retain their rims. The best thing to do would be to hang them up, so make sure you have a rack installed in your garage. However, if you can’t install a rack, simply place them on top of each other. Another alternative to installing a rack is to purchase an external one, but these can take up a lot of space, so keep that in mind.

Since you’ve cleaned your tires before storing them, you likely want to keep them clean. The best way to go about this is to invest in some tire covers, which let you zip the tires up in a protective bag. The best and arguably the most popular way to store your winter tires, with or without the rims attached, is to zip them in these tire totes and stack them in the spot you have decided upon based on what we told you earlier.

Exceptions to Note

Some drivers simply don’t have the luxury of living somewhere with either a garage, basement, or both. For example, if you live in a condo or apartment, you may be curious how you can go about storing your tires. If you understandably can’t create the room indoors to store your tires, there’s an alternative.

Various tire shops and storage locker locations will allow you to store your tires there for the remainder of the year. Yes, this costs a fee, but it’s typically not exuberant, and it’s better than either keeping your winter tires installed or storing them in your apartment or condo. If cost is a concern – you should check around to see if any friends or family members with the space and knowledge can accommodate your set of winter tires until you need them again. Make sure they’re in a spot where you can occasionally check on them, and most importantly, give them a thorough inspection before you install them back onto your vehicle for your safety.

A Worthwhile Chore

Although it may seem like a hassle, decommissioning and storing your winter tires are crucial to maintaining their health, and sequentially, their longevity. Some drivers will avoid winter tires altogether, often springing for all-terrain or all-season tires, with many reasons being the avoidance of being responsible for storing the set every year. The argument between all-season and winter tires isn’t likely to end soon and is another discussion entirely. However, winter tires will make the season easier on both you and your truck, thanks to their far more accommodating design for driving on snowy roads, such as the tire treads. If you’re purchasing winter tires, such as from our dealership at McCluskey Chevy, make sure you have the tools, time, and space to store them safely in the warmer seasons. This will inevitably save you money, and you can preserve the health of the tires until the weather gets cold again, then the cycle starts all over.