A change of season for the car owner is always a change of tires. It is convenient to time this event with the purchase of a new set, as well as some additional work with those wheels that will still serve you. The weather gives us a couple more weeks to prepare for shifting to “winter”. To make sure everything goes smoothly, we’ve prepared a few tips for you. We hope you will use them and make the right choice of tires.
1. How to store your tires between seasons: Important points
– Labeling your tires
Sign your tires with a marker or chalk, indicating which wheel each tire was on, e.g. LP – front left. At another season change, this will allow the tires to be reinstalled to avoid excessive wear on the carcass and tread.
– Clean the tires.
This is best done with a coarse brush, possibly with water. If the tire is already off the rim, it’s best not to use a pressure washer as this can damage the tire and cause tears and microcracks. At the same time clean the tread from small pebbles that deform the beads and lamellae. And most importantly, check it for stuck nails, pieces of wire and other things. Foreign bodies need to be carefully removed, and holes need to be patched immediately.
– Choosing a Storage Place
The storage location must be dry, clean and well ventilated. The optimum temperature for storage is +15 C, but a range of -30 to +30 C is acceptable. Humidity should be between 50-60%. Sports tires react sensitively to lower temperatures, so it is desirable to store such models at least -10°C. Rubber should not be exposed to direct sunlight, as UV light tends to age quickly. Do not keep near fuels and lubricants, chemicals and other volatile substances that can affect the composition of the rubber.
– Correct positioning
When storing on rims. Place on a flat surface stacked on top of each other (up to 4 per stack) with all tires pre-inflated so that they are not deformed. Do not put anything on top of the tires. You can also hang them vertically by the hole in the rim. Vertically in a row, e.g. on a shelf, mounted wheels can only be stored for a short time!!!
When storing without rims. The tires should be placed vertically on a flat surface and rotated at a small angle every 2-3 weeks so that no deformation occurs in the lower part of the tire.
– Do tyres have to be packed?
If you would like to keep your tires in their cases, they should be special textile cases. It is better not to pack tires in plastic bags, because condensation forms under the film, blocking air circulation, which is not very good for both the rubber and the metal carcass of the tire.
2. When do I “change” my shoes?
To put on winter tires. When the average daily temperature drops to +5 – +7 ° C, regardless of rain.
On summer tires. When night frosts stop and minimal daily temperature reaches at least +8 – +10 ° C.
The main thing to know and take into account: winter tires on warm asphalt are less dangerous than summer ones on ice and frozen roads.
3. How to understand that it is time to change the rubber?
The depth of tread pattern for summer tires should be at least 1.6 mm (this is according to traffic regulations, but in practice it is desirable to leave not less than 2-3 mm). For winter tires – the threshold is 4 mm. Some dealers, when selling tires, complete with a simple meter – a depth tester. In addition, many manufacturers equip their tires with special indicators – tread flats at the bottom of the tread grooves. They allow you to conveniently control the depth without the help of additional devices: when the tread has worn down to them, it means that wear is at its limit.
The presence of cuts or other noticeable damage to the tire is also a prerequisite for the replacement of the rubber for a new one. Theoretically, you can seal a cut up to 1 cm long, but it is better not to do it on high-speed cars. If there is a hernia on the tire sidewall or damage to the bead area near the rim, you must also prepare for tire replacement.