Preventing tire flat spots during winter storage
 

What have you done to prevent potential tire flat spots during winter storage? I'm located in the midwest so storage can last from early November through April. Car will be stored in an unheated garage. I do have large heavy duty vinyl mats that cover the entire garage cement floor. I also have all season tires installed, which are a harder compund, so hopefully they wouldn't get affected as much.

If your storage area isn't big enough to just move it a few inches once in a while, you could just put it up on jack stands.

But I wouldn't think storing for 6 months would flatten the tires very much, if at all.

I guess it depends upon the compound in the tire.

Hard rubber flattens much quicker than a softer compound does.

Put it on jack stands or get the tire cradles.

In Florida I don't worry about winter storage but if I did I would jack the car up put blocks under the suspension arms just thick enough to keep the tires from touching the ground. This will keep the suspension loaded as it normally is with the tires off the ground. This set up will allow you to start the car and run thru the gears provided your storage spot has sufficient ventilation.

All I do is put about 5 extra pounds of air in mine. Never had a problem with flat spotting and mine is in storage maybe a little longer than yours:thumbs:

http://www.autogeek.net/tire-supports.html

Flatstoppers Tire Supports work well. I've also had good luck putting a section of old carpet under each tire to prevent them from coming into contact with the cold concrete in our garage.

:iagree: with Sweetsies...last winter I just overinflated about 10 lbs and had no problems. Besides wouldn't a "flat spot" get worked out after a few miles of driving on a warm road anyways?

astepup said that

whats storage MMMMM LOL

Depends. Flatspotting can be temporary (the tire will round out as driving warms it up) or in the most severe cases, permanent (in which the tire's memory effectively destroys its ride quality).

A flatspot's severity is often a function of the tire size, internal structure, load, ambient temperature and time.

Low aspect ratio tires have less sidewall flex due to their short sidewalls and much of their load carrying capacity is absorbed by the deflection of their wide footprints.

The tread compounds and firm, nylon reinforced internal constructions used on high performance and high speed rated tires are more susceptible to flatspotting.

Heavy loads and too little air pressure in the tires (underinflation) will allow them to deflect more where they come into contact with the ground. This allows even more deflection, increasing the severity of the flatspotting.

Cold ambient temperatures make rubber compounds stiffer, increasing their tendency to flatspot.

The longer tires remain stationary, the better they remember the position in which they were last parked. Tires on vehicles stored on the ground for many months can be permanently flatspotted.

I park on two layers of old carpeting
 

Do not know if it helps, but I figure it has to be better than direct contact with cement. No flat spots yet.

:thumbs:I have used carpet before, no flat spots.:cheers:

I bought four cheap styrofoam coolers one year for a few bucks each, cut out the bottoms, and parked on those. Worked fine, cost about $10.

The best solution is to drive the car a few times in the winter. It doesn't have to be very often, once every couple weeks will do it. Here in the mountains of West Virginia it gets cold, but I can always get the car out a couple times a month..I never do the storage thing..:D...WW

I put an extra 10 PSI and park on some scraps of carpet ...Works for me

40 psi and jackstands. Works for me. Once the snow falls the Vette is stored even if there is a warming trend. The dirt road makes me use the Blazer.

Buy 4 bald tires and have them mounted on cheap wheels, maybe even 4 spares.

Its nice to know you can move the car, just in case (flood, fire, etc).

:iagree: Theres a great idea. :thumbs:

40 PSI, on ground, no problems for 5yr...
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...n/DCP_2649.jpg

That's what I would do if I wasn't able to drive it.

thick rubber gym mats under tires...the good thick ones. One square is enought o cut down for four tires. About $50.
google wright fitness equipment in birmingham, al . they are the biggest supplier in the U.S.