Well, as many of you may be aware (well those that live in a wintery climate) it's about that time of the year again when we will be tucking our babies in for their winter hibernation. Well this year I plan on doing things a little different than last year and was hoping to get some pointers. Here's my situation:

Last year was the first year I had my 1999 SS, NBM M6, with SLP options. The car only had 18K miles on it when I bought it and the tires were still the original from the factory. Since I knew I was going to get new tires the following spring, I didn't worry too much about the condition the tires would be after the winter. Well now that I recently spent approx. $1200 on a set of rubber (Eagle F1 GS D3's), I want to know what would be the best way to protect these tires during the winter. Since this was a rather large investment, I want to make sure they are safely protected to last the winter unharmed. Here are some of the things I have heard of doing to protect tires while the car is in winter storage:

-Leave the car alone and not worry about the tires
-Drive the car onto wood blocks to prevent the moisture from being sucked out of the tires
-Place the car on 4 individual jack stands to raise the tires approximately 1-2 inches off the ground, also alleviating the pressure on the shocks

A couple final notes, the car is stored in a large steel machine shed with a cement floor. The building is not insulated. Also, I have thought about buying a junk set of tires and rims, but because of budget reasons this is currently out of the question.

Any suggestions or advice you have to offer would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for the best way to protect the tires during the winter. I'm open to any suggestions, comments, or ideas you may have heard of. Thanks again in advance!

 

Secure vehicle on blocks. Remove wheels/tires. Wrap and place in storage closet.

 

Store under your bed for safe keeping.

 

Send them to me, I'll keep them rolling and round all winter and return them in spring.

 

Ok Greed4Speed, I'll get right on that

With regards to removing and storing the wheels, what would be the best location to store them (other than on Greed4Speed's ride )? Would an interior closet be better or would an insulated garage be enough?

Also, if I do remove the wheels, what would be the best material to wrap the tires in?

Thanks again for all of your advice!

 

get the tires filled with nitrogen to remove the moisture from inside.. that'll help the tires from the inside.. and the wheels if they're chrome

 

I don't see how storing your car over the winter inside is going to wear out your tires. Leaving your car outside in the sun all summer long would be exposing it to UV. But parking inside over the winter? No problem.

If you're concerned about moisture loss, put a sheet of 6 mil poly down on the garage floor. The same stuff they use for vapour barriers on houses. Drive on top of that and call it a day. Make sure your tires are aired up to proper specs. Check them periodically for pressure over the winter as the colder temps will lower the psi.

I had my factory Gatorbacks on the car for 19 years. Stored every winter on a concrete floor (on the car) in an insulated garage.