New tire storage

[Steve 00RT/10]

Having just purchased 4 new tires which will be in storage for up 3 years, I wanted to get some input on their storage from Michelin. Here's a few things the Michelin Customer Service Rep told me today.

Store in a cool dry place
Rotate occasionally
Do not put any type of coating or dressing on the tires--the Michelin rep told me that could void the warranty
Tire Rack also said not to coat the tires with anything as it can have a deleterious effect on the rubber over time.

The Michelin tire warranty is good for 6 years--regardless of being on or off the vehicle.

Now I know there are other opinions in here about coating the tire with Armor All. I have used Armor All for more years than I care to count with excellent results I probably will use the garbage bags and vacuum idea. I'm just not sure about the Armor All any more. If the tire is warranteed for 6 years if kept under the above conditions--it is probably not necessary to put anything on the tires. Anybody else have alternate plans?

Steve

 

[JonB]

Cool Dry and rotate is perfect.
**** air out of bags is best.
Add Nitrogen is fanatical.

Storing a couple years? No coating is necessary but I prefer it on the sidewalls and even the tread. Why?

Storing YEARS+? I have seen silicone coated and Armor-all tires emerge from storage and look PERFECT. I have seen "Michelin Wharehoused" tires look dry and whitish by comparison. But BE CAREFUL when firts installed, they are slippery!

Great news about the warranty ! That would cinch it for me if using in 3 years..no coating!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

I was also told ,many moons ago, to also keep tires away from electrical motors ( something about ozone degradation from said motors ). This was years ago, by a tire dealer friend ,who cautioned me about storing my tires near the heater ( blower motor ) in my basement.

 

[GTS Dean]

One that wasn't mentioned is to keep them out of sunlight. I just 'bagged 'n tagged' a set of XGT-Zs that have about 80% tread remaining for indefinite storage. I washed them using mild soap and water with a medium-bristle brush. I allowed them to dry completely for several days and covered them in cling wrap.

Check with me in about 15-20 years if you need some great tires for a Gen1 Viper restoration project.

 

[Vreracing]

Be careful transporting them.

I put the rears in my Suburban to get them rebalanced.

They were sort of at a 45 degree angle resting against the folded down rear seat.

The first bump I hit they popped right up. Kind of a pain riding around with rolling tires.

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Ever notice how much the Viper looks like a space ship without its rear tires on?

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[picflight]

Just wondering why would you need to store tires for that many years?

15-20, I can understand that for a restoration project but why for 4-5 years?

Just wondering...

 

[onerareviper]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
Silicone oil is a rubber deteriorant. A lot of tire manufacturers will even void their warranty on sidewall failure if you use a product that contains it on your tires.......
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

ie... Armor All.

Found this information on a detailing website. Like everything on the web, it's hard to establish the statement as true/false. Although, the Michelin/Tire Rack rep add credibility to this statement.

Later

 

[Matt M PA]

I have long called Armor All..Harm it All, for the reasons listed above. Avoid use of any silicone based protectants with vinyl, leather or rubber.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Whoops, I can see this going towards another Zaino thread.......

Sal, watcha doin, we haven't heard the blessings of non-silicone usage for awhile. In fact why not do a little dissertation and we can have SoCal Rebell do the rebuttal about the blessings of silicone usage --- oooo, very bad play on words!

 

[Jeff Torrey]

Picflight- So people figure they can get 5-6 years out of a set of tires (limited use). Pricing was very good, Michelin is discontinuing the stock tires. Some people with a brand new car bought a set of tires to put away.

 

[Ron]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Just Dashes in California, a dash board remanufacturer, stated that they get more business do to Armor All usage than anything else. Hardens that soft plastic and causes premature cracking. Best bet for vinyl is to keep it clean.

Don't know if this applies to tires, or if it has anything to do with silicone, but I'd tend to avoid Armor All on your tires for storage preservation.</FONT f>

 

[Matt M PA]

Maybe I should elaborate on my statement above. Silicone oils actually attack ingredients, in rubber for example, that are there to keep it soft and help avoid cracking. Most "protectant" type car products are loaded with silicone oil because it is cheap and shines like crazy. These products over time cause leather, rubber and plastic to dry out. Wonder if ArmorAll contains silicone? Just look at their "Detailers" version, "with twice the active ingredient". Then read the label...it says it contains twice the silicone of their other product.