Tires And Vehicle Storage

[marrakay]

Being a first timer and new to FMCA I wish to get all ideas about storage of the rv for the winter and matter of fact anytime.

To clarify, what is the right way to store the tires on contact with any surface.

I will tell you, What I have heard is off the ground.

On a piece of wood. many different kinds where mention. OAK recommended

On some mud flap's off a semi.

Do not store on Grass or mud, put something down to row up on.

Do not park on concrete for extended times storage in your side yard.

Put the tires with a piece of plastic under them.

So where is the TIREMAN9 engineer at.

I meet him at the FMCA 82nd Rally at the seminar what a great forum.

IT cost me a set of 6 NEW tires to be replace but my safety was in jeopardy, Tireman9; thank you.

But , now they are all new tires, time to get this answer discuss above. ANY TAKERS.

Tim Stookey

FMCA F405095

[wolfe10]

Tim,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Hopefully Tireman9 will chime in, but I'll get it started.

Though it would be better to store tires with no load on them, for most, that is not practical.

Many use the jacks to store with approximately 50% of the weight off the tires-- that is what we do.

And it is best to isolate the tire from surfaces that are moist or chemically harsh. And indeed most any of the suggested materials you mentioned will work. Plastic, old mud flaps, or if indoors on concrete-- even plywood will work.

Having tires inflated while stored to max PSI noted on the tire sidewall (as long as it doesn't exceed rim specs) helps insure better tire shape, even if there is some PSI loss with time and big drop in temperatures.

Brett Wolfe

[DoggyDaddy]

Here is a

for storing anything

[tbutler]

One of the big errors in storing tires that I have seen on occasion is to store the tires with part of the tire off the side of a board or other surface. If a tire is stored on a surface other than the pavement beneath the coach, the material under the tire must support the entire tire footprint evenly. If part of the tire is off the material, the cord of the tire will be damaged.

A friend of ours purchased six cutting boards at Wal-Mart and uses them for parking his motor home. I personally use boards, 2x12's, which on our sloping parking spot bring the coach to nearly level when using two layers on the drivers side and one layer on the passenger side. I always check carefully to make sure that each tire is entirely on the board before hooking up. I also inflate the tires to as near the maximum pressure allowed as I can get them. I have tire covers that protect the tires from UV radiation.

[Guest Wayne77590]

You can do a Google search on "storing tires" without the quotes and come up with a whole bunch of information. The Winnebago web site even has some good diagrams in PDF format to what Tom was speaking about the tire footprint.

Cement does not normally need a tire mat because it is not petroleum based like tar/hot-patch. Therefore the tires will not absorb any bad ingredients. However, if you are parked in a common area you have to watch out for the other persons spillage that could gravitationally find its way to your tires. So even in a storage area with cement it is best to block up the tires an inch or two. Any substance deeper than that means there is a major problem with drainage at the storage area.

There is a ton of information out there on the proper way to store you RV. Give it a search, and good luck.

Oh! And those little orange leveling pads with the uneven circles on them. Not good, as they do not allow for even distribution. I carry some, but I only use them to ramp up on to a solid surface should I need to.