If the change of car tires is imminent, for most drivers every year the question arises as to how the unused tires are best stored.

Important: A correct tire storage is important, because tires are subject to a certain aging process, even if you are not mounted on the car.

Tire storage our tips

• Tip 1: The air pressure

Before car tires are stored, their air pressure should be higher by 0,5 Bar than the manufacturer claims. This is due to the fact that even tires that are not in use lose air over time.

• Tip 2: marking the tires

After disassembling the tires, their former position on the car should be marked. At the next tire assembly, the position of the tires must be changed so that they are driven evenly. When reassembling the car tires, it is advisable that the tires are fitted with the worse profile on the front axle. The car tires with the better profile belong to the rear, since the rear axle is responsible for the tracking stability of the car.

• Tip 3: Checking the tires

Before the dismantled tires are stored, the condition of the tires and rims must be checked. Any foreign bodies must be removed! Damage to the carcass of the tire, such as dents on the tire, can make it dangerous to drive the tire. Replacing the damaged tire (s) is essential! Furthermore, one should remember before storing the profile depth of the car tires. The German legislator requires a minimum tread depth of 1,6 mm. Tire manufacturers have installed ridges in the middle of the profile to quickly determine the minimum tread depth. If they finish with the tire profile, it will be time to buy new tires at the latest.

In general, however, winter tires are recommended - too Premium winter tires like Goodyear - to be replaced when a tread depth of four millimeters and summer tires with a minimum tread of 3 millimeters are reached.

• Tip 4: tire cleaning

Freshly dismantled tires must be cleaned before storage.

• Tip 5: Tire storage

If tires are to be stored without rims, they will be stored upright. This is again not the case with tires with rims. Complete wheels are lying directly superimposed. Prior to warehousing, as our first tip suggests, the air pressure around 0,5 Bar must be increased. Car tires must never be stored on a floor that is soiled with oil or petrol because the rubber compound would be attacked by the oil / gasoline and the tire could be damaged.

• Tip 6: The age of the tires

Before the tire storage, you should look at the DOT numbers of each tire. This is a four-digit number on the side surface of the car tires. While the first two digits stand for the production week, the last two digits say something about the year of production. The ADAC says that tires should be replaced after eight years. Especially with winter tires, you should not wait so long, because over time, the rubber compound is hard, so the grip of these tires on snow and ice is lost. An exchange of winter tires is due after six years at the latest.

• Tip 7: The environmental conditions

A cool, dark and dry place must be chosen for storing tires. Furthermore, the tires must not come into contact with solvents, oil or grease there. Direct sunlight on the stored tires should also be avoided.

• Tip 8: No space for tire storage - there are alternatives

Anyone who has no suitable place to store tires can choose from alternative solutions. Meanwhile, there are various tire services and garages, where tires and rims can be stored for a certain fee throughout the year.

• Tip 9: The tire change

To prevent excessive wear of the tires, the ADAC advises that at least every 10 000 kilometer change the position of the tires, depending on the driving style. If the position of the tires regularly changed, different wear forms, such. B. the so-called Sägezahlbildung be prevented.