Tire Storage - exposed to winter elements?

[Bouchedag84]

Hey guys,
I live in Canada and it can get pretty damn cold here.
I have a set of winter tires/rims (usually on from Oct/November until May or June) and then summer tires/rims the rest of the year. Currently, my winter set is on and my summer set is in the garage and kept decently warm. I am moving next week to a place that doesn't have a garage, we just have a small wooden storage shed in the backyard that is large enough to store my tires/rims in. Should I be concerned at all about having my summer set stored in this shed and exposed to the elements during our rough, cold winters? Should I speak to my girlfriend and see if we can store my summers indoors during winter and my winters outside in the shed during summer?
We don't have heaps of room

[Joshdub]

Are they in a shed or exposed to the elements? Are you referring to a non heated shed as being "exposed to the elements"? If so, they will be fine. I wouldn't leave them outside uncovered.

[Bouchedag84]

They are in a shed outside. I would think to tarp them up at least and have each tire cleaned and wrapped in a plastic bag too

[BMWX5CHI]

You could spray them lightly with white lithium grease before you store them and cover with a trap as other have suggested. Then clean them up with WD40 when you ready to use them.

[jdstrickland]

Originally Posted by Bouchedag84

Hey guys,
I live in Canada and it can get pretty damn cold here.
I have a set of winter tires/rims (usually on from Oct/November until May or June) and then summer tires/rims the rest of the year. Currently, my winter set is on and my summer set is in the garage and kept decently warm. I am moving next week to a place that doesn't have a garage, we just have a small wooden storage shed in the backyard that is large enough to store my tires/rims in. Should I be concerned at all about having my summer set stored in this shed and exposed to the elements during our rough, cold winters? Should I speak to my girlfriend and see if we can store my summers indoors during winter and my winters outside in the shed during summer?
We don't have heaps of room

How does one live to be old enough to drive, and not know how or where to store tires for the winter?

I suppose one could live at my house all of their life, then move to the Great White North, and be dumbfounded by these sorts of things. I would be. Seems like the locals would be the people to talk to. Where do your neighbors keep summer tires in winter?

[Joshdub]

It still isn't clear if the tires are going to be in a shed, or outside.

But as long as water doesn't pool up on them they will be fine. They do spend all of their time rolling around in the elements don't they?

[jdstrickland]

I would think that any dry storage would suffice. Keeping them in the garage should be the best thing to do, but putting them in the shed should be good enough. The problem with summer tires in winter is not what happens to the tire, but how well the tire works in snow.

[Perrier]

Speak to the girlfriend. Put them in the living room, they will make interesting coffee tables.

But on a more serious note, they will be just fine in the shed as long as snow and rain is not falling on them or collecting around them. As the previous post said, don't let them sit in a puddle.

You don't need to cover them, actually you really should not put them with a plastic bag at all. Humidity and condensation will be trapped in there and may cause oxidation.

I have been keeping mine in a closed shed for years. They are not harmed in any way. The only thing I do before storing them is a wash.

[puddinboo]

just put them in your living room

[LVP]

The shed will be fine, but if there are any windows, make sure they are not in direct sunlight - that will degrade the rubber. I wouldn't put anything on them, but as puddinboo says, a good wash wouldn't hurt. Mine are stored indoors, up on a shelf, out of sunlight and sometimes, if the temperature is nice when I swap them, they get washed.

If you have r-compound or slick race tires, that's a different story. They need to be kept away from freezing temps. I have a pallet full of such tires I store by the huge boiler at my in-laws place. I call it "the tire spa".