Tire Care-What's best to park on?

[Jackn]

Hi All -

In regards to the deterioration of the rubber on your tires, what is the best and worst surface to park on? I've heard to stay off dirt but I should place wood between my tire and concrete. How about asphalt and gravel?? What is the general opinion?

Thanks! Jack

[Meandering Retiree]

I place plastic between the tire and the rock surface in the shed when I park the coach for any period of time....will still do the same if and when I ever get a concrete floor in the shed.

[historyljc]

Originally Posted by Meandering Retiree

I place plastic between the tire and the rock surface in the shed when I park the coach for any period of time....will still do the same if and when I ever get a concrete floor in the shed.

Ditto.

[hooverbill]

I run each tire up on a large piece of plywood when in my storage building.

[Wayne M]

Asphalt has petroleum based products abound. Detrimental to rubber.

For long term storage, any barrier is good between the tire and the surface. Even on cement, in storage, I'd run it up on 2 x 8's or better. If your neighbor has a leak it can run against your tire, or puddle around it. That could also damage the rubber.

I'm not a tire expert, but that's what I would do.

[Bob and Inga]

Originally Posted by hooverbill

I run each tire up on a large piece of plywood when in my storage building.

Both our Fleetwood and Workhorse owners manuals say plywood.

Bob

[Triker56]

Goodyear on RV Tire care
Storing Your Vehicle Properly
To Help Protect Your Tires.
Unless you spend all of your time on the road, your RV
will probably be parked in storage some of the time.
That’s why it’s important to follow these steps to help
protect your Goodyear RV tires when you’re storing
your vehicle:
• Keep the vehicle in a cool, dry storage area out
of direct sunlight or UV rays.
• Place the vehicle on blocks to remove the weight
from the tires. If the vehicle can't be put on blocks,
make sure the storage surface is firm, clean,
well-drained and reasonably level.
• Unload the vehicle so that minimum weight
is on the tires.
• Inflate tires to the recommended operation pressure
plus 25%, but don’t exceed the rim manufacturer’s
inflation capacity.
• Thoroughly clean the tires with soap and water
before storing them.
• Move the vehicle at least every three months to help
prevent ozone cracking and flat-spotting, but avoid
moving it during extremely cold weather.
• Adjust the tire inflation before putting the vehicle
back into service.

Michelin RV Tips
LONG TERM STORAGE AND RV TIRES
Unless you’re a full-time RV-er, your vehicle probably spends some time in long-term storage. But what you probably didn’t know is that rubber tires age when not being used.

So, if you must store your RV, a cool, dry, sealed garage is your best bet. Also, some storage surfaces can cause tires to age faster. That’s why Michelin recommends placing a barrier (cardboard, plastic or plywood) between your tire and the storage surface.

Here are some other steps you can take to help reduce the aging effects from long-term storage:
1) Thoroughly clean tires with soap and water before placing into storage.
2) Cover tires to block direct sunlight and ultraviolet rays.
3) Store out of a high ozone area.
Note: When a vehicle is stored, tires should be inflated to the inflation pressure indicated on the sidewall.
Before removing your vehicle from long-term storage, thoroughly inspect each tire — this includes sidewalls, tread area, and air pressure. If your tires have lost air, be sure to inflate them to the correct pressure before driving.

Michelin says use barrier. Goodyear no mention of one.
How good is cardboard to use in outside storage?

[Jackn]

Thanks everybody!!

[HeapBigEngin]

Just my 2 cents. We purchased our 40' DP last year and secured a covered parking space at an excellent storage facility 15 minutes from our home. Our space does a pretty good job of covering our MH for most of the day. The entire area is paved with asphalt. Each time I go up there and notice that someone has moved their vehicle, I see dark blotches or patches where their vehicle's tires had been. Some of these patches are incredibly dark and very thick....no question that particular vehicle had sat idle for some time. It appears to me that these "marks" are the result of tires losing part of themselves to the asphalt....and that just can't be a good thing.

Like many, our coach is now stored for the Winter. It sits atop 2 sets of heavy duty plastic jack pads, with the tires covered by 4 quality tire covers....all purchased on sale from Campers World at reasonalbe prices. Since we get snow here, the pads also keep the tires well above the snow melt and ice that follows.

What really amazes me are the scores - and I mean scores - of rv's of all varieties (including many VERY expensive Class A's) parked in this storage area with uncovered tires sitting right on that asphalt....and some of these vehicles don't look like they have moved in the 10 months I've been there. No doubt some of these owners will get into their 6 year-old MH's with original tires (that have sat on that asphalt for 9 months) and head out on a 500 mile trip at freeway speeds....and never give it a thought. And we are on the road with these clowns. Sigh....

I dunno'. It just makes sense to me to take very good care of those 6 black round things that we trust to stay together at 70 mph on a 95 degree day. Right??

[Vegasdan]

3/4" Plywood, easy to store in basement.

[Clay L]

I bought a couple of packages of the thin flexible cutting boards at Walmart and put them under the tires when we are parked for a while. They are easy to store.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Clay L

I bought a couple of packages of the thin flexible cutting boards at Walmart and put them under the tires when we are parked for a while. They are easy to store.

I use the large non-flexible white cutting boards from sprawmart.

[Cat320]

Asphalt is the worse surface, but even though my storage unit is concrete, I put my MH on boards.

[Sky_Boss]

Ignorance is bliss...

Picking up my coach tomorrow and this thread brings up a couple questions.

1. do I have a misconception on how high my leveling jacks will raise the coach? Probably do. Can they raise the wheels high enough to put pads under the wheels? I'm betting NO.

2. I am reading about putting the coach on blocks for the winter. Is that a difficult process or can the levelers help in that process?

More I learn, the more I don't know.