When Winterizing, Don’t Forget the Tires

By Martin Engelhardt, Kenda American Technology Center

When you think about winter trailer storage, there are many considerations, from its interior to seals and seams to water and faucets and more. It’s easy to overlook tire winterization, buttaking a few minutes to set up your tires for storage may save you valuable time and money later. In addition, winterization— along with post-storage re-inflation before service—could extend tire life.

Below are tire winterization best practice reminders, whether storing for short- or long-term.

• Visually inspect the tires before putting them into storage and again when getting the trailer out of storage before the tires are back on the road. Look for any irregularities, differences or foreign materials in the tread that should be removed such as stones or other types of debris.

• Store the trailer in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight if possible.

• If storing the trailer outdoors, place a surface barrier like a thin piece of wood or metal under the tires to separate them from the ground. This will help protect the tires from the elements while stationary over long periods of time. It also will help keep the trailer from sinking as the ground freezes and thaws.

• If possible, lift the stored trailer up off the ground to take the load off the tires. Jack stands , or lightweight trailer axel lift blocks, are great for this task.

• Cover tires to reduce exposure to sun light and ozone.

White coverings will reflect sun and keep the tires cooler than darker covers. Specially designed tire covers work best but white plastic trash bags will suffice.

Keep in mind that stored tires can lose air pressure in two ways:

• Temperature: No matter the brand, tires can lose approx. 3.3 percent of air pressure per 10°C with temperature changes. (which is about 1.5 percent per 10°F.) Tires are subject to the “Ideal Gas Law” which simply means that as the temperature changes, so does air pressure within the tire – in other words cold air contracts while warm air expands. So, it’s vital to check tire inflation when the tires are cold prior to use and re-inflate tires to their proper pressure as per the placard on your trailer (or your original paperwork) before putting them back into service.

• Sitting static: Tires lose about three percent inflation pressure per month while sitting around inflated and not running (at constant temperature). Again, re-inflate the tires to proper pressures before putting them back into use.

It takes a little extra time and care, but it’s more than worthwhile to include the tires in your trailer winterization program.

Source: Martin Engelhardt, Manager of Materials Dept., Kenda American Technology Center. A chemist and polymer scientist, he is a published author in prestigious journals including Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Journal of Biological Chemistry and Rubber, and Plastics News, among others.