This may not matter at all, but intuition tells me that inner tire pressure would have some effect on how a tire ages. My race tires have been "resting" since May, so it may not make a difference at this point, but I'm still curious. Any opinions?

 

good question. subscribing to this thread.

Mine are in plastic bags in the garage ~40 - 50 degrees. Unused since September.

 

Here's how Hoosier tire recommends you store tires during the off-season:

DO

1 Remove the tires from the vehicle.
2. Remove the air from the tires and store them on their side in a cool/dark/dry environment.
3. Place tires in a black plastic bag when stored during the "off-season".
4. Make sure the temperature range in the storage location is between 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

DON'T

1. Don't store tires in direct sunlight or near electric motors. (Electric motors emit small amounts of ozone.) Tires need to be protected from light, especially sunlight. Light causes ultraviolet damage by breaking down the rubber compounds. The storeroom should not contain electrical welding or any other equipment that could produce ozone.

2. Don't apply any chemical treatments to Hoosier tires. (It's not necessary and may actually damage the integrity of the tire by breaking down the rubber properties of the tire.) Tires must not be allowed to come in contact with oils, greases, solvents, or other petroleum products that cause rubber to soften or deteriorate.

3. Don't store tires in sub-freezing temperatures for any length of time. (The rubber can freeze and may crack as a result.) (Top)

http://www.hoosierracingtire.com/Faqrr.htm#7

 

AH HA! Thanks!

 

 

Great question.

Mine are in the basement in some what clear plastic bags, but the room they are in has no windows. I think when I get home I will let some of the air out of them, they most likely have about 29 pounds in them.

 

Any ideas WHY it would be better to store them without air pressure? The only theory I have is maybe the aging effects of the environment don't penetrate the relaxed rubber as well as it would if it is stretched.

 

I would guess that the reason you would deflate the tire before storage is to minimize oxidation to both the rubber and to the steel belt ply (for applicable tires). With the tire filled with air, oxidation can occur due to the oxygen in the air and the moisture content. Deflating the tires would equalize the pressure on either side of the tire, decreasing oxygen migration as compared to an inflated tire thereby reducing oxidation to the rubber. Deflating the tire should also reduce the moisture content of the air inside the tire decreasing oxidation to the steel belts. Humidity and moisture during the storage of creel wire used to manufacture steel belted radials has been argued by plaintiffs attorneys to be a contributing factor in tread belt separations.

Interestingly, I searched Hoosier's site again and noticed they only suggest removing the air when storing their road racing and ATV tires not their other lines. Additionally, I searched the Rubber Manufacturers Association and Tire Industry Safety Counsel's documents and did not see any recommendations for deflating tires prior to storage.

 

It seems RA-1s are supposed to be stored deflated:

"Winter or cold weather storage of the Proxes RA-1 is important. The tire should never be stored during the off season in temperatures lower than 0 degrees C. The tires should not be stored in an inflated condition. The optimum is completely deflated."

http://www.1010tires.com/Toyo_Proxes_RA-1_tires.html

 

Learned something new. Thanks for the info