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      07-10-2019, 09:23 PM   #4
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Drives: BMW 2019 330i, 2003 530i
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: SF Bay Area

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When we leased my wife's 3-series, that's what we did. We drove for a few months, swapped the Continental run-flats with some decent (Sumitomo HTR A/S P02) non-run-flat tires, and swapped them back right before turning the car in. You need at least 4/32 (or 1/8) inch of tread left.

Since the Sumitomos still had decent tread, I sold them on Craigslist to recoup the cost of swapping the tires at a tire shop.

If you have the space to store them, it's a good way to go. We tied them up in big plastic garbage bags per online how-to pages. Here are some relevant excerpts from one source:

"The 55-gallon size should be large enough for most tires. Place each tire into a bag, and seal it up tight with good ol’ duct tape. Making sure that air and other materials stay out will save the lubricating oils in the tires, and tires will be ready for use as soon as you need them. (TIP: Use your vacuum cleaner to draw out air from the bags before taping them up.)

STAND UNMOUNTED TIRES UPRIGHT. DO NOT HANG THEM ON HOOKS. They will warp. Stand them up in a rack and rotate once a month or so.

Of course, you need to keep tires cool, dry, and at a consistent temperature. The best option is storing them indoors in a well-ventilated place, if at all possible, and away from hot pipes/radiators, ovens, open flame, or battery chargers.

A climate-controlled workshop, garage, or storage unit would also be OK. Be sure to store items like mineral oils, fuel, and lubricating greases away from the tires. Keep tires away from your main work areas, and never use them as a “support” for a workbench. Pressure from the weight would cause distortions. Misplaced cigarettes, badly aimed drills, hot glue gun drippings or mislaid soldering irons will straight out ruin a tire.

Some air cleaners/air purifiers, furnaces, central vacuuming units, laser printers and copiers, sump pumps, and similar electric motors create ozone, a strong oxidizer. It isn’t good for people, and it’s really not good for rubber. (Specifically, the ozone content in the storage area must not exceed 0.08 ppm.)

If tires have to be stored outside, try to keep them off the ground−on pallets, or at least with thin plywood between the tires and the ground−and well covered (see step 1). Ideally, tires shouldn’t be stored on a heat-absorbent asphalt surface, or in heavy humidity, such as near a pier or dock.

Storing them near reflective surfaces like sand or snow will also deteriorate the tires more quickly. Wherever you store them, make sure it’s out of the sun. Heat from direct sun can cause the rubber to break down, which would be disappointing when you retrieve them next season.

Getting them out of storage: Double check the tires for cleanliness first, and look over the valve stems and caps for any signs of wear. Dump any water that may have condensed/collected during storage, and if there are any cracks or other discrepancies in the tires that give you doubt as to roadworthiness, have them checked by a professional before installation."


Credit to https://pitproducts.com/blogs/pit-st...ge-for-dummies
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