How to store tires over the winter properly

autoblog.com

A few things kill tires... UV is a component of sunlight, and over time it can degrade the rubber compounds in the tires. This can lead to the sort of cracking and hardening that could lead to a blowout. It's commonly known as "dry rot" in tires. The good news is that it's easy to protect tires from it.

A thin plastic barrier is all you need. Slipping a contractor-sized garbage bag onto the tire and securing it with some tape works in a pinch. For tires stored off the vehicle, there are more substantial bags and totes you can buy. A garage with no windows to let in light is also sufficient to prevent UV damage...

Driving a car regularly keeps the tire nice and round, but that's not always possible.

The best solution is to remove the tires and wheels completely from the vehicle, and store them on their side in a warm, dry place...

You might think of cold temperatures as a sort of preservative, and while that's true with food, it's not at all with rubber. Winter tires and snow/ice-rated all-seasons are designed to remain flexible and happy at very low temperatures, but your high-performance tires really aren't. You shouldn't drive on extreme summer tires when it gets cold out for that reason alone, and you also shouldn't store your tires in places where it drops below freezing regularly. That cold can make some tire compounds brittle and contribute to dry rot and cracking. Take the tires inside, in a warmish place that's dry, and as noted above keep the sunlight off them.