Has anyone found or built a DIY wheel and tire storage rack, and willing to share what they've found? Between our two MINIs we have a dozen extra wheels and tires (for AX and DE events). I'm trying to find some sort of rack that I can put in my garage, on casters so that I can move it when necessary. I'd rather use some sort of rack to store the tires on the tread instead of on their sides but can't seem to find anything but industrial sized racks and definitely none on casters.

I don't think a homemade PVC project would be strong enough for a dozen wheels and tires and have just about resolved myself to a DIY project using steel pipe and fittings.

 

BMW actually has quite a bit to say about storing tires (tyres) in one of its service bulletins. For the benefit of others on the forum, I'll quote it:

"Storing Wheels and Tyres

The service of storing a customer's wheels is one which is now almost taken for granted. For this reason, we have published this BMW Technical Service Bulletin to provide a uniform storage concept, which will prevent damage caused due to incorrect storage.

The tyre's rubber will age under the influence of sunlight, heat, and humidity, movements in the air and ozone, and will thus lose some of its stability and elasticity. For this reason, tyres should never be stored in the open-air. If open-air storage cannot be avoided, the wheels / tyres must be stored in a clean and dry condition and covered with waterproof material. It is essential that wheels / tyres are protected against rain, snow and sunlight, but due to the risk of corrosion they must not be stored in tyre sacks. For more information on protective covers for wheels and tyres, see SI 36 01 88 (864).

Wheels / tyres with tyre pressure control (RDC) must not be cleaned with high-pressure cleaning equipment. For general information on RDC, see SI 36 02 98 (377).

Storage requirements

The following requirements apply in general to storage in enclosed rooms:

cool--15...25 'C / sources of heat screened, or 1m minimum distance from source of heat

dry--Prevent water and condensation. Avoid contact with mineral lubrication products

dark--Protect from direct sunlight and high-UV artificial light

moderate ventilation--Avoid a supply of oxygen and ozone

In short, the storage room should be cool and dry. It is not necessary to heat the room during the winter. In the summer, the doors and windows should be kept closed to ensure that no air can circulate. In addition, the windows can also be coated with sun protection paint.

The storage room should not contain any working electric machinery, welding equipment, distribution boxes, etc. as electrical sparks generate ozone which can have a serious impact on the surface of the tyre (ozone cracks).

Tyres should not be allowed to come into contact with oil, petrol, or other mineral lubricants as these dissolve rubber, making the tyre porous.

Preparing wheels / tyres

1. Before removing a wheel, mark its position on the vehicle.
2. Whenever possible, keep the tyre on its wheel (complete wheels).
3. Correct the inflation pressure and recheck every 2 months.
4. Ensure that tyres are stored at a sufficient distance above the ground.
Wheels / tyres should never be stored on the ground.
5. Complete the storage forms. These should contain the following data:
- Type and size of tyre
- Condition and tread depth
- Customer's address
- Date and signature of customer

Wheel / tyre storage requirements

 

wow, how **** can they get?

 

they didn't get into dimensions... of the racks and whatnot... sooo I am sure there is room for more analness...

-Josh

 

haha...like a tyre 'wind-chime'...

It was reccommended to me, by a local tyre fitter, to wrap the tyres in cling-wrap plastic if they are going to be stored for a long time. It wasn't clear to me why though..

 

Good info, but not too practical for a lot of us. My wheel/tire sets will be in/out of the rack frequently so I'm not too worried about tire deformation when stored upright. After digging though search engines for a couple hours, the mobile racks shown here will probably do the trick, and they're on sale.

 

I just purchased a second set of rims/tires for the winter (I know it's a little late) so this comes in at a very good time for me. Good stuff to know. Thanks Tarzan!

 

i don't have dozens of wheels like you guys, but i have 2 sets that are
stacked (fitted with wheels) on its side on my little wheel carrier thingie
I made from a circular particle board and casters. it is not in a rack
or upright position. they sit in my garage and they've been fine.

minihune has many wheels and tires from what I hear...might want to
PM him for advise.

 

I found something similar searching through here and if I had more room to store three sets I'd do something similar. Even with two MINIS (instead of two previous SUVs) open garage floor space is hard to come by

 

wow, they want me to take better care of the tires than my dog!

I put some 1/2" plywood down on my garage rafters and stack 'em up there. I have a rope & pulley system that hoists them up to the rafters. So, I guess I'm doing the right thing (but I don't check their pressure until I take 'em down).

 

With wheels fitted to tires, stacking is within the recommendation of the TSB. I like the casters-idea. Do you have a picture of your home-made wheel dolly?

 

Here is a dolly/caster arrangement that BradB posted some time ago.

 

tarzan, mine looks like BradB's. although mine is not painted(?) like his.

HomeDepot sells these particle board circles where they sell the pre-cut
pegboards, etc. it's a perfect size.

 

And I'm sure that if one wanted to store some tires and wheels until, say, the 23rd century, that would be fine advice. But back here in the real world most of us store mounted tire/wheel combos that actually get used.

I assembled a 3-tier rack from Gorilla brand heavy-duty steel racks which I bought at Menards, a Midwest regional home store. Tires stand upright, side by side. My BMW sized tires fit 7 to each tier, narrower Mini fits 8. Because the crossbeams come in a variety of lengths up to 96" you can put together the size and capacity you need. No casters available as far as I know, but since my full rack weighs well over 1,000 lb I have no desire to wheel it around.

Total cost was around $175.

Neil
05 MCS
96 M3

 

Most of the National autocrossers will clean and double bag (dark colored trash bags) their race tires even if they are going to use them the very next day. Of course, we're talking about racing where .001 seconds can lose a race. New tires often sit around for months before they are sold, but come from the factory with a thin layer of silicone on them or already rapped in plastic. Sunlight, heat, ozone, and moisture are all enemies of rubber.

 

This is a great site! I was just wondering how to store my new Autocross tires and this thread is right on time. Thanks!