Hey everyone, first post here. I searched for an answer but it doesn’t seem like it’s been covered yet. Is it okay to store my go kart tires inside an enclosed trailer? I run mostly hard compound tires (MG Red and Hoosier R80) but I’m worried that the excessive heat in the summer time can deteriorate them. I don’t plan to store them in the winter time in the trailer, but if I did would that cause any issues? I know some people wrap their tires in saran wrap, would that help?
Thanks!
Welcome Mike! From what I understand the primary enemy is UV, followed by heat or cold.
Keeping tires in the house somewhere would be best practice, but many seem to keep them the trailer too.
Bringing your best set indoors and keeping trailer tires for practice might be a good compromise.
Is there anything to the Saran Wrap on the tires? Or is that only helpful if tires are stored for months? @KartingIsLife
Thank you James, that may be what we resort to doing. Do you know if its common to saran wrap the tires stored in the trailer?
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I’ve seen guys do this week to week. Probably doesn’t do much except waste plastic wrap. I have done this over the winter and to rain tires that aren’t used much. I’m skeptical it does anything, but it can’t hurt either i guess.
I’ve stored my tires in the trailer without issue, and they’ve been Evinco Blues. Summertime when your always at the track doesn’t allow them sitting to deteriorate. I’ve also never wrapped the tires. I see some people doing it all the time, but not sure how much it helps. It may be more of a psychological thing.
I think it would depend on several factors.
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Where you live and how hot does it get in Summer? Think of your trailer like a parked car. If your car is scorching hot when you get in after sitting in the sun all day, then so will your trailer.
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How long will they be sitting there between uses? If you plan on going to the track every weekend and you are going through several sets of tires per season, its not likely to be as big a deal as say going once a month and only using one or two sets per season.
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What type of compound is the tire? A harder compound like R80/MG Red/ Evinco Blue (LO206 & KA100) will probably not be affected as much as a softer MG Yellow or Evinco Red (TaG & Shifter). However, Rains are usually a softer compound and might loose some bite from baking for so long in the heat.
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To wrap or not? I think this is more of a time/compound concern. The manufacturer starts the tire off in a plastic sleeve (at least MG/Evinco). Tires, like fuel are a consumable commodity they are not likely to sit on the shelf for great lengths of time. However, they do have a shelf life. The longer they sit and the softer the compound, the more it will be affected by heat especially if uncovered. So keep your Rains wrapped and out of the Heat.
So like everything else in Karting, the answer to your question is, “It depends!”
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I would never keep tires in a trailer, you don’t want that rubber to go through heat cycles, hot days cooler nights, you only want heat cycles on the track, always keep them in a dark cool place, I’d wrap them if you’re not going to used them in the short run.
Fresh tires out of the factory are meant to be used in the next few weeks, not months, there’s a massive difference between fresh tires and old tires.
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I’m pretty sure the only reason tires come wrapped from the factory is to keep contaminants from soaking into the tires. I’ve never seen a full sized racing slick come wrapped.
The wrap from the factory can’t be to limit exposure to the atmosphere because the wrap isn’t vacuum sealed.
I have no evidence of either. Just what seems like common sense.
Most automotive slicks don’t last beyond the weekend either. I can recall the Regional Hoosier guy backtracking through North Carolina to pick up another load before heading to the next race. By the end of the weekend, his trailer (Commercial 18 wheeler) was either empty or close to it.
My dad was always one to buy an extra set and then sit on them. When it came time to use them, they were never as good as fresh off the truck. He stored them in his attached garage. Not climate controlled, but never as hot or as cold as outside. Later he had some success with putting them in large contractor trash bags. The big thick mil black ones. It helped, but not the same a fresh. Keep in mind, most of his races where between one to three months apart. Personally I think anything you can do to help preserve them (with in reason) is a benefit. I use cling film on my slicks and black bag my rains.