What to do when storing on cement?

[Air Cruiser]

My DH and I were talking, and wondering, whether it is good to park our Safari on cement, or should we pull it up onto wooden boards? Is the cement bad for the tires? (He talked with some fellows at work who said the cement is a no-no to park on for extended periods of time.)

I searched this forum and found one thread from 2003 which stated that it is bad to park on cement and to pull up onto wooden boards. Since that was nine years ago, I am wondering if that's still the general consensous -- don't leave the wheels/tires parked onto cement during storage?

Thanks.

Deb

[Skater]

Why would it be bad on tires? Cars park on cement all the time. Garages and parking decks usually have cement floors, don't they? And plenty of roads are made of cement...

[azflycaster]

I have heard that the alkaline in concrete will accelerate the breakdown of the rubber. I know that when my trailer sits for more then a month (rare) on concrete you will see black marks where the tires were sitting. Does this happen on other surfaces and we don't see it?

My trailer (when home) sits on a concrete driveway and I am not concerned about it. I cover the tires because I am concerned about the effects of UV rays and I always keep the tire pressure correct (another subject).

[tinman1]

Over 41 years, I have parked (4) different campers on concrete. I was not aware of the alkaline causing breakdown in the rubber, until now.
At my age, I guess I will continue just as I have in the past. If it affects the tires, I have never noticed. I replace the tires every 5 or 6 years and (luckily) never experienced a a tire failure.
As Skater mentioned above, parking lots (and highways) are made with concrete, on which automobiles and trucks park on all the time.

[Action]

Originally Posted by Skater

Why would it be bad on tires? Cars park on cement all the time. Garages and parking decks usually have cement floors, don't they? And plenty of roads are made of cement...

If the vehicle in question is moving frequently as in the above statement the negative impact of concrete is hardly notice if at all.

Long term storage (a year or longer) has a negative impact on tires for many reasons. Concrete is just an added negative factor to tires. If a long term storage situation is known, wheel/tire assembly removal is the best solution. One could park the vehicle on a sheet of wood. However the other negative aspects still apply.
Tire deforms and holds it's shape that way either on a temp basis or more long term
The chemicals in the tire are not moved. Causing tire rot.
One are of the tire is exposed to UV or other environmentaly issues
Air loss is left unchecked causing side wall damage


Tires are designed to ....... move! Using the vehicle will greatly extend the performance of the tire.

By the way cement holds 2 things together. Concrete is a substance roads are made of.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[jcanavera]

I attended a tire safety class and the instructor gave a thumbs down to longer term storage of tires directly on content. The reasons were a leaching of the tire compounds by the concrete and the tell tale sign is the black spots left on the concrete. Since that time I have always rolled the trailer wheels back on to cardboard which provides the separation from the concrete.

Jack

[SafariSS]

Mine does not stay on the cement long enough! Well, the wheels are rolling on it but that does not count!!

[Protagonist]

You could buy something like these, that will not only prevent direct contact with pavement, but also prevent flat spots in your tires from sitting in one place too long.

Flat Spot Stopper, Set of 4 - Jacks & Stands - In Your Garage - Griot's Garage

[AWCHIEF]

Lots of old wives tales and myths floating around. Been parking cars and boat trailers on pavement of all sorts for over 60 years, never seen any problems caused by that.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Lots of old wives tales and myths floating around. Been parking cars and boat trailers on pavement of all sorts for over 60 years, never seen any problems caused by that.

Have to agree, actually. It's true that concrete tends to be alkaline, but unless it's powdered, sprinkled over your tires, and constantly exposed to wet-dry cycles, it won't do any harm to your tires. The amount of tread that will disappear due to chemical reactions is trivial compared to the thickness of the tread. Your tires are more at risk from UV exposure (AKA dry rot) on the sidewalls while in storage. And from under-inflation, which leads to deformation of the tire if they sit in one place too long when under-inflated.

Still, if you're worried about tires in contact with concrete long-term, it certainly does no harm to put down something to protect them. It just doesn't do much good, either.

[gloran]

Another thing to consider when parking on concrete for extended time. If the concrete is continually sweating or damp, the damage from rust to the underside can far exceed damage to tires.

[featherbedder]

Better to park on cement than gravel as I found out the hard way after 2 cars stored on limestone gravel compleatly rusted every thing under including body, sent to junk yard, expensive lesson. I have parked on cement for 65 years with no damage, A.S parked cement over 50 yrs. no damage of any type... Featherbedder

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by featherbedder

Better to park on cement than gravel as I found out the hard way after 2 cars stored on limestone gravel compleatly rusted every thing under including body, sent to junk yard, expensive lesson. I have parked on cement for 65 years with no damage, A.S parked cement over 50 yrs. no damage of any type... Featherbedder

Yeah. It's not the concrete that causes corrosion, it's moisture under the rig. Doesn't matter if it's grass, bare dirt, rock, gravel, asphalt, or concrete, if you don't have good drainage away from the rig, you'll get rust while it's in storage.

Concrete has the advantage there, because if it drains properly now, it will still drain properly five or ten years down the pike, barring earthquakes and other natural disasters. All of the other surfaces will eventually develop ruts and low spots just from the rig being pulled back and forth over them.

[perryg114]

For long term storage on concrete jack up the wheels to save the axels and keep the tires from flatting. By flatting I mean the rubber will take a set and vibrate like crazy till the tires warm up and become round again. I don't think that concrete is going to react chemically enough to harm a tire. Yeah maybe if it say 10yrs the tire would be a little worse where it was touching the concrete. I expect most of the damage would be from the tire being deformed in the same spot for such a long time.

Perry

[robwok]

Hi, is there any problem with jacking it up? I have mine on 4 jack stands, and the tires are covered right to the ground. The tires barely touch on the rear axles. Though alittle bit of a pain, is this the best case scenario?

[TG Twinkie]

If at all possible, use the trailer more. Keeps the tires round and flexible. Also exercises the suspension.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I attended a tire safety class and the instructor gave a thumbs down to longer term storage of tires directly on content. The reasons were a leaching of the tire compounds by the concrete and the tell tale sign is the black spots left on the concrete. Since that time I have always rolled the trailer wheels back on to cardboard which provides the separation from the concrete.

Jack

I've always followed this advice. Parking longterm on concrete will pull oil out of your tire bodies and leave dark marks on the floor. I don't do this during my multiple back-and-forths in the summer but I do roll the tires onto 6 mil poly for the longer winter storage.

[Urbanologist]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

If at all possible, use the trailer more. Keeps the tires round and flexible. Also exercises the suspension.

I posed this question to a tire tech at Belle Tire (Plano, TX) in June. Any tire sitting on a hard and flat surface can get a flat spot. You will notice this spot as the tire rotates the SLOWER the rotation. The faster the rotation, the spot is not going to be evident. In a travel trailer or 5th wheel unit, there should be no one in the trailer to notice! Additionally, this would happen to "old school" tires -- new modern tires just resist flat spotting unless left for years and air has leaked out of them, thus causing a flat area.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

I've always followed this advice. Parking longterm on concrete will pull oil out of your tire bodies and leave dark marks on the floor. I don't do this during my multiple back-and-forths in the summer but I do roll the tires onto 6 mil poly for the longer winter storage.

It's not the concrete that pulls oil out of the tire bodies. It's simple gravity. A smooth, light-colored concrete surface just makes it easier to notice where the oil has come out because the oil soaks into the concrete and leaves a stain. Parking long-term on ANY surface, with the tires not rolling for long periods of time, does the same thing. If you left the trailer parked long enough for black spots to form under the tires on concrete, black spots would form on the poly sheets, too, except that the oil washes off the poly sheets when it rains.

Most people don't let their RVs sit long enough for oil to leach out of the tires onto the pavement, unless they end up accidentally or deliberately turning their RV into a lawn ornament.