Ray Magliozzi
Dear Car Talk:
I’m getting older and have become a “snowbird,” heading south for the winter for four months every year.
My question is: Should I put my car on jacks to save the tires while I am enjoying the warm sun?
— Keith
I don’t think you should worry about your tires while you’re enjoying the warm sun, Keith. I think you should worry about using sunscreen, staying hydrated, and your AC bill.
Your tires will be just fine.
Ages ago, when we used bias ply tires, tires were prone to flat spots if they sat for a long time.
Essentially, the tire would get misshapen, and for a long time, or maybe forever, you’d drive around hearing a thump, thump, thump, every time each wheel rotated.
In those days, it might have been prudent to put a car up on blocks if you were going to leave it for four months.
But for the last five or six decades, cars have used radial tires. Radial tires, with their layers of material running perpendicular to the direction of travel, have all kinds of advantages: better handling, better mileage, greater comfort, and longer life.
And another advantage is that any flat spot is temporary. There’s a nylon layer in radial tires that heats up as you drive the car. And in very cold weather, or if the car sits for a long time after it’s been driven, that nylon belt under the contact patch can cool down and form a flatter spot.
But even when that happens, it will regain its proper shape very quickly upon being driven again, usually in 15 or 20 minutes of driving at the most.
So, unless you’re driving a 1961 Buick Roadmaster with the original tires, there’s really no reason to think about your tires until you get back. Then just check the air pressure and drive.
Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.
