Car Sat All Summer? Tire Checks for Returning Snowbirds

Welcome back. Your car stayed for the summer.

You're back for the season. The condo's been aired out, the fridge is stocked, and the car has been sitting in the same spot since spring, through a full South Florida summer.

Cars don't like sitting as much as people think, and tires feel it first. Before the first run to the grocery store, here's a short, tire-focused check, then what to do before you leave again in the spring.

Before the first drive: walk around the car

Take two minutes and look at each tire, including the spare if you can reach it:

• Does any tire look low? Compare them side by side. One that sits noticeably lower than the rest needs a gauge before the car moves.
• Sidewalls: look for cracks, cuts or bulges.
• Tread: look for cracking in the grooves, and for any nail or screw from last spring.
• The ground: a car parked outside may have debris around it after a summer of storms.

Anything other than "looks normal" is a reason to have the tire inspected before regular driving. In South Florida, a mobile van can come to the car rather than the other way around.

Pressure first

Tires lose air even when the car doesn't move. Bridgestone says tires lose about 1 psi a month on average. Over a summer away, that adds up.

Temperature moves the reading too. USTMA puts it at one to two psi for every 10°F of temperature change: up when it's warmer, down when it's cooler. A tire set on a cool spring morning and read on a hot autumn afternoon can look fuller than it is.

So:

1. Check cold. NHTSA defines cold as parked for at least three hours. First thing in the morning is easiest.
2. Use a gauge, not the TPMS light. The light is designed to come on only after a large pressure loss.
3. Set all four to the door placard, not the number on the sidewall. Include the spare.
4. Watch for one tire that's much lower than the others. Time and temperature lower all four about equally. One outlier points to a leak.

Our guide to tire pressure and temperature explains the numbers.

That thump on the first drive: flat spots

Pull out of the space and you might feel a rhythmic thump or vibration that wasn't there in the spring. Often that's temporary flat-spotting.

Michelin and Continental both describe it: when a car sits, the part of each tire resting on the ground can take a set. As you drive and the tires warm up, the rubber relaxes and the tire rounds out again.

What to do:

• Drive gently at first and give the tires time to warm up.
• Notice whether the vibration fades. If it does, that's the typical pattern.
• If it doesn't fade, or it gets worse, have the tires and wheels inspected. A vibration that stays can come from something other than flat-spotting.

Sun, heat and cracks

A summer in South Florida is hard on rubber that isn't moving. NHTSA's TireWise guidance lists infrequent use, exposure to sunlight and a warmer climate among the things that contribute to tire aging, and its research found aging is a greater concern in the southern parts of the Sun Belt states.

A car that sat outdoors or in a hot garage from April to October checks every one of those boxes. Look closely at the sidewalls and between the tread blocks for small cracks. If you see it, have a technician look at the tires before you settle back into regular driving.

How old are the tires?

Snowbird cars pile up years faster than miles. A set can look nearly new on tread and still be getting old.

Find the last four digits of the DOT number on each sidewall. The first two are the week and the last two are the year. Type them in:

Bridgestone and Michelin recommend a professional inspection at least once a year from five years old, and both recommend replacing tires 10 years after they were made, regardless of tread. Our guide to how old is too old for tires puts all the guidance side by side.

TPMS light on after the summer?

The light may greet you after months away. A tire that lost air slowly can cross the warning line, especially on a cooler autumn morning. Set all four to the placard cold and see if it goes out. If it stays on, or it flashes at startup before staying on, our TPMS light guide explains what each means.

Before you leave again in the spring

A few minutes in April makes next October easier:

• Park out of direct sun if you can. Covered or garage parking cuts the sunlight NHTSA lists as an aging factor.
• Set the pressure to the placard before you go, so the tires start the summer where they should be.
• Keep the car away from electric motors and generators if it's in a garage. Michelin's storage advice is to keep tires away from sunlight, heat sources and ozone sources such as electric motors.
• Photograph the DOT codes and tread so you have a record for next season.
• If someone checks on the car, ask them to look at the tires too.

The return checklist

Extreme Tires' mobile vans cover Sunrise, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Weston, Coral Springs, Tamarac, Lauderhill, Pembroke Pines and Miramar, and can do tire installation, balancing, puncture repair, rotation and TPMS service where the car is parked. Our post on mobile tire installation at a condo or office covers gate codes and garage rules. See mobile service or call (954) 773-1896 to ask.