i was always told that you should store a car on blocks because it is better for the tires and springs. what about the suspension bushings? when you install new bushings you are to torque the bolts after the weight of the car is on the suspension. would this be bad to have tension on them for long periods of time? i am getting a 2 post lift to store a car on but don't know if it is a good idea or not.

 

Whats good for the tires and springs would be good for the bushings. I'm sure this was more important in the days of bias ply tires. I wouldn't want to store my car with the suspension in full droop during storage. At least I don't like the idea of it.

Do people with two post lifts do anything differently? I don't know.

 

That's a good question. Probably a hundred answers that are all correct and totally different, and a lift is always a good idea.
Now I read a long time ago that it's better to store them on the full weight of the suspension? Then again some have so much front end weight they tear bushings up just sitting, the coil spring pressure is there no matter what so got me. The springs deal would make sense but I'd rather do springs than bushings any day, more of a problem with leaf springs? You could use tall jacks stands under the A frames and rear to hold them closer to ride height, sort of impractical if another car has to go under it.
How long do you intend on storing?
I see cars displayed at museums off the ground but they have stands that go under the suspension to hold them up, usually those old tin jobs. The stored cars I saw at one place sat on overinflated tires, old storage tires or plywood wheel discs.
Could use those plywood wheel discs, do they have 12 footers with extendo-lugs and spacers so you could get another car underneath?

 

I'm not going to act as if I know how to do this but I heard you should take the weight off the car with blocks until the tirs sits like it looks naturally. Myself, I just stick my Olds in a heated wharehouse for 6 months, change the oil where it sits, and fire it up before taking it out of storage. This has worked for me.

 

I was always told to keep the suspension loaded, or you can damage bushings. The only cars I have ever stored though were usually sitting outside on gravel. And the current project is sitting on stands approximately where the tires would be.

 

Bushings compress, dry out, and become brittle with age regardless of whether a car is sitting firmly on all four wheels or up on stands.

Tires have different issues. Bias ply nylon cord tires have a memory and will drive lumpy for a few miles until they heat up and re-conform to being round. Anyone who has bias ply nylon tires can attest to this happening even overnight in cold weather. Radials have weak side walls to start with and leaving them just sitting for an extended period (months) with full car weight on them can almost assure of sidewall splits. Basically no radial tire over 5 years of age is safe to drive at highway speeds regardless of how a car has been stored.

 

I'm not disagreeing, but I would like to know more about these "splits" Are they visible or internal?

 

The spits I was referring to will be external and there will be no advance visible indication of their occurring. Once they occur it will almost look as if someone made an external vertical cut from the rim bead to the tread with a sharp instrument. Each one I have personally experienced appeared to be slightly diagonal and seem to follow the cord layup. This type of failure does not appear to be brand specific as I have had it happen with three different brands of tires all of which were subject to frequent checking for proper inflation.

In fairness to radial tires, all failures I have experienced were with tires having in excess of 20,000 miles on them but less than 35,000 miles of usage. None of the failed tires had suffered unusual service usage or bruising from running over curbs or deep chug holes. Why does this type of failure occur? I wish I knew. My personal feeling is it happens because of the tire and automobile industries being focused on the softer sidewall's ride characteristics and the sidewall just eventually suffering from flex fatigue, in which case it would be logical that the split would follow the cord layup. It would also be logical to presume low profile tires having shorter/narrower sidewalls would be less prone to potential flex fatigue related failure.

I do not want to leave anyone with the impression a high percentage of all the radial tires I have ever had on vehicles suffered this type of failure as that would be untrue. The percentage would be very, very low and occurred over several years, but yet something to be mindful of potentially happening. It only takes one tire abruptly failing at highway speeds to cause a major accident, maybe even deaths.

It would be interesting to know if any statistics have been officially kept by tire manufacturers on this type of failure. I have a suspicion there are no such records having ever been kept even with all the alleged manufacturing defects that supposedly lead to all the SUV rollovers several years ago.