From all the posts I've read, there seems to be a 50/50 split on using tire cradles to prevent flat spots if you plan to garage your car in the winter.

Some say it's vital to use them, while others say you can set the car on carpet mats and roll the car back and forth a few inches every couple of weeks.

To confuse the issue, I've also seen posts that warn against having the car off the ground or jacked, because of damage that could be done to the suspension. I wasn't sure if this applied to tire cradles. The tire cradle I seem to find at most websites looks like the same one and sells for $350 for a set of four.

Are tire cradles recommended if I plan to garage the car from December 1st through March 30th? Do they harm the suspension? Would rolling the car on carpet serve the same purpose and be just as effective?

Take a look in the Owner's Manual for some tips on storage such as
"Increase the tire pressure to 58 psi (4 bar). It is not recommended to lift the vehicle, due to the possibility of corrosion on shock absorber piston shafts. The vehicle should be moved slightly, approximately every four weeks, to prevent flat spot on the tires."

I was under the presumption I should increase the tire pressure to 40psi. Thanks for correcting that!

When the the manual says not to lift, does that comment apply to tire cradles?

They don't mention the need for tire cradles so I'd follow their recommendation if possible. There some more suggestions there that you might want to read.

58 PSI seems extreme given the tires report a max lower than that.


I'm not questioning that it is in the owners manual ...

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"The Cayman doesn't need any more toys." -- My wife

Thanks, Sante Fe

This is the tire cradle I'm thinking of getting. Would this apply to the warning that you could harm the suspension by having tires off the ground??

LDB Auto Performance, Inc. - TireCradles

My car sat in the garage all winter last year under a cover, but I didn't pump up the tires more than street pressures, or use tire cradles, or use gas stabilizers, or do anything else special. And, I went out into the garage in March to start it up the day before I was going to drive it from Las Vegas to San Francisco for the first competition event of the season, and had no problems - no flat spots, no problems whatsoever.

Now, I can hear all of you saying: "But hey, it's Las Vegas, not Delaware, Alberta, or what have you..." Well, believe it or not, it gets pretty cold in the winter in LV... 40s-50s daytime, into the low 20s at night - it's not Palm Springs, that's for sure... anyway, I'll probably hook up a battery tender this year, but that's about it.

brad

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21-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

No. The warning is about jacking the car up and letting the supension bits sag. This looks like over kill but if you sleep better....

Santa Fe: I've changed my mind about the tire cradle. $350 seems pretty steep to me for what you get. I like the idea of rubberized floor mats, and just going out and moving the car a couple of inches back, then forth, every 2-3 weeks. That shouldn't take much effort.

I used to let a 930 Turbo sit for a few weeks and decide to take a trip of some kind. It had Pirelli tires on it and the first part of the ride made it feel like it was running on square tires. As soon as you would drive a few miles and let the tires warm up it would be fine. I don't see that much to worry about, but parking it on some sponge rubber remnants or some deep pile plush carpet remnants would work fine. I think the rubber compounds are different today also from what they were a few years ago. I don't notice that flat spot on the bottom of the tire now.

Whenever I would keep my car off the ground for an extended period of time, I would just remove the wheels. That prevents a lot of sag in the suspension. No problems here