TireCradle opinions?

[z12358]

I saw their ad in Panorama. Anyone used these against tire flat-spots?
www.tirecradle.com
Pretty steep price ($344+ship) for four pieces of rubber but if it works...

As the temps get colder I notice slight temporary flat-spots (vibrations) when I pick up my car even after a week of sitting in the garage. Once tires warm up, they're fine.

[MNBoxster]

HI,

I don't think they're worth it at all. I doubt they really prevent flat-spotting. If storing your car, inflate the tires to 59PSI for the duration.

A note about flat-spotting, this used to be a much more serious and prevelant issue back when tires were steel-belted.

The belts in today's tires are primarily Kevlar and Kevlar-like materials which don't have a permanent memory. Once these more modern tires come up to temperature/pressure, any flat-spotting is largely dissipated.

If your car is going weekend-to-weekend without being driven, I doubt you'll experience any serious permanent flat-spotting. You can always super-inflate them and readjust tire pressures the next time you take it out. That will be more effective than any rubber pads...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[z12358]

Thanks Jim.
I wasn't worried about wknd-to-wknd as its' always temporary and it's unlikely I'm parking the car over the same spots every weekend -- but was considering them for the winter storage I'm planning. On their website they're showing some independent tests that supposedly prove their claims. Didn't have time to read them but will soon.

About the 59PSI... I recall some tires say max 50psi pressure on their sidewalls. Is it advisable to inflate them above their max allowed pressure -- even if just for storage?

Thx.
Z.

Originally Posted by z12358

Thanks Jim.
I wasn't worried about wknd-to-wknd as its' always temporary and it's unlikely I'm parking the car over the same spots every weekend -- but was considering them for the winter storage I'm planning. On their website they're showing some independent tests that supposedly prove their claims. Didn't have time to read them but will soon.

About the 59PSI... I recall some tires say max 50psi pressure on their sidewalls. Is it advisable to inflate them above their max allowed pressure -- even if just for storage?

Thx.
Z.

Porsche recommends in the owners manual to over-inflate to 58-59 pounds, so I think it's safe.

I will be over-inflating my tires this weekend, to get the car ready for a 4-5 month winter storage. I have nitrogen filled tires, so I have to drive about 1/2 mile to the tire store to get this done.

For extra flat spotting protection, I bought some really dense rubber tiles, about 1/2 inch think. I found them at Menards. These are the kind of hard rubber pads they use on floors in weight rooms/health clubs. The tiles cost me about $28. I cut them in half (actually about 60/40) to fit under the tires. The rears are cut about 1 inch wider than the fronts. I'll park on top of these. A lot cheaper than the Tire Cradles.

I have talked to a few guys with the 987's at PCA events, and they were very successful with winter storage and just the over-inflate on the tires.

[Paul]

The owner's manual (IMO) assumes you are adding the air while it's already parked for the winter. I wouldn't recommend driving at that level.

[z12358]

bmuss, are your rubber tiles similar to these?
http://www.rubbercal.com/Eco_Sport_half_Inch.html

Looks like a couple of them should do it. Do you think 3/4" or even 1" would be feasible (or perhaps an overkill and too high for the wheel to climb on)? I figure the thicker the rubber the better the thermal insulation between the tire and the cold cement floor.

Thx,
Z.

Originally Posted by z12358

bmuss, are your rubber tiles similar to these?
http://www.rubbercal.com/Eco_Sport_half_Inch.html

Looks like a couple of them should do it. Do you think 3/4" or even 1" would be feasible (or perhaps an overkill and too high for the wheel to climb on)? I figure the thicker the rubber the better the thermal insulation between the tire and the cold cement floor.

Thx,
Z.

z12358, I can't tell from your link. Do you have Menards Stores in your area. That's where I got mine. Home Depot did not have anything I liked. Maybe you can try Lowes Stores too.

My car is sitting on them now...sleeping until March. I think they will work great. It did take some effort to get up on-top of them...all 4 corners at once...but I was being really carefull...plus I was concerned about slipping on the plastic tarp/floor covering.