Flat spotted tires fix

[VPMotors]

Hey guys, I am in New England and it's the first time the car was in an unheated garage with a concrete floor. Looks like that combination has caused my tires to get flat spots, as I have been getting vibrations in the steering on the highway since early November. The car wasn't driven since mid-Jan till early March as I have a CR-V for snow duties. Do you think these would go away come spring with the higher ambient temps or do I need to do something specific to get rid of them?

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[Cueyo]

If you're on the stock PS4S's through a winter you could have permanent damaged them. PS4S's have an operating temp of 20F and higher and can harden under that. Got pictures?

 

[jtlctr]

If you do have flat spots, they may straighten out in time. I’ve read that over inflating them a little can help, and warmer weather should help as well. I parked my FL5 last winter from November through April and had no issues, but I did inflate the tires to around 40 psi before storage. My winter car, however, had horrible flat spots because a few tires lost a bit of air while sitting over the summer. They eventually smoothed out, but it took a couple thousand miles.

 

[VPMotors]

If you're on the stock PS4S's through a winter you could have permanent damaged them. PS4S's have an operating temp of 20F and higher and can harden under that. Got pictures?

I don't have pictures but it got progressively worse as the winter approached. Never drove it below freezing temps, but did drive in sub 40F weather. The dealership did rotate the tires and I am guessing it was the fronts which were worse as the vibrations reduced in the steering but started to be felt more in the seats after rotation. I am hoping that it's not permanent, but if it is as you say it might be, would a road force balance help or is it a lost cause at this point?

 

[VPMotors]

If you do have flat spots, they may straighten out in time. I’ve read that over inflating them a little can help, and warmer weather should help as well. I parked my FL5 last winter from November through April and had no issues, but I did inflate the tires to around 40 psi before storage. My winter car, however, had horrible flat spots because a few tires lost a bit of air while sitting over the summer. They eventually smoothed out, but it took a couple thousand miles.

I have heard conflicting opinions about the overinflating of tires (when driving to straighten them out, not for storage). I did go for a diagnostic drive a couple of days back when the temps went above 50F, and inflated the tires to the correct pressures (they were a couple of PSI higher than recommended), and the vibrations did reduce briefly, only to come back when the tire heated up and the air pressures inside went up too. I've heard it takes a couple of thousand miles of driving, did drive a thousand miles in the Nov-Dec period but no improvement. I am hoping it's because the ambient temps weren't high enough during that period to smoothen the tires out.

 

[jtlctr]

I would definitely have the balance checked too, hopefully that’s all you need!

 

[TypeRD]

Over-inflating to ~45 psi (this is what Honda inflates them to for transport) has gotten me thru 3 winters of unheated garage storage. This past winter was especially long and cold and the car sat for 3 months. Michelin recommends not driving on them at all if they got below 14°F while in storage and you should slowly allow them to get back up to 40°F. I waited until it was ~60° outside for a couple of days before even moving my car out of the garage for the first time since late November. Tires are still fine. Going a step further, tire savers are a great tool. Or simply driving onto a couple of sheets of plywood would likely be a good thing, so there’s a layer of insulation between the concrete floor and the tires. Hope this helps.

 

[VPMotors]

I would definitely have the balance checked too, hopefully that’s all you need!

Yeah I'll see if it improves by next month when the temps will go above 40F, if not I plan on getting a road force balance. If I do it now I fear that when the tires get rid of any temporary flat spots it might get slightly unbalanced again. Thanks!

 

[VPMotors]

Over-inflating to ~45 psi (this is what Honda inflates them to for transport) has gotten me thru 3 winters of unheated garage storage. This past winter was especially long and cold and the car sat for 3 months. Michelin recommends not driving on them at all if they got below 14°F while in storage and you should slowly allow them to get back up to 40°F. I waited until it was ~60° outside for a couple of days before even moving my car out of the garage for the first time since late November. Tires are still fine. Going a step further, tire savers are a great tool. Or simply driving onto a couple of sheets of plywood would likely be a good thing, so there’s a layer of insulation between the concrete floor and the tires. Hope this helps.

Yeah definitely learnt my lesson. Flatstoppers look expensive but seem like a good investment now. Fingers crossed I don't need a tire replacement.

 

[TypeRD]

Yeah definitely learnt my lesson. Flatstoppers look expensive but seem like a good investment now. Fingers crossed I don't need a tire replacement.

Keep in mind that just because it’s 40°F outside, doesn’t mean your tires have reached ambient temps while sitting on an enclosed, cold, concrete slab. That’s why I waited until it was plenty warm for a few days before moving my car. I opened my garage to let warm air in and cold air out too.

 

[jtlctr]

Yeah I'll see if it improves by next month when the temps will go above 40F, if not I plan on getting a road force balance. If I do it now I fear that when the tires get rid of any temporary flat spots it might get slightly unbalanced again. Thanks!

Good point!

 

[jtlctr]

BTW, where in Maine are you? I usually drive up to Rockland every summer to visit my friend in Vinalhaven. I love that state!

 

[AZCWTypeR]

Not sure how far you drove, but it used to take about 5 miles at highway speed for tires to round out again. I had some brands of snow tires take a cold set too, so not just a high performance tire issue.

I never had tires permanently flat spot sitting over the winter. My S2000 sat from Thanksgiving to April on Michelin Pilot Supersports (unheated garage, bare concrete). No problem in 6 years of ownership.

 

[VPMotors]

BTW, where in Maine are you? I usually drive up to Rockland every summer to visit my friend in Vinalhaven. I love that state!

I used to be in Maine now I'm in coastal New Hampshire. Been all over the country at this point lol. If you're in New England I hope to catch you at some car shows once the season starts!

 

[VPMotors]

Not sure how far you drove, but it used to take about 5 miles at highway speed for tires to round out again. I had some brands of snow tires take a cold set too, so not just a high performance tire issue.

I never had tires permanently flat spot sitting over the winter. My S2000 sat from Thanksgiving to April on Michelin Pilot Supersports (unheated garage, bare concrete). No problem in 6 years of ownership.

I have driven it almost a 1000 miles in Nov-Dec. Then went to the garage in mid-Jan and stayed trapped inside till last week. Noticed the vibrations early November. Hopefully, summer makes them regain their shape.

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