Tire Rack for Garage

[Ron Earp]

With the addition of a new horse in the stable comes a lot of tires. Lots of them. The Z already requires about 14 wheels/tires to keep going - practice set, race/qual tires, and rains. The RCR Spyder is the same, road tires, race tires, and a set of rains. So I need a tire rack.

Being a frugal fellow I need to construct myself a tire rack on one wall section. Needs to hold eight wheels with tires mounted on them. Anyone have any good ideas or plans for a home built rack?

I was thinking of putting some 2x4 lengths up on the stud centers as a base on the wall to build from. From there I could bolt a lower arm on perpendicular to the wall and bring it out maybe two feet. From the upper part of the 2x4 I could bring down a support at maybe 45 degrees to the wall to hold the lower arm. I could repeat this structure twice more and then feed electrical conduit through holes in it to make a rack.

 

[Mike Drew]

Ron,

Yes, it's simple enough to do, as you've reasoned out already. However, if instead of using electrical conduit, you simply use a long 2x to connect the protruding ends of all of your supports, that will give added strength.

Or, you could just do what I do--store all your spare tires in your livingroom. :thumbsup:

 

[Jack]

I couldn't fit anything else into my garage. Have items stored in my office, under my bed, etc. Fortunately I have only one set of wheels/tires to store. Would have to sacrifice the spare bedroom if I were to get back into racing!

 

[Doc Kaler]

Jack,

Four equal-sized tires and a sheet of plywood makes a nice bed-frame!

 

[Jack]

Great idea doc!

 

[Jack]

Doc,
Could you pop me an e-mail? For some reason I'm getting an "undeliverable" address

Jack

 

[Mark]

Mike, I like your style!

 

[Mike Drew]

Mike, I like your style!

Every other house on the block has big potted plants, or sculptures or whatever up there. What a waste of good tire storage space! :laugh:

There is a method to my madness however. My garage isn't particularly well-insulated, and is subject to winter temperatures in the 30s, all the way up to 120+ in the summer. Such temperature variations can be hard on rubber. Keeping them inside the house ensures that they are climate-controlled, and according to the tire manufacturers, they should last just about forever that way, without the typical problems one encounters with 'old' tires, such as dry-rotting, cracking etc.

Another problem with garage storage is the fact that they are near ozone generators. Electric motors, such as those found in your clothes dryer, and refrigerator, generate ozone, which attacks rubber. So keeping the tires away from your dryer is another advantage.

If I was really committed, I would wrap each of these tires in a big trash bag to keep them away from ambient light. But aesthetics are an important consideration, and I like walking in my front door, looking up and seeing my own private Tire Rack annex.

 

[Frank Catt]

Wrapping tyres in storage in black bin bags or similar doubles the usefull life of the tyres, stops the solvents drying out and ultra violet degradation, we keep the covers on right up to the line ! Frank

 

[Jack Houpe]

Mike, Kathleen said to tell you. "No wonder your not married"

 

[Mike Drew]

Mike, Kathleen said to tell you. "No wonder your not married"

HAHAHA!!! Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg, believe me!

My entire house has a WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) of absolute zero!

For example, check out my coffee table:

That's an original, and very rare Goodyear Arriva H60-15 rear tire (only ever issued as original equipment on '72-74 Panteras) mounted on a Pantera Campagnolo wheel. Underneath is an original brake rotor, studs, lug nuts etc.

I love it. :thumbsup:

BTW, years ago I retrieved that tire in a barn in rural Oklahoma, and brought it back to where I was staying, two hours away--riding a sportbike motorcycle! :laugh:

I'll let you use your imagination to figure out how I got it back home....

 

[Jack Houpe]

Don't tell me, you wore the tire?? Nice table, does it rotate?

 

[Richard]

Sadly most women just don't understand the needs of men on many levels. Mike, the ozone and temperature excuses are brilliant but at the time I figured you were married. I think using 2 or three as a plant stand or end table to go with the coffee table you have would be a reasonable thing to ask of a woman. You will of course have to make room for yourself to sleep with your upstairs tires. Mike I'm with you man, love the coffee table. I do think you might want to think about a curtain covering the tires if you don't want you next date to leave screaming the first time you bring her to the house. She'll never know until it's too late.

I for one needed space to store the body section of my GT during the almost two year build (OK I'm slow, shot me already). Where better to store them than in the almost never used living room. I'm really glad my X-wife wasn't here to see them, and I do mean I'm glad she isn't here. I almost died the day I moved the furniture around in that room years ago, sooo unreasonable!

Ron, sorry for the thread drift. I make shelving by boxing in 3 or 4, 3' x 8' sheets of 3/4" plywood with 2x4's, I also use 2x4's uprights bolted to the ends. Depending on the load you may need to add uprights mid way to the back and/or front.

I think in your case I would make your tire racks the same way except adding an extra pair of 2x4's turned on their edge lengthwise each maybe 6" to 8" from the centerline (maybe closer). That should keep wheels or tires from rolling too far. Hope that made sense. That way if you leave off or later remove the extra 2x4's you're left with something we never have enough of, storage.

BTW, make sure your first shelf is far enough off the ground to sweep under. You only need 5 or 6 inches, otherwise you don't know what kind of creepy crawler lives under there.

 

[Ron Earp]

Anybody got any photos or diagrams of some home built tire racks?

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

No, we're having too much fun with visuals of why we're all single or ought to be.

 

Ron,
I have made a couple of sheet metal (that's my line of work) tyre racks, which are on wheels. We wheel them in and out of the truck and store the wheels on them in between race meetings.
The rack holds 4 wheels on top row, and another 4 below.
Not hard to make if you have access to some sheet metal gear.
If you are interested, i can email you pics and drawings.

 

[BenL]

Have you considered something like Metro shelving to build shelves for the tires?

Metro: garage-storage

 

[Howard Jones]

How about this one. You could make it as long as you like (have room for)

Tire Rack Tire Storage Rack

 

[Jim Nielsen]

Ron,
If you are limited for space and have overhead clearance you may try this. Run a piece of pipe thru 4 - 8 of the tires, drill a hole in each end to allow a hook to the pipe, use cable and a boat hand winch, mount pulleys in the rafters and hoist them up out of the way.

Jim

 

[DaveW]

Ron

We use a similar, home made system, to that suggested by Howard. From whatever material you choose, Dexion type angle is ideal, build a rectangular frame long enough to hold as many wheels as you require, and wide enough so that said wheels wont fall through the gap. Mount the long edge onto hinges affixed to the wall. Attach chain, strong enough to support shelf and wheels, to outer corners of shelf running up at an angle to hooks in the wall. When not in use chains can be unhooked and shelf swung down out of the way.