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Old 09-20-2018, 06:56 AM   #1
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Storage question for Sprinter SMB

Good morning everyone, I have a question for the group. If you store your SMB over winter, how do you protect the tires? Jack it up? Tire Savers? Other suggestions?
We have a Sprinter 4X4 with big tires.
Thanks much!

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Old 09-20-2018, 03:35 PM   #2
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Don't overthink it. Get it out and drive it on a nice winter's day once or twice. I think all that extra prep is overkill. The worst thing for tires is not being driven.

The much more important thing in my experience with all pleasure use vehicles, and especially trailers and RV's, is to just replace the tires every 5 years no matter what they look like or how many miles you've put on them.
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Old 09-21-2018, 06:06 AM   #3
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That is what we did last winter, but we won't be able to access it for several months this winter. That is why we are asking about storage.
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Old 09-21-2018, 10:29 AM   #4
Orv
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In the past when I've stored vehicles over the winter, I've made sure the tires were fully inflated, and that was about it. In the spring they were flat-spotted but that went away after the first few miles. That could be avoided by putting the vehicle on jackstands, I suppose. Jackstands would also protect the tires from damage if they leaked air over the winter.



If it's outdoor storage, cover the tires to avoid sun damage. Most RVs have their tires killed by the sun long before they run out of tread.



Don't set the parking brake, the shoes will probably rust to the drums if you do.



Don't leave any food in the van, even in sealed packets. The mice *will* find it. Then they'll shred your seat padding to make a nest. Been there, done that.


In the past I used to use a fuel stabilizer, but modern fuels are pretty stable so I'm not sure that's really necessary anymore, especially with modern evaporative emissions control systems.


Use a battery tender (solar or plug-in) if you can. If not, probably best to disconnect the battery. If parasitic loads cause it to go dead in storage it can freeze and burst. Been there, too.

Check the air cleaner before the first start in the spring. Mice like to nest in there, too. (Can you blame them?)


When you get back expect the brakes to be grabby at first, since you'll be scrubbing rust off the discs/drums.
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Old 09-21-2018, 11:38 AM   #5
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Thank you for the tips, all sound good.
Has anyone ever used the tire savers that you pull up on too?
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