The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Uturn on November 22, 2015, 12:55:30 AM
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I have a Nissan Altima that I use as my every day car. I average about 35 mpg in this very comfy car. I mostly use it for visiting clients and taking them to lunch. Client visits and lunches are a major part of my income, so this car cannot go away. I also get far more in expensed mileage than I spend. I also have a pickup that I inherited, meaning free cost of acquisition. I use the truck for picking up lumber ( I'm a woodworker and make a lot of furniture). I also use the truck for camping, hauling home improvement supplies, and hauling the bicycle when I want to ride way over there. I've run the numbers and it is about a wash between liability insurance and annual registration vs renting when I need a truck.
My problem is tires. Since the truck only gets about 3 or 4 thousand miles per year, it sits a lot. This sitting around causes tire dry rot. Is there something that I can do to lessen the dry rot? I put a new set of tire on it 3 years ago, but they are showing a lot of cracking. I'm in north TX if that helps.
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not an expert, but RV people seem to always cover their tires?
I imagine that just driving the truck around the block every now and then might help?
I've wondered about this myself, as I have been to junkyards and pick'n'pull yards that had thousands of cars on them....some seem fine, some tires are flat so might even be a brand/type issue.
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Glycerin works well from what I've heard; just rub a small amount on, it will help maintain moisture and protect it. You can probably get it at a local drug store or amazon. I haven't done this, but I know at least one of the local tire shops does and a few of the guys who hobby race and have expensive tires that sit half the year.
*I'm not a mechanic or someone who works at a tire shop, it is just what I've heard of people doing.
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Cover them. Or park in the shade. It's the UV rays that really does the damage. Glycerin will make them look shiny but won't stop the rot.
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