You don’t realize how cumbersome a stack of tires and wheels can be in your garage until you discover you need more floor space. This happened to us when we moved from a home with a spacious 2-car garage with two parked cars to a less spacious 3-car garage with three cars. It didn’t take long to learn that our set of track tires and wheels was now in the way and needed to be moved off the garage floor.
After some research, we purchased the SafeRacks Heavy Duty Adjustable wall-mounted tire rack to solve our problem. We couldn’t be happier with the results. This is a good-looking and well-built tire storage rack. It fits our style, and more importantly, it gets the job done.
Though we think this is one of the best tire storage racks available, some features of the SafeRacks model may not work well for you. As a result, we decided to provide a detailed review. We will discuss how it is installed, what we like about it for our use, and what some of the drawbacks may be for you and your requirements.
Parts List and Specs
The SafeRacks Tire Storage rack is a heavy-duty design. It is built to hold up to 34” tall tires in an upright position and has a rated weight capacity of 400 lbs. The adjustable rods’ minimum width is 31”, and their maximum is 56”. The wall mounts extend 27” from the wall and are 10” tall.
It consists of only a few parts and is very easy to install. The parts are as follows:
- 2 – Powder-coated 11 gauge steel wall mount brackets
- 2 – 12 gauge steel telescoping rods
- 6 – Heat-treated lag bolts
- 6 – Washers for the lag bolts
- 4 – Bolts for securing the telescoping rods
In addition, the wall mounts have 8 adjustment holes to space out the telescoping rods to your required fit.
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Our Review of the SafeRacks Wall-Mounted Tire Storage Rack
First off, we like the low-profile design and simple, solid appearance of the SafeRacks tire storage rack. Plus, it matches up with our garage storage racks fairly well. We don’t care for tall, ugly wall mounts or ceiling supports, so this fits our preferred style nicely.
More importantly, the telescoping rods are very sturdy and thicker than those of most competitors. Fortunately for us, we were able to install the wall mounts at 48” on center. This provided a 50” width for the telescoping rods. This width enabled us to store four 305/30R19 track tires mounted on 11” wide wheels.
With our four lightweight track wheels and tires weighing approximately 200 lbs. total, the SafeRack feels solid and secure. There is no bowing of the telescoping rods. This is a common complaint with many other wall-mounted tire storage racks.
SafeRack Tire Storage Rack Pros and Cons
As we mentioned earlier, this is a great wall-mounted tire rack with many features and benefits that we like. However, some characteristics of the SafeRack Tire Storage Rack may be deal-breakers for some. We list all of these below.
Pros
- Clean, low-profile appearance
- Heavy-duty powder-coated wall mounts
- Heavy-duty telescoping rods that don’t bow
- 400 lb. maximum weight capacity
- Quality hardware
- Adjustable positions for telescoping rods
- Easy installation
Cons
- Wall stud spacing can be a determining factor for the width
- No tall side supports for tires that lean or tip
- Occasional complaints of light rust developing on the telescoping rods
- The telescoping rods can have a slight bow at the full 56” width
We have had this tire storage rack for over a year now. With multiple trips to the race track, we found it very easy to store or remove our tires and wheels from the rack. No other support or straps are necessary to keep them secure.
We did see the occasional complaint of light rusting on the telescoping rods. Our solution was to spray and wipe them down with some WD-40. So far, they look as new as the day we installed them.
One common factor with this tire rack is that wall stud spacing may determine the overall width you set for the rack. This is the case for most other wall-mounted racks. Unfortunately, this is something you can’t control unless you fabricate some other type of mount on your wall for the rack to bolt to.
If you have narrow tires or tires mounted on wheels that lean or tip over easily when standing, the SafeRack Tire Storage Rack may not be for you. Though the wall mounts provide 10” of side support at the rear, it’s not enough to keep taller tires from tipping over or falling off the side of the rack.
If you think that may be a problem for your tires, we suggest the HyLoft Model 01012 Tire Storage System. This is a wall-mounted rack with ample side support to prevent tires from toppling over the side.
The HyLoft Tire Storage Rack can handle widths up to 48” with a weight capacity of 375 lbs. Though the rack is not quite as wide, it should not be a problem with narrower tires. They do have an option for a wider width if you need it.
Lastly, if price is a determining factor, there is a very similar tire storage rack by Fioracl that is similar to the SafeRacks version for less money. That is, if you don’t mind the orange color.
What we don’t like about this particular rack is the use of drywall anchors for mounting. There are some complaints about the drywall anchors pulling out. Wall studs and lag bolts provide a much stronger solution than drywall. You will need to purchase the lag bolts separately if you want to mount the rack to wall studs.
How to Install the SafeRacks Tire Storage Rack
SafeRacks provides a pamphlet with the listed hardware, the required tools, and mounting instructions. They even provide a phone number if you have questions.
Locate the wood studs in your wall with a stud finder to determine the best width for the two wall mount brackets. Once you do that, we suggest using a level to mark where you want the bottom of the wall mount brackets to be on the wall.
Place the bottom of a wall-mount bracket on that mark, then use a pencil to mark the wall where the three mounting holes are. There are left and right wall mounts. Make sure you use the correct one. Repeat for the second bracket. When done, use a 3/16” drill bit to drill holes approximately 2-2.5” deep.
Secure the brackets with the six supplied lag bolts and washers. Once complete, attach the two telescoping rods in the desired mounting holes using the four supplied bolts. We suggest using the front mounting holes for one of the locations. It provides the cleanest look.
After you are done, pull down hard on the telescoping rods to ensure the rack is secure on the wall. Load your tires and you’re all set.
Tip: Tires that are 30” or taller will require locating the rear telescoping rod (closest to the wall) a hole or two toward the center adjustment points. This helps to keep the tires away from the wall and secure on the rods.
Final Thoughts
Though the SafeRacks Tire Storage Rack is not perfect, it does an excellent job for us and looks good doing it. We like how it fits our garage style and décor. We were fortunate that the wall studs matched our desired width as well. It’s solid and secure, with no chance of the tires falling out of the rack.
Before purchasing a wall-mounted tire rack, we suggest finding your wall studs to determine which rack widths you can set. This may dictate where you mount it on your wall or even the type of tire rack you purchase.
In the past, we have found that not all studs are located 16” on center in a garage. Some may be spaced closer if they are near a window or door frame. There are other reasons for them being closer in some areas of a garage as well. This could allow more width options for your tire rack.
Lastly, check whether your tires will stand on their own on the ground. If they fall over or seem wobbly, consider a tire rack with taller side supports. Either that, or plan to use a tie-down strap to keep them secure once you place them on the rack.
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