RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

So what are the best ways to care for old vintage tires? I have many display vehicles and would like to keep them from cracking and falling apart for years to come. What do you do for your tires?
I once used automative spray (to keep belts and automotive rubber parts) from cracking. I recently came across coating tires with silicone shock oil, which seems very interesting, easy, glossy, and effective.

Finally, one more small question. I have vintage RC10 rear tires that have never been coated with anything and show no signs of cracking even after more than 30 years (same goes with the Yokomo 834). They still look great maybe because of the use of harder thicker rubber? Do you leave them as is or coat them?

I have dry-brushed silicone oil on tires to improve their appearance but I don't know how it will preserve the tire over time. I researched a little about rubber dryrot and what causes it. Ozone seems to be the biggest contributor. With chemical exposure and UV light exposure as well. Temperature and humidity also. Short of displaying models in a vacuum sealed box or charged with some inert gas, I'm not sure there is a way to completely eliminate the problem. And if a guy was really obsessed with tire preservation, I was thinking that the application of whatever was being used would also need to be applied to the inside surface also. Plus I think the tires also "off-gas" whatever makes them pliable over time as well. So some sort of barrier is needed. Maybe the silicone as an annual treatment?

I've got a set of kit tires still in bags and they look pristine. But then identical tires exposed to who knows which type(s) of environment(s) and they are shot to hell. If you have vintage tires not mounted and are worried about long term storage, maybe placing them in a perforated but ridgid container and VAC-U-SEALING them?