Risk of using old (over 10 years) tires

[deuce_roadster]

hotcoupe, No they were NOT original 16" wheels but late model 15" wheels. There is a picture of the LR wheel in my album MISC.

[Gene1949]

Quite frankly I'm appalled at some of the irresponsible comments in this thread. It isn't just about "me me me", it reflects on all of us.

Endangering the lives of your fellow old car enthusiasts AND THEIR FAMILIES doesn't seem entirely reasonable especially from people who SHOULD AND PROBABLY DO know better.

Spending many 1,000s of dollars on engines, paint and upholstery only to jeopardize that investment over a $500 dollar bill spent on the single most important piece of safety equipment [tires]?? Really??

[deuce_roadster]

Gene1949, Right on, the owner of the burned up coupe had his wife and grandson in the car and luckily, everyone got out safely.

[RalphM]

That’s more like a $1500 bill to ship tires to Alaska. Unless you go with modern = ugly tires, that are available, then it’s only $1000. Ever since the US post office stopped letting you mail tires here. UPS/ Fedex rape you on freight.

[A bones]

Originally Posted by paul2748

I can't believe those guys that say I'll take my chances.

Yeah not to call anyone out,,, but,,, it ( tire failure ) happens all the time to regular cars.

I used to teach safety courses. One thought that I came up with is simple, 'Some injuries last for a lifetime'. If you check out the pictures in deuce roadster's Misc pic file you see the face of a man that really wants to cry.

Hey 'deuce roadster' thanks for sharing those valuable pics.
I have six cars sitting, none pass the date test. I can promise I'll never drive them on anything other than new tires.


!!!

[deuce_roadster]

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A bones, If making people aware of what old tires can do prevents 1 loss or tragedy, then I am happy. I used to be the designated safety person for the 21s floor of a high rise in Seattle and the topic is always on my mind. (was trained as a combat medic 1970-1976)

[itslow]

Originally Posted by Gene1949

Quite frankly I'm appalled at some of the irresponsible comments in this thread. It isn't just about "me me me", it reflects on all of us.

No kidding.

[RalphG]

In all my years of driving I've never had a tire blow out. And I run them til they look well worn or weather checked. The problem I am seeing is that modern tires are poor quality compared to the old ones. Especially agricultural tires. Guys complain about "Good for a year" tires but I'm running 27 year old Goodyears on a tractor that still look good for many more years. On the other hand I am replacing a couple of 4 year old "Eastone" implement tire that have developed tread bulges and sidewall cracks in their short life.

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by supereal

Tires don't need to show excess tread wear to be dangerous. Sun exposure and the natural ozone in the air degrades the rubber. Unless the tires are shielded in the garage, or covered outside when stored, ten years is well past due for replacement. Even then they are on borrowed time.

As far as storage goes, this coupe has always been garage kept.

[FlatheadTed]

I am with Ralph G on this one ,Less quality = more tyre sales . Years ago we produced firestone Vintage 16 " tyres down here in NZ I put these on my 35 in the 80s, I am still running them in near perfect shape ,I guess we used genuine rubber .The Moulds were sold to --- tyres in the 90s. Due to a accident I damaged a tyre so the replacement came from ---- ,just last year I noticed a treed delaminating it was the --- tyre 10 years younger than the others ,its like light bulbs Edison worked hard at getting a bulb to last ,now the Chine's or who ever works hard to make them fail .

Originally Posted by RalphG

In all my years of driving I've never had a tire blow out. And I run them til they look well worn or weather checked. The problem I am seeing is that modern tires are poor quality compared to the old ones. Especially agricultural tires. Guys complain about "Good for a year" tires but I'm running 27 year old Goodyears on a tractor that still look good for many more years. On the other hand I am replacing a couple of 4 year old "Eastone" implement tire that have developed tread bulges and sidewall cracks in their short life.

[flatmotor40]

Just had 2 on My Jeep CJ come apart in the garage as I backed it out 7yrs old the tires they build now are crap.My 71 Monte Carlo has the org spare in it.I drive the CJ most all the time but you have to check tires.My 40 has Coker tires about 10yrs or so

[corvette8n]

Some states are kicking around the idea of including tire age in the annual inspection process, 10 years seem to be the number.

[slowforty]

I had a tire blow out at 75 mph on a 63 Buick 225 that I bought. the car was garage kept but I Never checked the date on the tires,they were 12 years old, fortunately the only problem was the Old Guy changing a tire in 80 degree weather. Also the tire and wheel were destroyed. Then i found out the tires on the 40 were at least ten years old. Guess who got two new sets of tires.

[hook00pad]

I had a friend who was bringing his very nice diesel pusher motorhome back to Kentucky, after wintering in sunny Florida. His wife and her twin sister were with him. He blew a front right tire, while driving about 65 which caused him to lose control and ran off the right side of I-10 near Tallahassee. The tire came apart, taking out the propane tank which was near it, igniting that fuel source. They all three died. Not sure how old the tires were, but the MH was over 10 yrs old and the tires had been replaced. Tires do fail without warning! Especially when older. I have blown at least three rear tires on my unit over the years. Thankfully never a front.

[tubman]

I have read (on the H.A.M.B.) that radial tires are much more likely to lose a chunk of their tread than bias-plies. Of course, that may be due to the notable bias they have towards bias-ply tires over there. (Biased towards bias-ply? Did I say that?)

[KUDZUVIPER]

I feel badly for the gentleman in the last pix, but do love the tie-dyed shirt.

[Darrell S]

I have had 2 Goodyear radials with sidewall bulges. They both had lots of tread left on them. Have a set of Coker bias plys on the old Ford about 2 years old. I'm keeping an eye on them.

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by 34pickup

Out of the 8 cars and trucks I have, only one has tires newer than 10 years. I will take my chances.

You are taking a big chance, especially if they have been in the sun much. Then it's no longer a chance but a certainty.

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by RalphM

I run old tires, best solution I have is to not run any fenders, there’s nothing to hit if it blows!

What about the 35?

[5851a]

Old cars are already on all the environmentalists lists. About the time someone makes a school bus swerve and tip over and they trace it back to old tires gives them more fuel for the fires. I have three cars in the shed that I won't drive because of old tires.