Technical Tire Age

I was one of the people to think tire age issues are BS . I will eat lots of crow and say:
“ Please check and replace if out dated “. I lost the right front at 60 mph in the 32 , yesterday evening . Strangest think , I heard it blow , it never changed the steering effort any . I stopped fast , no damage to fender or wheel . Just a double SOB to jack up with a flat tire . Again please don’t be foolish / stupid as I have been , check and replace as needed . By the way it was 26 years old ! No damn warranty ! Carry a spare and equipment to change it out . My car is 5 x 5 1/2 BC , not many Hot Rods use it around where I live .

 

Good Advice

 

Glad you didn't hurt anything, that's a pretty fender. Amazing how long we keep stuff!

 

Thanks on the fender . I had American Mags on the 32 , I got tried of polishing them , sold them and put Salt Flat wheels on it , new tires at the time . I got to lookin at saved receipts , 27 years old . Please DONT be the stupid sac of potatoes like me . Check and replace them if outdated .

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Good (visual) reminder !
Over here we don’t have the an expiration date for tyres, although I suspect that will change in time.

 

What inflation pressure did you run in them?....

 

Thank you for quick and firm reaction.
A far better picture you present, instead of a tragic one.
We hear ya.

 

I run 30 psi 185/80 15 fronts , 26 in 255/70 15 rears . Seem to be happy , for both ride and handling . I’m a stickler on checking tire pressure , I guess from riding the bikes for years .

 

Soooooo, change them at 25 years old.......

 

No longer than 25 years , I would of been*****tin tall cotton .

 

Problem is that it takes a few years to build the car, we don't drive them that much, and they keep on aging reguardless.

 

Take 'em back. See if there's anything left on the warranty.

 

I just recently pulled the two off the front of my avatar. They were sixteen or seventeen years old.

 

I’ve got 3 cars all with Coker WWW’s between all of them they might have 100 miles on them but they are 12 to 15 years old and I would not trust them to roll down the driveway. Two cars live in the garage and the other under a car cover in the carport that is closed in on 3 sides. But you can see them starting to check on the sidewalls so I’m gonna have to order some more before I start driving any of them next year

 

I've got brand new 20+ year old tires on my long term '48 Ford Panel project that I'm finally back on. I will be getting new tires before it hits the road. Moral of the story - buy tires last. Use rollers during the build.
Lee.

 

100% this.^

 

Tire stores won't repair them if they are over 8 years old. What does that tell you?

 

I have seen too much fender/body damage to even consider more than ten on a rod.

 

Five years pass so fast!!!!!

 

The problem of buying tires last is that the "rollers" that you use will likely be nowhere close to the final tires that you are going for. Guess that's where those plywood ones come into play.

 

& w/my luck - the tires I want do not exist anymore. The ones close are priced near unobtanium. Phooey...
Marcus...

 

If the tires on your ride are 25 years old, you’re not driving it enough…

I won’t run them more than 10 years, even if they look ok. I have a buddy that pushes it, he blew a front tire on his ‘62 last summer and one on his tow dolly last week. Both incidents left him up a creek without a paddle…

 

Glad you got lucky @deathrowdave . Could have worked out a lot worse.........

 

My problem is I never drive them that much. My woody hasn’t left the garage in 7 years. My convertible is torn down to fix a few issues with the body and it’s been sitting for 5 years and my 2dr hasn’t moved for the same 5 years either.

 

I understand for radials 6 years from the DOM is suggested but as you say and I have experienced the inspections by tire staff exceed that 6 with visual inspections for certain cracks with side walls being the most concerning for warranting replacement...

Glad your OK @deathrowdave...That is the risk factor of taking the chance...they were well over...

Anyone buying radials should demand same year DOMs as the age starts as soon as they're made...we pay good money for them...

 

Find worn versions of the tire you want for your long builds! I paid $100 for the worn out 2 rear rollers on my current Off-Topic project. I was determined to build the car with the size I envisioned, but these things were hard to find. I drove to another state to get them. Here I am 2 years into the build, still haven't bought the "real" tires. I have bought 12 new tires for our other cars in the past year because of all this. I hate blow outs!

 

Also the rubber gets hard with age and you will not get the same traction as when new. Plus they ride rougher.

 

I bought a ‘63 LeMans last year. I was****ured repeatedly that it could be driven home and would make it across the country. Tires looked good, but honestly I didn’t check the date codes. This spring I happened to decode them-1996! Yup, there’s new tires on it now.

 

That problem comes from people not choosing their words wisely. They know what they mean to say but don't realize that they're likely to be misinterpreted. Like the statement above:

"I've got brand new 20+ year old tires."

. . . Substitute "unused" for "brand new".