Aging Tires

Cracker39

Cracker39

Senior Member
Given that Model As use innertubes, how serviceable are tires that show minor hairline cracking of the rubber in the grooves, while displaying very little tread wear? Are tube type tires any safer than tubeless type tires that have these aging indications? This is purely a theoretical question. I'm simply remembering tires that I changed back in the '50s, when I worked in a Gulf service station, that were literally worn down to the point where the tube was exposed. This was particularly true on the jalopies driven by my highschool buddies - the fleet of which included many Model As! We never scrapped tires that we took off if they had any tread showing. We could always sell them for a buck or two.
 
Vermin's 6:00 X 16, Firestone Deluxe tires, dating from 1987, & still had the "nubbies" on the tread, had NO cracking in the tread grooves! Even though the car had been in good, dry, storage, the outside walls showed some cracking in a sort of rounded patterns, tires held air perfectly. I would have run them, BUT, the INSIDE walls had cracked "circular" patches, that I could almost peel off. WELL, there goes the "theory" that cracking is caused by ULTRA VIOLET RAYS"!!!! Would have been a good one for "MYTH-BUSTERS"!! I forgot to save the tubes.
Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Vermin's 6:00 X 16, Firestone Deluxe tires, dating from 1987, & still had the "nubbies" on the tread, had NO cracking in the tread grooves! Even though the car had been in good, dry, storage, the outside walls showed some cracking in a sort of rounded patterns, tires held air perfectly. I would have run them, BUT, the INSIDE walls had cracked "circular" patches, that I could almost peel off. WELL, there goes the "theory" that cracking is caused by ULTRA VIOLET RAYS"!!!! Would have been a good one for "MYTH-BUSTERS"!! I forgot to save the tubes.
Bill W.
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That's what I find a little bit strange. The sidewalls look almost brand new - with no signs of cracking whatsoever! The car has always been stored inside to the best of my knowlege.
 
When you look into the cracks and see the fraying of the cords you know the time is short

I had some Michelin truck tires that had cracking ,on these tires the body cords were steel ---the blowout was quite impressive ---and happened while parked ---they did have over 150K on them and 25+ years
 
Cracker39 said:
That's what I find a little bit strange. The sidewalls look almost brand new - with no signs of cracking whatsoever! The car has always been stored inside to the best of my knowlege.
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Cracker,
My spare is an OLD, ANCIENT, DENHAM, that says, in raised letters, "NOT TO BE USED ON WHEELS, MADE AFTER 1948"!! The tire is PERFECT & SOFT & PLIABLE, WITHOUT any cracks!! GO FIGGER????
Bill W.
 
For the price of replacements it is not worth jeopardizing your safety and that f your passengers. Maybe suitable for a parade but that is max. Obviously the cracking is a sign of deterioration. Replace them ! Wayne
 
C26Pinelake said:
For the price of replacements it is not worth jeopardizing your safety and that f your passengers. Maybe suitable for a parade but that is max. Obviously the cracking is a sign of deterioration. Replace them ! Wayne
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Like I said, the question was purely theoretical - simply questioning the tube vs tubeless characteristics and remembering my past experience at the Gulf station. I replace the tires on my travel trailers every 5 years - and on several occasions when they've had less than 10,000 miles use. I definitely plan to get new tires for the A right away.
 
Just one experience & opinion:

The very last thing I would ever do is to try to recommend to anyone that their old slightly cracked Model A tires of unknown chemical composition are useable & non-life-threatening.

Some U.S. made tires in the past lasted & were useable after 50 years; some more recently had blowouts when they were only 6 years old.

Sort of like jumping out of an airplane with a parachute ........ fifteen (15) years after you begin to draw your Social Security Check ........who knows?
 
I bought some 19" tires at a swap meet that looked fair enough to use. As soon as I started to air them up they split wide open. If the cracks are only on the surface and not to the cords I would use them. The only difference between tubes and tubless, is the tube type is more likely to hold air. When the cracks are bad and the tire gets ready to blow they will both blow the same.

A year ago a semi was passing me on the left when his right inside rear tractor tire blew. It was like a small bomb going off and rubber blew everywhere. Had it been the outside tire my car would have been damaged.
 
While searching for a date stamp on my tires I further discovered hairline cracks in the sidewalls. I didn't find the date stamp - but they're Firestones, made in New Zealand. Definitely time for new shoes as Prunella isn't going to hang around town waiting for parades and runs to the ice cream stand! I would guess that the tires probably date to the late'90s.
 
I'm running tires from at least the late 70's, look good still but I keep thinking 'I'd better swap them out' they hold air all season, no cracks seem to be pliable, still.

Just like our shower faucet. The one replaced in about 1980 lasted over 30 years. New one is shot and it's only 4 years old leaking like a sieve. Thanks Delta and your cheap Chinese junk. Can't you get them to at least make something that would last 15 years?????

If I buy new tires I wonder if they will last 30+ years. Doubt it!
 
Thought some numbers might be interesting - not that it is easy to measure the depth of a crack!

I just cross sectioned some Goodyears on a bandsaw.

Side wall is 0.200" thick.

Thickness of corded area is 0.125"

So once the cracks got over 0.075" in depth it would be into the corded areas on these tires. This was measured at the thinnest spot on the wall.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I bought some 19" tires at a swap meet that looked fair enough to use. As soon as I started to air them up they split wide open. If the cracks are only on the surface and not to the cords I would use them. The only difference between tubes and tubless, is the tube type is more likely to hold air. When the cracks are bad and the tire gets ready to blow they will both blow the same.

A year ago a semi was passing me on the left when his right inside rear tractor tire blew. It was like a small bomb going off and rubber blew everywhere. Had it been the outside tire my car would have been damaged.
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Tom,
I stopped at an accident scene on Interstate 5, where a car had run through a fence & way out into grassy field. The car was out of gas, from idling a long time and the driver was DEAD, killed by a re-cap tire tread from a big rig, that had come through his windshield!!
REMEMBER this, when following TOO CLOSE to BIG RIGS:eek::eek::eek:
Bill W.
 
The "Made in New Zealand" Firestone tires sold by vendors in the 1980's and 90's were pure junk.

I bought a set in of five blackwalls in 1988 and they developed large cracks in the side walls two years later. The cracks were so large you could stick a new dime into them.
Someone should have gone to prison for approving and selling that batch.
 
Mikeinnj said:
The "Made in New Zealand" Firestone tires sold by vendors in the 1980's and 90's were pure junk.

I bought a set in of five blackwalls in 1988 and they developed large cracks in the side walls two years later. The cracks were so large you could stick a new dime into them.
Someone should have gone to prison for approving and selling that batch.
Click to expand...

Just like some of the Goodyear Marathons (trailer tires) we had trouble with in the past 10 or 15 years.
 
heres a tire that exploded like Kurts
the second one is a REGROVED tire that was regroved in the 50s
been on the car ever since
still has 32 pounds of airpressure
has not been aired up for almost 50 years
how long before that i have no idea
you can see the cotton fibers in the grooves
this tire was run bald ,then grooves cut into it
this was common practice in the 50s :(
i had a job in the 90s where i worked on the side of the road on freeways
i found so many blown tires
and Almost All that i could recognized by tread pattern sidewall etc were Michelins
the company i worked for stopped buying them
now i see so many whole treads from these low profile tires
there all over the place
tom
 

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