When you are buying tires make sure to tell them you want the ones with the newest date on them. Wouldn't do any good if it was setting in a warehouse for a few years. Had a friend damage the quarter panel on his perfect 74 Monte Carlo, it was a graduation gift from his parents. Always stored inside and only has 14000 miles on it but tires were original and 30 years old.
Replace any tire over 6 years old.
- Thread starter slumlord44
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slumlord44
Senior Member
For what its worth the only catastrophic tire failure I ever had was in 1973. Had a brand new Firestone radial blow the sidewall totaly out on my '57 T Bird while flat towing it with a tow bar at 75 MPH on the interstate with my Ranchero. Spun them both out and took out 70 feet of the states fence. Totaled the Bird and took out a quarter panel on the Ranchero. Bought the car back from the insurance company and re built it myself. Same Bird I now have. Funny that a brand new tire was the only failure I ever had. Not planing on replacing mine at 6 years. Will keep a close eye on them. My problem is that i drive it like I stole it.
Fortunateson
Well-known member
Hey Kultulz, where are those funny stories/jokes you post? Did your wife threatened to mount 8 year old tires on your ride(s)?
50fordcoupeman
Well-known member
I had the same thing happen to me on my 1 ton dually. Les Schwab Tire center. I guess $1500 for tires doesnt rate installation of new valve stems!!
KULTULZ
Well-known member
Sir, those are not jokes but real life experiences. No joy in Mudville...
Presently, I am hornier than a NEW ORLEANS FUNERAL ...
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rotorwrench
Well-known member
I knew several folks including myself that had troubles with the Firestone 500 tires and all were brand new and some on brand new cars. That batch of crap they made back then nearly bankrupted them into oblivion. It was stuff like that that mandated the date codes be put on each tire.
I have 4 year old cooper tires on my Accord that sat in the garage for almost 3 years and the rubber still looks good. No cracks whatsoever.
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rotorwrench
Well-known member
The rubber may still look good but it is likely harder than it was 4 years ago. Being out of the sunlight slows deterioration some. Where problems show up is when you put them back into daily use. If the car sets then the carcass gets a flat spot and that doesn't do it any good.
The date is only there for future reference like after is blows out and the operator has an accident. Some tires last longer but none last forever. All I can say is be diligent about inspecting the older tires. Take a good look at them when you have to adjust the air pressure or before a long trip, etc. If it looks good, then run it. At least a person can pull off the side of the road in most cases if one gives it up. In aviation, I don't have that luxury so I always am in the habit of checking that kind of stuff.
The date is only there for future reference like after is blows out and the operator has an accident. Some tires last longer but none last forever. All I can say is be diligent about inspecting the older tires. Take a good look at them when you have to adjust the air pressure or before a long trip, etc. If it looks good, then run it. At least a person can pull off the side of the road in most cases if one gives it up. In aviation, I don't have that luxury so I always am in the habit of checking that kind of stuff.
Ford blue blood
Well-known member
Yup, these were in perfect condition as well, maintained properly, parked indoors, no signs of cracking, nice even tread wear but...
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Dave Castle
Senior Member
Just a scam to sell more tires, just like Jiffy Lube convincing everybody they need to change their oil every 3000 miles.
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Just keep on telling yourself that and life will be good. Free Bubble Up & Rainbow Stew come to mind. Merle had it right there.
oldforder
Senior Member
Well I know everybody has a different opinion about tire age and replacement. My personal experience has been that I have never had any problem with a tire because of age. I had a whole set of 4 tires that were only 2 years old all split the sidewall, which was obviously defective, but never had one go flat from age cracks. The rear tires on the back of my 65 mustang are at least 10 years old, and look perfect, and no way am I going to replace them. Of course the car spends most of its life in the garage.
For many many years I drove nothing but old cars and trucks that I never bought new tires for. I bought used tires, and never heard about dates on tires. If the tire looked good and had tread, I ran them till they were worn out. Never had a bad one. Were tires better then than now??
F
For many many years I drove nothing but old cars and trucks that I never bought new tires for. I bought used tires, and never heard about dates on tires. If the tire looked good and had tread, I ran them till they were worn out. Never had a bad one. Were tires better then than now??
F
Alaska Jim
Well-known member
In my opinion, tires were made better when they were made in the USA. I have pneumatic tires on the wheel jacks on my boat, and snowmachine trailer. I had those tires on there for years before one of them went bad. I replaced them with what was available locally, ( made in china ) and within 1 year the tires had split in between the tread. these are tires that just sit and are used to roll the trailer to line up the hitch. I also replaced 2 tires on the snow machine trailer itself and the same thing happened to them. again turns out the tires were made in china. the fact is you should buy the best tire you can afford and maintain and check them visually very regularly.
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Most tires do just fine in a normal running environment and last for years. They generally will hold air till they pick up a nail, screw, or some other similar road hazard. Most folks don't think about the valve stems but they should. This is the next most common cause of leakage. Once a tire starts to leak, how long do folks run them before they realize it's looking like it's going flat. If it is run on the road with low pressure very long then the carcass will start getting hotter than normal and this misshapen tire is a ticking time bomb no matter how good it looks. The older the carcass the shorter the time span till failure. Fix them as soon as you know they are leaking.
Brands that don't hold together will soon be dropped by distributor such as Discount Tire and others. They don't like warranty come backs any more than their customers do.
Hell I don't even check the air pressure as much as I should. If the car/truck sets a lot then that should be the first thing you check before getting it out on the road. I definitely check my bikes before I ride them. They don't do well at when a tire gives out and I speak from experience. Just try to steer one with either tire flat and you will know what I'm talking about.
I purchase and change out my own tires on the bikes and the antique cars. I balance them too. Most of these are specialty items and the tire shops give you a not so funny look when you bring them a tire to have it mounted & balanced.
Brands that don't hold together will soon be dropped by distributor such as Discount Tire and others. They don't like warranty come backs any more than their customers do.
Hell I don't even check the air pressure as much as I should. If the car/truck sets a lot then that should be the first thing you check before getting it out on the road. I definitely check my bikes before I ride them. They don't do well at when a tire gives out and I speak from experience. Just try to steer one with either tire flat and you will know what I'm talking about.
I purchase and change out my own tires on the bikes and the antique cars. I balance them too. Most of these are specialty items and the tire shops give you a not so funny look when you bring them a tire to have it mounted & balanced.
dmsfrr
Well-known member
The set of five beautiful looking Michelin radials that came on my '55 Bird had 90+ percent of their tread left at 23 yrs old. The spare had never been on the ground.
But the rubber was too hard and they didn't grip the pavement well. On dry pavement they squealed when turning over crosswalk paint at low speeds. They were noticeably slippery after driving thru even small water puddles. The only one I saved was the spare, as a worst case back-up & needing a second spare.
Tires degrade and do have a limited lifespan. A whole laundry list of things will reduce the life expectancy of tires. Different brands and types of tires under different conditions will of course be affected differently.
The '6 year rule' isn't a bad rule of thumb, but it's also a one-size-fits-all creation of corporate liability attorneys.
Being aware of the actual condition of your tires and comparing that to what you need them to do is ultimately up to a well informed owner.
I drove around on the 23 yr old tires for 2 summers, but never went over 50 mph or out of town.
If that's all I wanted from the tires they could still be on the car. If they were the pricey wide whites on a fully restored car I might have bought a second set of wheels & tires for casual use and kept the www's for show days. IF I drove it around between judged car shows.
Personally this '55 is a project/driver and I'm too cheap to buy the wide whites and bought a set of regular whitewalls. If they start falling apart in 6 to 8 yrs I won't feel bad about their low cost. The next owner can put on whatever they like. If I still have it by then I may go resto-mod.
There may not be a 'consensus' here. It really depends on how you use or show your car and your personal expectations.
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solidaxle
Well-known member
My two axle boat trailer started blowing tires out at 9 years old, after two went, I changed them all out.
Up hear in snow country, there's a lot of snowmobile two place single axle trailers that don't see a lot of miles. Highways are littered with blown out small trailer tires with good tread.
Rubber degrades with time and more quickly if exposed to the sun.
Up hear in snow country, there's a lot of snowmobile two place single axle trailers that don't see a lot of miles. Highways are littered with blown out small trailer tires with good tread.
Rubber degrades with time and more quickly if exposed to the sun.