replaceing my old tires

kevinshea

Senior Member
I completed my restoration in 2002. Drove my 35 all over the place for 10 years or so, and then put it in storage for a bunch of years. (twice). As previously reported, I have it back on the road and finding front end shake. Had them spun on a hunter balancer and they seem fine.. look good, etc.

Then more and more I start to look into how long these radials should last. A couple of papers and some AI research, say.. replace them all, even if they look good because they do decay.. Even with all that, the suggestion is "they could just blow out on you" .. SO, safety first...

Another thing that got me focused was finding all the bushings on my Pitman arm completely decayed. different rubber etc. but indicated what time could do.

Thus. I have a new set of Goodyears with wide white walls on their way.

Off to the Woodie meet in Wells ME today.. but sadly without mine.. too risky
 
I got tired of throwing away tires that looked brand new. I went with a cheap, aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System on my '51. It monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire independently and has low pressure and high temperature alarms that can be set to give you notice when things are starting to go wrong. I figure a tire might go bad, but it would give some notice (either losing air or heating up) so I could stop before anything catastrophic occurred.

I've had it for a couple of months and am overall quite satisfied. There are a couple of down sides. The first is that it only comes in a 12 volt version, and the second is the the tire sensors (which replace the valve caps) are kinda ugly. I have a converter on my car that supplies 12 volts for accessories, so that wasn't a problem, and the sensors just unscrew so you can replace them with regular caps at a show. They do make models with internal tire sensors, but this was just a test and I wasn't going to dismount and remount a set of used tires just to install sensors.
 

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I got tired of throwing away tires that looked brand new. I went with a cheap, aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System on my '51. It monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire independently and has low pressure and high temperature alarms that can be set to give you notice when things are starting to go wrong. I figure a tire might go bad, but it would give some notice (either losing air or heating up) so I could stop before anything catastrophic occurred.

I've had it for a couple of months and am overall quite satisfied. There are a couple of down sides. The first is that it only comes in a 12 volt version, and the second is the the tire sensors (which replace the valve caps) are kinda ugly. I have a converter on my car that supplies 12 volts for accessories, so that wasn't a problem, and the sensors just unscrew so you can replace them with regular caps at a show. They do make models with internal tire sensors, but this was just a test and I wasn't going to dismount and remount a set of used tires just to install sensors.
589120


589121
 
A new set of tires are cheap compared to a blowout and the damage that can occur with that.
I was a long-time believer that the tire companies warning us to swap our tires every five years or so was simply an attempt to earn more profits.
Then, things changed.
Speaking to a friend of mine that owns a franchised tire shop told me he too never believed the "time" expiration advice until he started witnessing numerous examples of cars with LOW miles on the tires that had major ply separation on the inside.
He is, like me, now in the camp of replace them every so many years regardless of miles.
I have a few "high end" sports cars that may each get 1000 miles per year. Maybe, at most. Every five years, sadly and costly, they get a new set.
 
I got tired of throwing away tires that looked brand new. I went with a cheap, aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System on my '51. It monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire independently and has low pressure and high temperature alarms that can be set to give you notice when things are starting to go wrong. I figure a tire might go bad, but it would give some notice (either losing air or heating up) so I could stop before anything catastrophic occurred.

I've had it for a couple of months and am overall quite satisfied. There are a couple of down sides. The first is that it only comes in a 12 volt version, and the second is the the tire sensors (which replace the valve caps) are kinda ugly. I have a converter on my car that supplies 12 volts for accessories, so that wasn't a problem, and the sensors just unscrew so you can replace them with regular caps at a show. They do make models with internal tire sensors, but this was just a test and I wasn't going to dismount and remount a set of used tires just to install sensors.

I use these put them in my car and truck, you can charge display with a USB cable if needed. Charges in the sun also.

Schrader TPMS Retrofit Kit Designed For Use On Passenger Vehicles and Light Trucks Built Prior to 2008 Without Factory Installed TPMS. Ideal for Off Road Applications and Classic Collector Cars. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X575DWQ?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
I have the pressure monitors on my 5th wheel RV. I want to know ASAP what's going on back there. They have 2022 dates and I'm going to change them after this season even thou the tread is still good. I do the same with my boat trailer, once they turn 7-8 years old it seems I have problems with blowouts. I cover both with tire covers for UV protection when sitting in the driveway. On my "32" which is garaged and out of the sun, the tires are outdated and are crack free I don't take corners very hard or go 100mph there also the weight consideration, my "32" is lite compared to the RV and boat. I have move problems with slow leaks from nails and screws. Eventually I'll change them but for now they seem good.
 
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