Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard?

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Thats if its within the 4-5 years of production.
If the tire is 10 years old, and you still cant see linc's smile, that doesnt mean you can go a few more thousand miles.
The majority of people will replace tires before 5 years. But there are many people, mostly people that either dont drive a lot or drive a lot of miles on the highway, will see really long life from thier tires as long as they are rotated, balanced, aligned, and inflated correctly.

The problem is the rubber gets old starts cracking and becomes prone to failure. To say "5 years" this means nothing. In California parked in the sun all day this is much worse than say garaged and kept in England.

[a_v_s]

The problem is the rubber gets old starts cracking and becomes prone to failure. To say "5 years" this means nothing. In California parked in the sun all day this is much worse than say garaged and kept in England.

Funny you mention California... Many many many years ago, I was on a road trip with my brother to his college in California. We took my parents van. The rear tires were original, and were about 10 years old at the time. On the way down I-5, both of the rear tires blew out (at different times). They were in good condition otherwise, as they had a lot of tread left, and my dad was crazy enough to make sure the tires always shined and were protected with protectant that didn't have any petroleum distillates in it.

That was the only time I ever had blowouts that was not caused by a nail or other puncture damage.

[jgill16]

I Have A Question! Does It Matter What Rating The Tire Has. For Example Rating T Is For Touring You Usually Get Up To 60,000 Miles Of Life On That Tire, And For Better Performace H Rating Is Up To 130mph, Then You Have Ur Ultra High Performace Z,w Rating That Can Go Up 168mph. People Should Invest A Little More Money To Get Better Tires. I Once Owned A 1990 Chevy Beretta The Standard Tires The Guy Told Me Were T Rating But I Paid A Little Bit More The H Rating And For 4 Years Stright I Never Had A Blow Out And I Drive Fast All The Time. When It Was Time To Replace Them It Was Cause The Tires Were Bald. And Those Tire Were Goodyear. I Always Had Good Luck With Goodyear. I Believe People Want To Cut Corners To Save Money But In The End It Might Cost Them Their Life. People Spend A Little ,more Money For Tires Especially When Ur On The Road You Don't Want To Be Caught Stranded.

[tgagneguam]

Hmmm, a useful thread.

If, in fact, the 6-year shelf life of tires is found to be a scientifically useful number, it's pretty disturbing to see so many people going to stores to buy what they think are new tires only to be purchasing sometimes really old tires "with good tread still left on them." More troubling is the fact that the workers at these stores seem to be aware of this issue but still sell the tires.

While I am not one to support clogging our judicial system with suits brought on by ambulance chasers, it sounds like that may be what it takes for appropriate laws to take shape and for manufacturers and distributors to be a little more honest about their practices in this case.

[GTOken]

I read the ABC story. I'm skeptical. Their "experts" seemed a little questionable and vague to me. Exactly who did the study? Where are the facts? Exactly how many tire failures have occurred due strictly to the age of the tire?

[Neanderthal]

I've seen this before. I subscribe to the theory. Perishable parts, particularly parts holding pressurized air and supporting 600 to 2000 LBS each, are subject to decline and failure just as suspension bushings and other rubber items are.

Good tires are cheap insurance. I never understood why people would think they were saving money buy buying crap tires--and some crap tires are expensive--when it is the tires that are the ultimate arbiters regarding braking, handling, accelerating and hydroplaning traction.

I follow Tire Rack's ratings and surveys, they haven't steered me wrong yet.

I'm about to order two tires for my wife's PT because the rears are worn to 4/32 or thereabouts and they are also nearing their expiration date, which I checked when I read a similar article a month or two ago.

[Neanderthal]

They don't want customers to know because they would lose a ton of money destroying old, unsold tires.

They could always ship them to 3rd, 4th, and 5th world countries. Look on the bright side!

Add wipers to that list. It amazes me how some people don't realize how dangerous a worn out blade can be.

We had a Grand Marquis de Sade rental a few years back. Nice car, funny trunk, but the wipers were shredded. We were driving a country road at night going to visit my cousins on the faahm in a driving rain, and not being able to see anything is definitely a downer.
I bought Rain X and new blades for future downpours, and the rental agency gave us about 1/3 off when we brought the car back.

3 things on a car that always need to be tip top: tires, brakes and suspension. Those 3 things can kill you. Motors and transmissions can blow but they'll just leave you stranded. A tire blows at highway speeds.....hold on! Brakes go when you're approaching an intersection...look out! Suspension lets go at highway speeds...you're just along for the ride.

Indeed. An ounce of prevention...

This is exactly why I run bias-ply on everything I own.
Army/Navy surplus, when it's available.
All inflated to 17 psi over the manufacturer's stated limit.
That way I really get some good road feel when I'm driving.

Plane, this post is the most logical one here so far. Congratulations.

[mike's 01ws6]

At the state level they could make this part of the safety inspection. People driving on tires that are this dangerous are also a threat to other people on the road. And as far a putting a expiration date on the tires I would think that the NHSTA would be able to do this without anyone being able to fight them.

[IROCNROL1]

I've seen this before. I subscribe to the theory. Perishable parts, particularly parts holding pressurized air and supporting 600 to 2000 LBS each, are subject to decline and failure just as suspension bushings and other rubber items are.

Good tires are cheap insurance. I never understood why people would think they were saving money buy buying crap tires--and some crap tires are expensive--when it is the tires that are the ultimate arbiters regarding braking, handling, accelerating and hydroplaning traction.

I follow Tire Rack's ratings and surveys, they haven't steered me wrong yet.

I'm about to order two tires for my wife's PT because the rears are worn to 4/32 or thereabouts and they are also nearing their expiration date, which I checked when I read a similar article a month or two ago.

You're just trying to keep the economy going. I recycle bacon grease by smearing it on my tires to keep them shiny. This works great in keeping dogs from urinating on them too, although they do lick them a lot more. That's ok though, the licking keeps them clean.

I also have concocted an air freshener that mimics new tire smell. This has always been one of my favorite scents and allows you to pretend that you have new tires. Maybe I should market it, after all, perception is reality.

[Uzzy]

I read the ABC story. I'm skeptical. Their "experts" seemed a little questionable and vague to me. Exactly who did the study? Where are the facts? Exactly how many tire failures have occurred due strictly to the age of the tire?

I feel the same way, that's why I made the thread, to see what others thought. I've never heard of tires going bad from sitting, aside from the usual dry rot, which is visible and comes from exposure to the elements. But rotting, without any visual indicators inside a warehouse? Really? I've been learning about cars for over 10 years, many of my friends are licenced mechanics, or do a lot of mechanical work and auto racing on the side and I was buddy buddy with the manager of a local tire store and I've never heard of this before. It really caught me offguard. But to see that tohers have heard of it and seeing the British government doing something about it it's hard to ignore.

I checked the age of the tires on what is now my sister's Saturn. They were made in 2005 and that is when I bought the tires. I couldn't find the date code on my Silverado's tires. They are not on the outside and the I could not see them on the inside the way the tire was when I checked it. My Reliant is in storage and I can guarantee those tires are well over 6 years old.

[eaton53]

I had a tire come apart from rot on me years ago on my old Chevy truck. Funny thing is, it didn't go down, tread just flew off.... I was able to limp home.

Anyway, might as well buy super sticky tires.... that way they'll wear out before they can expire. And the added handling adds entertainments!

[plane]

Plane, this post is the most logical one here so far. Congratulations.

Why, thank you.

Bias-ply tires have served this nation in times of need.
On the racetrack and off-road.
There will always be that try to subvert this nation and destroy bias-ply tires.
But there is nothing more American than bias-ply tires.

And trust me on this, there is no experience in the world quite like riding on over-inflated bias-ply tires.

Bias ply tires have a limited purpose in life and are only used for specific purposes or jobs. The reason for this is because of its performance characteristics. However for some jobs the bias ply tire is an idea tire for the purpose such as for the tires of a towed trailer, farm equipment tires, some purpose built tires like extreme terrain tires and some forms of racing still use bias ply tires. The reasons for this limited use are:

* The bias-ply tire casing is constructed to form one working unit. When the sidewalls deflect or bend under load, the tread squeezes in and distorts. The distortion affects the tires footprint and can decrease traction and increases wear depending on the terrain. The tread distortion also causes abrasion from the ground surface, which reduces the life of the tire. These factors are why bias ply tires are not idea for passenger car tires or as tires that my see highway use unless used as tires for a towed trailer.
* Bias Ply Strength - The way to increase the strength of bias-ply tires is by increasing the number of plies and bead wires. More plies means more mass which, increasing heat retention and reducing tire life.
* Because of the bias ply inherent construction, sidewall strength is less than that of a radial tire's construction and cornering is significantly less effective. This is probably one of the main reasons bias ply tires are not used for passenger cars and trucks.
* However because of the bias ply construction and inherent strength of a properly inflated tire, the bias ply is idea for straight line towing.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT...Ply_Definition

[W.A.F.U.]

They don't want customers to know because they would lose a ton of money destroying old, unsold tires.

Just like any other business, they could build that cost into the price of the tire.

Secondly, it's not the manufacturer sitting on these tires, it's the tire dealers that order too much stock.

[Neanderthal]

You're just trying to keep the economy going. I recycle bacon grease by smearing it on my tires to keep them shiny. This works great in keeping dogs from urinating on them too, although they do lick them a lot more. That's ok though, the licking keeps them clean.

I also have concocted an air freshener that mimics new tire smell. This has always been one of my favorite scents and allows you to pretend that you have new tires. Maybe I should market it, after all, perception is reality.

Perception IS reality. No argument there.

And yes, I am trying to hepp the economy. It's the least I can do to show my respect and support for Prezdet Carter.

Dogs? Often there's so little difference between licking and peeing that I would not trust their judgement regarding the integrity of my tires. Or tyres.

I urge you to market your tire scent air freshener. I too am a great fan of new tire smell. That and freshly cooked gunpowder or cordite, and the toxic poisons (according to The Green Peoples) that make the wonderful New Car Smell...
these are some of my fav-o-rite things...daa daa daa

I feel the same way, that's why I made the thread, to see what others thought. I've never heard of tires going bad from sitting, aside from the usual dry rot, which is visible and comes from exposure to the elements. But rotting, without any visual indicators inside a warehouse? Really? I've been learning about cars for over 10 years, many of my friends are licenced mechanics, or do a lot of mechanical work and auto racing on the side and I was buddy buddy with the manager of a local tire store and I've never heard of this before. It really caught me offguard. But to see that tohers have heard of it and seeing the British government doing something about it it's hard to ignore.

I checked the age of the tires on what is now my sister's Saturn. They were made in 2005 and that is when I bought the tires. I couldn't find the date code on my Silverado's tires. They are not on the outside and the I could not see them on the inside the way the tire was when I checked it. My Reliant is in storage and I can guarantee those tires are well over 6 years old.

Tires are like people, and both are like a box of chocolates.
You cannot always tell if a people is rotten just by looking at him. Nor with tires.
They are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get.

Why, thank you.

Bias-ply tires have served this nation in times of need.
On the racetrack and off-road.
There will always be that try to subvert this nation and destroy bias-ply tires.
But there is nothing more American than bias-ply tires.

And trust me on this, there is no experience in the world quite like riding on over-inflated bias-ply tires.













http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT...Ply_Definition

Nice five-ton. That would make a great leisure vehicle.

I developed a plan to make them a high-speed, high-mobility weapons platform. A pair or threesome of miniguns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minigun aboard, perhaps a dozen Stingers ( http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/stinger.htm ) or similar, throw in a couple of RPG tubes, a crew of five or six in back plus driver and copilot/navigator, and you've got a lethal, reasonably fast and agile killing platform.

The photo reminded me of my beloved deuce and a half, which for two years was mine to care for and feed.

[plane]

You're just trying to keep the economy going. I recycle bacon grease by smearing it on my tires to keep them shiny. This works great in keeping dogs from urinating on them too, although they do lick them a lot more. That's ok though, the licking keeps them clean.

I also have concocted an air freshener that mimics new tire smell. This has always been one of my favorite scents and allows you to pretend that you have new tires. Maybe I should market it, after all, perception is reality.

How could I miss this one?
Bacon Grease. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Biscuits and gravy. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Retreads from the chop shop. Priceless.