Tire age

[Daddy Brim]

The tires on my truck looked ok when I got it. After driving it for a year left front came apart, taking the brake line with it. Came very close to rolling over. Damage fender door and rocker. My advise is if you even think it needs to be replaced, do it.

[Already Gone]

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[truckster]

Here's the LR quarter of my Blazer after a blowout. The tires looked good, but they were old.

I guess it just comes down to how safe you want to feel riding on your tires.

[jhwkns]

You can add me to the list of people that suffered some severe sheet metal damage. I had a right rear disintegrate at freeway speed and wipe out the quarter panel of my Camaro. The TA radial didn't look bad, but it was about ten years old.

[Daner]

As a yin to everyone else's yang I've driven many miles on truly atrocious looking and ancient tires with no problems. Usually it's only until I get around to putting on new ones. I don't drive fast or drive on highways either.... might make a difference.

[rcrahn]

I'm going to be blunt. New tires cost what, $600?
Are you telling me you will risk your life, the life of others in your car and the life of others on the road over $600? Don't be an idiot - replace them!

[Rufton]

I think most would replace unsafe tires. Most don't know how to tell when they become unsafe. I've read they become unsafe faster in high temperature, high UV, improper PSI applications. Some manufacturers recommend 7 to 10 year life span. Not clear if 7-10 years applies to tires in the desert sun or Alaskan garage. How can it be both?

[jabborabbo]

Scary thread. The '67 GMC I just bought has Michelins on it that look great and have maybe 10,000 miles on them. They were put on in 1991 and the truck has been garaged pretty much all it's life.

If I remember right blow-outs occur when the tire loses enough air such that driving at highway speeds flexes the tire (imagine taking a low pressure tire and mashing it in and out about 15 times a second for 30 minutes). Drive long enough and it heats up enough such that it comes apart.

Older radials will come apart if the tires are switched from one side of the vehicle to the other.

So...driving at no more than 45 -50 mph for distances less than say 15-20 miles one way and taking a good look at the tires each time seems to me to be a reasonably safe way to get more life out of the tires. But...I'm not sure it's worth the risk....

[Daddy Brim]

Originally Posted by jabborabbo

Scary thread. The '67 GMC I just bought has Michelins on it that look great and have maybe 10,000 miles on them. They were put on in 1991 and the truck has been garaged pretty much all it's life.

If I remember right blow-outs occur when the tire loses enough air such that driving at highway speeds flexes the tire (imagine taking a low pressure tire and mashing it in and out about 15 times a second for 30 minutes). Drive long enough and it heats up enough such that it comes apart.

Older radials will come apart if the tires are switched from one side of the vehicle to the other.

So...driving at no more than 45 -50 mph for distances less than say 15-20 miles one way and taking a good look at the tires each time seems to me to be a reasonably safe way to get more life out of the tires. But...I'm not sure it's worth the risk....

Mine had proper air pressure only got 1 mile from home, I was going around 55 when it came apart.

[KEL]

Here's my spare !
Should I be checking the date code ?

[Boog]

No, Kel. I think it's all over for this one.
I once pulled an old 62 Impala into the shop waiting it's turn for restoration. All tires aired up. Had been out in the weather for a few years I imagine. One day after a few months sitting in my shop one of them blew up. Just booom! while I was under the hood of another one. Cloud of dust and tire bits shot out from under it. Scared my horse I wanna tell ya. You just don't know when one will fail, new or old. Here we are telling you of our experiences and you might run those tires for 4 or 5 more years and have no problems at all But..
If you wanna put around close to home on those you just might be ok but it would be a good idea to stay away from running on the highway for even a few miles.
My 83 year old dad just replaced the Tiger Paws on his 91 pkup. They were still deep in tread but the sidewalls were cracked bad. He was afraid to drive it realizing those tires were about 13 yrs old. Good thing too.

[KEL]

Originally Posted by Boog

No, Kel. I think it's all over for this one.
I once pulled an old 62 Impala into the shop waiting it's turn for restoration. All tires aired up. Had been out in the weather for a few years I imagine. One day after a few months sitting in my shop one of them blew up. Just booom! while I was under the hood of another one. Cloud of dust and tire bits shot out from under it. Scared my horse I wanna tell ya. You just don't know when one will fail, new or old. Here we are telling you of our experiences and you might run those tires for 4 or 5 more years and have no problems at all But..
If you wanna put around close to home on those you just might be ok but it would be a good idea to stay away from running on the highway for even a few miles.
My 83 year old dad just replaced the Tiger Paws on his 91 pkup. They were still deep in tread but the sidewalls were cracked bad. He was afraid to drive it realizing those tires were about 13 yrs old. Good thing too.

That one is mounted in the bed. The other four are new. I gassed up at
lunch one day and it was fine. I came out about two hours later and thats
what it looked like. It still holds air. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away,
so I just threw another in the bed. This one starts a lot of conversations.

[Rufton]

Originally Posted by jabborabbo

If I remember right blow-outs occur when the tire loses enough air such that driving at highway speeds flexes the tire (imagine taking a low pressure tire and mashing it in and out about 15 times a second for 30 minutes). Drive long enough and it heats up enough such that it comes apart.

Older radials will come apart if the tires are switched from one side of the vehicle to the other.

Good point.
Even fresh tires can fail if improperly cared for.
If PO ran low pressure, tire could have invisible damage; a time bomb.
An argument could be made to replace any tire w/ unknown history; fresh or old.

[FL71C10]

A friend of mine is looking for new tires for his 1994 Corvette. they had the directional gatorbacks new, and now it's getting tough to find new tires for it. He found a few places online, and when he asked for build dates, one place wouldn't guarantee any maximum age. He kept getting tires that were already two years old. He finally found someone who would go through the stack and find him the newest build dates which were from fall of 2012, I think.

As you can imagine, that car does not get too many miles put on it, and the tires are expensive! He'll probably ending up tossing this set before they are worn out.

[Rufton]

Should tire be replaced after burn outs?
I saw a tire that blew on hwy after previous burn out.

[SacramentoJoe]

This concept has been a tough one for me, but I am convinced that the money spent to replace old tires is WELL worth it. The only parts of our trucks that are actually touching the road are the tires. Old tires ride and handle like bricks after 4-5 years. The nice ride that new tires bring is worth it, not even considering all of the safety aspects.

I have the same issue with my other cars that don't get many miles per year. The timing belt should be replaced after 100,000 miles or 7 years. I am approaching 70,000 miles and 9 years, but I have to get that belt replaced for the health of the vehicle and its occupants. All rubber ages, deteriorates, and should be replaced regularly.

[timski69gmc]

I never would have guessed, but this happened to me last summer.
Rear tires, probably about 20 years old, fronts were only 10 years old, with maybe 2000 miles on them. On the way to Goodguys in Spokane, started getting a pretty bad vibration and noise on the highway. The old truck has always had a bit of a shake.
The next morning leaving the hotel, the rear tire was flat, and missing sections of tread. We checked the other tires, and they were all starting to crack. Even the front, and the tread looks like new. Still had the hairs on the side. It was a long scary drive home. Much slower than the speed limit.
So all new tires this year. I am just glad it didn't blow apart on the interstate.

[Rufton]

Originally Posted by timski69gmc

I
The next morning leaving the hotel, the rear tire was flat, and missing sections of tread. We checked the other tires, and they were all starting to crack.

Sounds like the Co-op brand tire issue I mentioned earlier.
One tire blew. Then I inspected other 3 and saw small radial cracks near tread on sidewall. Not the typical sidewall dry rot cracks.

May not be a bad idea to check tires for belt separation cracks every fill up.

[motorcritter]

All the major tire retailers I have worked for had policies that tires of a certain age would not be installed for highway use. The usual age declared to be 'unacceptable' was 6 years. I usually saw 'flat-spotted' tires that were our-of-date- not everyone stores the vehicle properly. The deterioration occurs from within, the steel belts and bead cables corrode (moisture gets trapped inside the carcass), the various aromatic (volatile) chemicals that provide stability to the rubber compound evaporate and deteriorate (tires are big mixtures of a lot of 'stuff', akin to a loaf of bread) and slowly the tire disintegrates over time. As mentioned before, replacing them is a lot cheaper than the consequences of a sudden failure- even a low-speed blowout can damage bodywork and/or suspension components- at high speed, loss of control and instability can be fatal. Some shops had use cut the bead wires or hole-saw the sidewall- no one wanted to assume the liability for a failed, out-of-date tire. Ozone attacks the rubber compound, and improper storage near ozone-producing equipment (electrical generators, in particular) can 'age' a tire prematurely- one reason those covers get put on parked RV tires. Proper storage doesn't extend the lifespan, just help prevent early breakdown of the tire. It sucks to scrap a set of low-mileage out-of-date tires, but not nearly as much as coping with some severe damage, or injury, or loss of life.
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[Rufton]

Originally Posted by motorcritter

A The deterioration occurs from within, the steel belts and bead cables corrode (moisture gets trapped inside the carcass),

May help to fill w/ Nitrogen or dry compressed air. The 17 year old air filled tire I dismounted looked brand new inside w/ no evidence of condensed moisture. My compressed air is plumbed to be pretty dry. Compressors can produce a lot of water but it can be removed.

[NoNeck]

OK... you guys have my attention.

I have Coker Firestone F-70 Redline (Bias-Ply) tires on my F*rd that have a build date of Feb. 1996. I had them installed that year and have kept the car in a heated garage since then. I have only driven it about 3,000 miles in those 17 years. The tires were filled with regular old Tennessee compressed air.

My son and I are planning to join the Hot Rod Power Tour from Birmingham to Charlotte, which will be more miles than I am willing to trust these tires. They still look brand new, but I think I will change them out and maybe use them for local shows.

I talked to a rep at Coker Tire today, and he confirmed my worst fears. The industry standard (as a general rule of thumb) is 7 years using compressed air. After that, you are just tempting fate. Of course, most daily driven cars wear the tires out long before 7 years.

Dang, and only 3 weeks to the Power Tour.

I appreciate the thread because it might just save me a fender or quarter panel on one of those hot June days running 70 mph.

POP

[Mister-B]

There's just no downside for a tire manufacturer or tire shop to tell you your tires have expired. Less legal problems, and more tires sold. The correct approach is probably somewhere in the middle. Brand new tires can blow due to manufacturers defect, running over a sharp object, etc. Since the tire is new, other explanations are Sought, but when an older new looking tire blows, the age may be blamed, when in fact there could be another explanation
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[Rufton]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

There's just no downside for a tire manufacturer or tire shop to tell you your tires have expired. Less legal problems, and more tires sold.
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I've noticed shorter expiration dates on just about everything

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by Rufton

I've noticed shorter expiration dates on just about everything

Yup. I just heard a mattress ad on the radio, in which they were trying to say a mattress has an expiration of 7 years. Whatever!
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[Rufton]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Yup. I just heard a mattress ad on the radio, in which they were trying to say a mattress has an expiration of 7 years. Whatever!
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That's funny