sweet66

http://simplexco.com/auto/tire/tire.html

several dozen posts ago Buffalo Bill asked about tire rotation .. The thread drifted on to problems with internal failure of tire belts and the inability to balance a tire. I had to find this link which I posted to that topic but it is now several weeks old and i felt worthy of a 'new ' posting..as many people will have missed it .. This website also has several other topics about the authors experiences with ring clamps, hood spring replacement etc etc which make it worth browsing [ plus this guy has a really cool collection of Chrysler letter cars] .. As has been oft said " learn from other peoples mistakes you can't afford to make them all yourself'.
The pictures of what is on first glance a 'new' tire 15-20 yrs old but no use show what can go wrong internally .. This type of tire looks to be OEM so it was supplied by the lowest bidder at the time.. and likely cost about $ 5 to make .. we hope that speed rated tires that cost $ 6-7 to make [and sell for $120 or more] have a bit more quality put in. So if your tires are 10 years old or more .. consider some new ones as the budget allows.. as the Michelin man says " so much is riding on your tires'

62Jeff

Thanks for the link

It's a neat site with a lot of interesting cars and data.

Lee H

Have a friend that works in the tire bus. Says anything older than 6 years is suspect. Tire companies will not warrant anything older than 8 no matter how good the tread. He likens it to a loaf of old bread, looks good on the outside, dust in the middle.

MikeM

Your friend's statement sure leaves a lot of wiggle room.


This is all CYA from the tire companies and I believe part of the reason they put it out is to deflect attention away from their operations. I don't think there is any proof one way or the other on "when" a tire becomes unsafe. There is "evidence" that "time", not "environment" is a factor. There is also plenty of evidence that design and workmanship are likewise factors.

Just a little foor for thought for some of you older guys. Think back over the last 50 years and thiink which brand(s) of tire has been involved in recalls or heard reports of catastrophic tire failures. There is one brand in particular that stands out in my memory over that time frame. I don't recall any others having much of a problem. Is that coincidence? The news media just picking on one manufacturer?

I wouldn't suggest ignoring tires that won't balance or when you spin the tire, the read wiggles so badly it looks like a snake track or when you drive, it feels as if you have a square tire.

I run about all of my tires down to the wear bar before I replace them. Some of them have 80-90K on them. I've had my share of tire failures but guess what? They were all relatively new with full tread. They've all been steel belted radial too.

LouieM

Tom/99

I guess I'll be keeping a close check on my tires. They were put on in 1990. I would like to get a few more years out of them.

Joey21

I was traveling for my employer earlier this year in a truck towing a trailer. Had a blow out of a 5-6 year old tire. Let me tell you, it destroyed that fender completely.

You might think you are saving money by delaying the purchase of newer tires but you aren't. Got ahead and replace them now, not later.

silver837

Joey21
Welcome to the forum.
You are answering a very old thread. Tell us about your car in a new thread and post some pictures please .