Cracked sidewalls

[gec]

I have Radial T/A's & all the sidewalls are cracking, not sure how old they are but there is very little tread wear, Has anyone ever got an adjustment or a new tire from B.F.G because of this problem?

 

[John Kuzman]

Tire companies are required to place a date code on the sidewall of all tires. If you look on the sidewall, there is usually an indented block with a code containing some numbers and letters. Look at the last four numbers. They tell you the date of manufatcure. Example: last four numbers on my tires are 1101. The 01 is for the year, 2001. I am having a brain cramp on the 11. It's either the month, or week.
Experts in the tire business have told me that the life of a tire is generally 5-7 years. It has nothing to do with the amount of tread remaining. Rubber dries out over time and UV rays speed that process along. Only my opinion, hope this helps.

 

[Eric]

Some Tires Riskier Than They Look

NEW YORK, Nov. 17, 2004

Danger In Old Car Tires

(CBS) Safety experts say you could be driving on old tires and not even know it, and that could put you and your family at risk, reports The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen.

Sean Kane runs a safety research firm, Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., that has linked 50 serious accidents and 37 fatalities to older tires. "The factor that linked them all together is the tires were all six years old or older and, in most cases, were unused or barely used, and had more than ample tread depth on them, and no visible appearance of any problem."

From the outside, tires may look perfectly fine, but Kane says as tires age, they start to break down on the inside, and that can cause them to suddenly come apart on the road. "The tread will peel off like a banana, and that's what can cause a crash," he observes.

Some auto makers are so concerned about old tires, Koeppen notes, they have warnings in their owners manuals. One from Volkswagen says, "Old tires can fail in use. …Replace tires after six years regardless of tread wear."

To take it a step further, Kane wants tire companies to stamp an expiration date on their tires so consumers know to get rid of them after six years.

But the Rubber Manufacturers Association says that's a bad idea. "We may lull consumers in complacency, and they may come away saying up to 'X' years, I don't have to worry about this tire, and nothing could be farther from the truth," cautions Donald Shea of the Rubber Manufacturer's Association.

The tire industry asserts that proper maintenance is the key to safe tires, and there is no reliable data showing tires become dangerous after the six year mark.

In any event, Koeppen explains that there is a way to determine the age of many tires.

A code printed on the side of all tires, called the DOT number, has three or four numbers. If those numbers are, for example, 0, 3 and 6, it would mean the tire was made in the third week of either 1986 or 1996.

The code's a little different for tires made in 2000 and beyond. You look at the last four numbers, If they are, say, 0, 3, 0, 1 it would mean the tire was made in the third week of 2001.
Here's the d-o-t code...the number 0-3-0-1.
That means the tire was made in the third week of 2001.

Koeppen says you should be particularly careful when buying used cars. She advises that you not only check the tires on the car, but the spare.

Even when buying new cars, it's wise to check the tire dates, Koeppen adds.

 

[Eric]

Having the original tires on an old car looks pretty cool for shows but that's about all old tires are good for. Considering that they are relatively cheap they are to replace, especially the sizes on a Shark, and that they are all that keeps you on the pavement, I'd replace them. When I bought my old 71, it had 10 year old Dunlops with cracks all around. I drove it about a week and noticed the cracks mutliplying so I replaced them with Firehawks.

When you buy new tires, check the date code before they get mounted. Don't let someone sell you tires that have been sitting in a warehouse since the 90's. When you pay for "new" tires, you should get "new" tires.

 

[gec]

Great tire info...I am replacing them was just not sure how to check the date and if it's worth it to ask for an adjustment, I have 2 sets of numbers 1007 before the dot & 430 after..gotta be 3rd week of 2000, heck they still have 1/4" long rubber nibs on the sidewalls & tread depth is about 7mil..too bad there all cracked:ugh

 

[lucky76]

dot codes on tires

Great tire info...I am replacing them was just not sure how to check the date and if it's worth it to ask for an adjustment, I have 2 sets of numbers 1007 before the dot & 430 after..gotta be 3rd week of 2000, heck they still have 1/4" long rubber nibs on the sidewalls & tread depth is about 7mil..too bad there all cracked:ugh

That would probably be 43 week of 1990. After 2000 it's a 4 digit code and the 3rd week of 2000 would be 0300 from what I understand.
I just took my old spare which was a GR70-15 to Goodyear last Saturday and it had a DOT code of 426. Probably original tire 42nd week of 1976. I had purchased four 255-60's at Goodyear last summer so they gave me a good used tire free for a spare and mounted and balanced it. Can't beat that! It pays to drive an old Vette. Thanks Goodyear.

 

[Jack]

71 roadster I recently acquired has "GOODYEAR POLYGLAS GT" size G70-15 w/raised outline white letters ... NOT radials, they're belted, tread w/ 2 plies polyester + 2 plies fiberglass. Can't find anything DOT/number series/date coding on outer sidewalls. They're clearly rather old ... but NO visible cracking in sidewalls or in tread/grooves/sipes. Maybe so old they pre-date DOT date coding? ... maybe date coding on inner sidewall? I rolled the dice and drove these tires from midwest sale to home in SC (~900 miles) ... cool temps and max 75 mph ... no problems. Yes, they DO ride crappy ... but look great on its 8" steel ralleys ... fill wheel wells just right without rubbing. Will soon change to radials but have yet to look into what size-brand-model.
JACK:gap

 

[74bigblock]

Having the original tires on an old car looks pretty cool for shows but that's about all old tires are good for. Considering that they are relatively cheap, especially the sizes on a Shark, and that they are all that keeps you on the pavement, I'd replace them. When I bought my old 71, it had 10 year old Dunlops with cracks all around. I drove it about a week and noticed the cracks mutliplying so I replaced them with Firehawks.

When you buy new tires, check the date code before they get mounted. Don't let someone sell you tires that have been sitting in a warehouse since the 90's. When you pay for "new" tires, you should get "new" tires.

I dunno how cheap they are.... at Chicago Vette Fest this Spring there was a set of original Bias Ply's with wheels that sold for ..... get this:

$24,000.00 :W

That number was given to us from the head of the show, who was parked right next to us in his '63 split window.

 

[Eric]

I dunno how cheap they are.... at Chicago Vette Fest this Spring there was a set of original Bias Ply's with wheels that sold for ..... get this:

$24,000.00 :W

That number was given to us from the head of the show, who was parked right next to us in his '63 split window.

By cheap, I was talking about the cost to replace tires. After I re-read my comment, I should've used may engrish a little better.

You're right, the really old originals are pretty pricey.

Hank Hill from King of the Hill - "Bobby, how could you get an F in English? You speak English."

 

[king80vette]

I read through this and I can't figure mine out. The car is a 1980 with 14k miles on it the tires (that came with the car but are not on it) have under the DOT.

MJUU CY1429 and to the left of the DOT is 3042.

They are Goodyear polysteel.

Steve