Should he change the tires?

[MM-C5]

I have a friend who is the original owner of a '78 coupe that has been stored (garaged) for almost 25 years.

Any driving that has been done was neighborhood stuff just to keep the engine loosend up.

It has been in the shop being readied to put back on the road and we are planning a day cruise as a shakedown run.

The car itself has only 35K miles on it and the tires probably have less than 3K miles on them - but they are old.

What is your opinion? Should he replace the tires?

Thanks

Tom

 

[DRTH VTR]

Yes. The rubber characteristics change over time. The tires deteriorate just sitting there. Just my uneducated opinion.

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Too many unknowns. Was the car stored on blocks or jackstands (i.e., tires off the ground) all those years? Was UV/sun exposure a possibility? Was any kind of tire dressing (non-silicone) applied and reapplied frequently? Was the car stored in an area near any source of ozone (e.g., electric motors)?

If your friend plans to actually "drive" this car, I think it would be wise to replace the tires.

 

[74bigblock]

Better safe than sorry.... replace them. Tires for C3's are not terribly expensive.

 

[SLOVETTE]

One thing that came out of the Ford Explorer rollover/Firestone tire investigation was that most tire compound have a 6 year life. The compounds begin to break down and belts separate.
Do not ride with your friend to the tire store at hiway speeds.

 

[MM-C5]

Thanks guys. You've pretty well confirmed my thinking as well.

Tom

 

[GerryLP]

For safety's sake? Then I say -Yes!

However, keep the tires in storage for originality's sake if that's what he was trying to attempt.

GerryLP:cool

 

[MM-C5]

For safety's sake? Then I say -Yes!

However, keep the tires in storage for originality's sake if that's what he was trying to attempt.

GerryLP:cool

The tires are his second set, not the originals so keeping them isn't of any real value in keeping them. I think he's going to make the change.

 

[lucky76]

Old tires

I have a friend who is the original owner of a '78 coupe that has been stored (garaged) for almost 25 years.

Any driving that has been done was neighborhood stuff just to keep the engine loosend up.

It has been in the shop being readied to put back on the road and we are planning a day cruise as a shakedown run.

The car itself has only 35K miles on it and the tires probably have less than 3K miles on them - but they are old.

What is your opinion? Should he replace the tires?

Thanks


Tom

Check out this recent TV special report I saw on my local news about just this thing, old tires. They should be replaced after 6 years regardless of tread wear.
Lucky
(quote from report)
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.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/17/earlyshow/living/ConsumerWatch/main656167.shtml

 

[bluecoupe]

Change all tires,
reolace Rubber brakelines (flush out all brake fluid and replace with new fluid)
replace all Hoses and clamps (flush coolant)
replace all belts, (Check clutch fan)
replaces Plug wires (and sparkplugs) Spray a bit of WD-40 on sparkplug holes.
replace Windsheild Wiper blades

Change engine oil,
Trans oil,
rearend oil (and posi additive)

replace (upgrade to KYB) Shocks (and Poly bushings will also be a good idea).
Put in a composite rear leafspring (the old steel ones break with age and damage the rearend cover when they do. let loose)

Stainless steel parking brake kit and ss shoes and new cables. will be due in short order.

Lift up the carpeting and check for floor pan surface rust and holes. If it is just surface rust then no big deal. Any good rust restorer paint will cure that after some light wire-brushing.

Enjoy the hell out ot your Corvette. 78 is a good year. Parts are cheap and the car is easy to work on. Looks really cool too.

 

[Evolution1980]

As everyone above said. You can get the BFG White Letter Radials pretty cheap from almost any tire shop. Even cheaper at TireRack.com (but then you still have to pay to have them mounted, so sometimes in the end it's cheaper to buy them local and mounted right there.) For under $300 for all four tires, that's a cheap piece of mind considering the damage that could come from a blow out!

 

[Daryllawman]

Replace them......its not worth risking driving on dry rotted tires.....