Haha...now i just read there is legislation that is beginning to develop that would put expiration dates on tires. The industry believes that tires are unsafe after so maney years on the shelf or on a vehicle,and therefore should be produced in the future with actual expiration dates stamped into them. The tire industry is freaking out because there is no hard data to support how long tires are good for and what factors may effect their demise..........can you imagine storing your vet for a few years and having to replace the tires every so often because they are out of date,even if they were like new!! Would have to be done because i am sure a state's inspection sticker process would include checking the dates on the tires.
tires like milk and eggs??
- Thread starter jenavet
- Start date
norms72
Well-known member
Hmmmm. Forcing people to buy new tires say ... every five years would be bad for the tire industry? I haven't read the article but I wonder if there isn't a little behind the scenes lobbying going. But, maybe I'm just cynical.
JHL
Senior Member
How much is your life worth
Or in some cases other people who are inoccently involved in accidents. There was another thread about this which promted me to do some reading.
Here are various links and a copy of the main page from one site.
http://www.safetyresearch.net/
This link definately makes you think when at the bottom of the page you see some accident records which appear to have old tyres as the main cause.
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache
x7n9Y2rG48J
ww.strategicsafety.com/library/si008.pdf+tyre+shelf+life&hl=en
NEW
As of November 2004 SRS has documented 37 fatalities and 35 serious injuries associated with “age” tire tread separations. In many of these cases, the tires were unused spares and showed now signs of degradation.
As a result, SRS petitioned NHTSA on November 5, 2004 requesting the agency take three important interim steps to address the tire age problem. We requested (1) a Consumer Advisory alerting the public to the hazards, (2) NHTSA request specific information from the tire and vehicle manufacturers that will help with further evaluation of the problem, and (3) petitioned to require a date of manufacture molded in both sides of the tire in a non-coded fashion.
Tires, like any other rubber product, have a limited service life regardless of tread depth and use. The dangers of "aged" tires is a little known problem outside of the industry and one that is likely the cause of a significant number of tread separation problems. "Aged" tires are often unsuspectingly put into service after having served as a spare, stored in garages or warehouses, or simply used on a vehicle that is infrequently driven. In many instances these tires show no visible sign of deterioration, and absent any visible indicators, tires with adequate tread depth are likely to be put into service regardless of age.
Tire age can be determined through decoding of the required DOT number molded into the side of a tire; however, the DOT date coding is consumer unfriendly and confusing. [Decoding the DOT Number]
Following the Ford/Firestone tire investigations in 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began examining tire aging as a factor in tread belt separations and proposed a tire aging test in 2002 [Docket 2000-8011-19]. However, overwhelming industry opposition and the lack of an agreed upon aging standard led NHTSA hold further rulemaking and to begin additional research [June 26, 2003 Final Rule, Docket 03-15400-1]. As a result the agency is currently testing tires to discern possible test protocols that would ensure tires do not fail catastrophically before they wear out. This process is still several years from fruition. Following NHTSA's decision to commence additional research in 2003, SRS president Sean Kane, (formerly with Strategic Safety, LLC) began documenting a trend of catastrophic tire failures in the U.S. in which the tires were six years old or older. Kane also found important evidence that tire manufacturers have internal recommendations related to tire aging that were either never disclosed publicly. A summary of these findings along with a recommendation that NHTSA consider a tire expiration date requirement was submitted to the agency on September 17, 2003 [Docket 15400-12].
One of the most important documents disclosed to NHTSA regarding the industry knowledge of tire aging is the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA), which consists of the same tire manufacturers who are present in the U.S. market, recommended practice dated June 5, 2001. The BRMA's recommended practice on tire aging states
"BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tyres should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture."
It also notes that environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, as well as poor storage and infrequent use accelerate the aging process.
"In ideal conditions, a tyre may have a life expectancy that exceeds 10 years from its date of manufacture. However such conditions are rare."
The BRMA document goes on to say that aging may be identified by small cracks in the tire sidewall, however,
"'[a]geing' may not exhibit any external indications and, since there is no non destructive test to assess the serviceability of a tyre, even an inspection carried out by a tyre expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration."
Further, Kane's comments to NHTSA disclosed little-known warnings in the owner's manuals of German vehicles (i.e., Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW) and Toyota that tires older than six years posed dangers. This information, combined with a number of other technical documents provide clear evidence that the tire and vehicle manufacturers are aware of, and likely in the possession of important data and testing upon which these obscure findings were based. However, none of this information was disclosed to NHTSA in response to its request for comments about tire aging.
As a result of our continued research into tire aging, SRS petitioned NHTSA on November 5, 2004 requesting the agency take three important interim steps to address the tire age problem. We requested (1) a Consumer Advisory alerting the public to the hazards, (2) NHTSA request specific information from the tire and vehicle manufacturers that will help with further evaluation of the problem, and (3) petitioned to require a date of manufacture molded in both sides of the tire in a non-coded fashion.
SRS is continuing to document the scope and magnitude of the tire aging problem as well as its investigation into what is known and when it was known about this danger.
Or in some cases other people who are inoccently involved in accidents. There was another thread about this which promted me to do some reading.
Here are various links and a copy of the main page from one site.
http://www.safetyresearch.net/
This link definately makes you think when at the bottom of the page you see some accident records which appear to have old tyres as the main cause.
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache
x7n9Y2rG48Jww.strategicsafety.com/library/si008.pdf+tyre+shelf+life&hl=enTire Safety
Tire tread separations took center stage in 2000 when the Firestone / Ford debacle surfaced. Investigations into this tragedy led to findings that all of the recalled tires met federal safety standards, which were originally written decades ago when radial tires were still a rarity. Following the recalls of millions of defective tires, Congress passed the TREAD Act, which required the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promulgate new regulations in order to prevent another widespread tragedy.
In addition to tread separation defects, one of the areas of tire safety that is a particular interest to SRS is "aged" tire failures.
NEW
As of November 2004 SRS has documented 37 fatalities and 35 serious injuries associated with “age” tire tread separations. In many of these cases, the tires were unused spares and showed now signs of degradation.
As a result, SRS petitioned NHTSA on November 5, 2004 requesting the agency take three important interim steps to address the tire age problem. We requested (1) a Consumer Advisory alerting the public to the hazards, (2) NHTSA request specific information from the tire and vehicle manufacturers that will help with further evaluation of the problem, and (3) petitioned to require a date of manufacture molded in both sides of the tire in a non-coded fashion.
Tires: Aging Dangerously
Tire age can be determined through decoding of the required DOT number molded into the side of a tire; however, the DOT date coding is consumer unfriendly and confusing. [Decoding the DOT Number]
Following the Ford/Firestone tire investigations in 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began examining tire aging as a factor in tread belt separations and proposed a tire aging test in 2002 [Docket 2000-8011-19]. However, overwhelming industry opposition and the lack of an agreed upon aging standard led NHTSA hold further rulemaking and to begin additional research [June 26, 2003 Final Rule, Docket 03-15400-1]. As a result the agency is currently testing tires to discern possible test protocols that would ensure tires do not fail catastrophically before they wear out. This process is still several years from fruition. Following NHTSA's decision to commence additional research in 2003, SRS president Sean Kane, (formerly with Strategic Safety, LLC) began documenting a trend of catastrophic tire failures in the U.S. in which the tires were six years old or older. Kane also found important evidence that tire manufacturers have internal recommendations related to tire aging that were either never disclosed publicly. A summary of these findings along with a recommendation that NHTSA consider a tire expiration date requirement was submitted to the agency on September 17, 2003 [Docket 15400-12].
One of the most important documents disclosed to NHTSA regarding the industry knowledge of tire aging is the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA), which consists of the same tire manufacturers who are present in the U.S. market, recommended practice dated June 5, 2001. The BRMA's recommended practice on tire aging states
"BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tyres should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture."
It also notes that environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, as well as poor storage and infrequent use accelerate the aging process.
"In ideal conditions, a tyre may have a life expectancy that exceeds 10 years from its date of manufacture. However such conditions are rare."
The BRMA document goes on to say that aging may be identified by small cracks in the tire sidewall, however,
"'[a]geing' may not exhibit any external indications and, since there is no non destructive test to assess the serviceability of a tyre, even an inspection carried out by a tyre expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration."
Further, Kane's comments to NHTSA disclosed little-known warnings in the owner's manuals of German vehicles (i.e., Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW) and Toyota that tires older than six years posed dangers. This information, combined with a number of other technical documents provide clear evidence that the tire and vehicle manufacturers are aware of, and likely in the possession of important data and testing upon which these obscure findings were based. However, none of this information was disclosed to NHTSA in response to its request for comments about tire aging.
As a result of our continued research into tire aging, SRS petitioned NHTSA on November 5, 2004 requesting the agency take three important interim steps to address the tire age problem. We requested (1) a Consumer Advisory alerting the public to the hazards, (2) NHTSA request specific information from the tire and vehicle manufacturers that will help with further evaluation of the problem, and (3) petitioned to require a date of manufacture molded in both sides of the tire in a non-coded fashion.
SRS is continuing to document the scope and magnitude of the tire aging problem as well as its investigation into what is known and when it was known about this danger.
Ken
Gone but not forgotten
This has been an on-going discussion with old car collectors, and the old car aftermarket industry, for quite some time now, with no clear outcome yet.
O
OLDCHEV
Guest
My experiance has been with my 1966 Chevy Caprice. Both front tires were probably 10-12 years old with about 15,000 miles on them. Looked to be in excellent condition with almost new looking tread. Driven only on the weekends, I took good care of the tires on this vehicle.
While sitting in the driveway the right front blew up! So loud, that my neighbor that just got home thought someone had shot at him. The car was last driven two days before.
While sitting in the driveway the right front blew up! So loud, that my neighbor that just got home thought someone had shot at him. The car was last driven two days before.
Ken
Gone but not forgotten
"Oxygen and Moisture - the Killer of Tires"
The following is an excerpt from a research paper prepared by Lawrence Sperberg concerning the use of nitrogen gas for tire inflation.
Million Mile Truck Tires - Available Today
"Oxygen and Moisture - the Killer of Tires"
by Lawrence R. Sperberg
All pneumatic tires have suffered from a deterioration starting the day that tires were invented. That deterioration is chemical oxidation masquerading under the name of "tire fatigue".
THE ENEMY - OXIDATION
Causing the deterioration are oxygen molecules contained in the inflating air which is a mixture of gases - nitrogen 78%, oxygen 21%, argon 0.9%, and miscellaneous O.1%. Tires are designed to be protected from this deterioration by their liners which are supposed to keep air from percolating through them into the tire body, which they never do, and by chemicals called antioxidants or age resisters whose job is to intercept and neutralize any invading oxygen - which they do until they are themselves used up, which occurs too soon after a tire enters into service.
So the deterioration spreads. It starts within the tire interior and moves outward. it first invades and consumes the tire liner. It then ravages the insulation rubber adjacent the liner. It marches inexorably outward - because of the pressure differential of the tire inflation on the inside and the atmospheric pressure on the outside. As the decay moves ever outward - the oxygen molecules react chemically with the unsaturated double valence bonds present in all rubbers, causing the rubber molecules to lose their strength and their elasticity, so that they no longer act as rubbers, but instead take on the characteristics of a non rigid plastic. The decay is constantly being fueled by the fresh all too often moist air being injected into the air chamber to maintain the desired inflation pressure.
How do you get a truck tire to go a million miles? It's simple. TAKE THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE AIR!
TRUCK TIRE TESTS
A total of 175 truck tires were tested until they were worn down to the tread wear indicators (TWI). About 125 of these tires wore out without failing at mileages ranging from 125,000 to 225,000. About 50 of the tires failed physically at varying mileages generally on the low side. All the tires had been carefully monitored, measured for tread loss etc., and inspected at 10,000 mile intervals, a lot of them at 2000 to 3000 mile intervals. Tire sizes were mostly 11R24.5 & 11-24.5 with a very few 10R20 and 10-20's. About half of the tires had operated over the eastern part of the United States while the other half had run mostly in the southwestern part of the U.S.
When the tires were removed from service small samples of tread rubber were taken from the shoulders of the unfailed tires and from the actual failed areas of the destructed tires. These specimens were then subjected to the electron microprobe examination that has been described previously. The examination was specifically directed at determining oxygen and sulfur levels which was best accomplished by using IOKV (10000 electron volts) electron beam And an exposure of 30 seconds.
Both of the figures tell the same story. When a tire lives to wear out, the oxygen slowly migrates and permeates its way into and through the tire cord body and finally into the under tread and then into the tread itself. It takes a long time for an appreciable amount of oxygen to reach the tread since most of the oxygen gets waylaid along the way by the liner, and then the cord arid cord insulation compound.
One reason that truck tires can run 250,000 miles with the original tread while passenger tires can only go 50 to 60,000 miles lies in the relative bulk of the 2 different tire bodies. The bulkier the body the longer it takes for the oxygen to work its way into the tread. Unfortunately the bulkier the body the higher is the heat buildup and the faster is the rate of oxidation of the available double bonds. Once the tire body is all oxidized the tire is dead no matter how much tread remains on it. The thinner the tire body the lower the running temperature and the slower the rate of oxidation with a correspondingly longer life.
Practically all tire engineers throughout this century attribute the gradual loss in tire strength to be the result of "fatigue" when in reality this "fatigue" is nothing more than a slow inexorable oxidation taking place at the available double bonds of the rubber molecules.
IMPROVED TIRE LIFE
In one experiment involving 54 new 10.00-20 truck tires, 33 were inflated with nitrogen and 21 were inflated with air. These tires were run side by side on the same tractor units until they failed or until they wore to the tread wear indicators. In this case the 54 new truck tires, nitrogen inflation resulted in 26% more miles being run before tires had to be removed when wear reached the tread wear indicators.
In the case of the failed tires a smaller percent of nitrogen tires failed physically (30% vs. 57%) and they gave 48% more miles before failing than did the air tires. This 48% improvement is due to the tire bodies lasting longer and not the better wearing properties of the tread which is the situation with the tires that lived to wear out.
The experiments involving 54 new and 44 used tires running some 7,345,497 tire miles in drive axle service, when viewed in light of the election microprobe experimental findings presented earlier, depict a clear cut picture of what nitrogen inflation can do for the transportation industry - cost wise as well as safety wise.
HOLDING PRESSURE BETTER
Today probably 99% of all tires are tubeless - truck, passenger, giant - and these tires are inflated with air, and all too frequently with wet air, i.e. air where the water has not been drained from the compressor tank as it should be. This moisture laden air (oxygen catalyzed by water) attacks the paint in the wheel well ultimately penetrating the paint and oxidizing the iron below it to form iron oxide or rust. Even aluminum is not immune from rusting, forming aluminum hydroxide, that gives an extremely fine dust that is difficult to even see inside the tire. The iron oxide rust is present within the tire in varying sizes ranging from coarse to extremely fine. Aluminum hydroxide dust is never coarse only extremely fine.
Whenever a tire is checked for its inflation pressure the pressure gauge requires a small gulp of air to activate the gauge. When the small gulp of air escapes from the tire the turbulence created picks up the finely divided rust and the dust enriched gulp of air passes around the open valve core which has been opened by the tire gauge. When the valve core drops backward into place after the gauge is removed some of the tiny rust particles get trapped between the rubber or plastic seal and the metal housing surrounding the seal.
This results in an extremely slow air leak that all too often escapes detection by the person gauging the tire and unless a metal valve cap which has another sealing surface in it is screwed onto the valve stem the tire will continue to lose air, albeit very slowly. When a larger rust particle is trapped between the core and housing, the escaping air is easily recognized so that proper action can then be taken immediately to correct the problem.
The perennial problem of low tire inflation can be effectively solved by the simple expedient of using nitrogen to inflate tires. Nitrogen is dry and contains no moisture. Nitrogen is inert so rust cannot form since there is neither oxygen nor moisture present to cause oxidation of the wheel.
Copyright 1985 & 1996 Lawrence R. Sperberg, Probe Forensic and Testing Laboratory, El Paso,Texas. All rights reserved.
The following is an excerpt from a research paper prepared by Lawrence Sperberg concerning the use of nitrogen gas for tire inflation.
Million Mile Truck Tires - Available Today
"Oxygen and Moisture - the Killer of Tires"
by Lawrence R. Sperberg
All pneumatic tires have suffered from a deterioration starting the day that tires were invented. That deterioration is chemical oxidation masquerading under the name of "tire fatigue".
THE ENEMY - OXIDATION
Causing the deterioration are oxygen molecules contained in the inflating air which is a mixture of gases - nitrogen 78%, oxygen 21%, argon 0.9%, and miscellaneous O.1%. Tires are designed to be protected from this deterioration by their liners which are supposed to keep air from percolating through them into the tire body, which they never do, and by chemicals called antioxidants or age resisters whose job is to intercept and neutralize any invading oxygen - which they do until they are themselves used up, which occurs too soon after a tire enters into service.
So the deterioration spreads. It starts within the tire interior and moves outward. it first invades and consumes the tire liner. It then ravages the insulation rubber adjacent the liner. It marches inexorably outward - because of the pressure differential of the tire inflation on the inside and the atmospheric pressure on the outside. As the decay moves ever outward - the oxygen molecules react chemically with the unsaturated double valence bonds present in all rubbers, causing the rubber molecules to lose their strength and their elasticity, so that they no longer act as rubbers, but instead take on the characteristics of a non rigid plastic. The decay is constantly being fueled by the fresh all too often moist air being injected into the air chamber to maintain the desired inflation pressure.
How do you get a truck tire to go a million miles? It's simple. TAKE THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE AIR!
TRUCK TIRE TESTS
A total of 175 truck tires were tested until they were worn down to the tread wear indicators (TWI). About 125 of these tires wore out without failing at mileages ranging from 125,000 to 225,000. About 50 of the tires failed physically at varying mileages generally on the low side. All the tires had been carefully monitored, measured for tread loss etc., and inspected at 10,000 mile intervals, a lot of them at 2000 to 3000 mile intervals. Tire sizes were mostly 11R24.5 & 11-24.5 with a very few 10R20 and 10-20's. About half of the tires had operated over the eastern part of the United States while the other half had run mostly in the southwestern part of the U.S.
When the tires were removed from service small samples of tread rubber were taken from the shoulders of the unfailed tires and from the actual failed areas of the destructed tires. These specimens were then subjected to the electron microprobe examination that has been described previously. The examination was specifically directed at determining oxygen and sulfur levels which was best accomplished by using IOKV (10000 electron volts) electron beam And an exposure of 30 seconds.
Both of the figures tell the same story. When a tire lives to wear out, the oxygen slowly migrates and permeates its way into and through the tire cord body and finally into the under tread and then into the tread itself. It takes a long time for an appreciable amount of oxygen to reach the tread since most of the oxygen gets waylaid along the way by the liner, and then the cord arid cord insulation compound.
One reason that truck tires can run 250,000 miles with the original tread while passenger tires can only go 50 to 60,000 miles lies in the relative bulk of the 2 different tire bodies. The bulkier the body the longer it takes for the oxygen to work its way into the tread. Unfortunately the bulkier the body the higher is the heat buildup and the faster is the rate of oxidation of the available double bonds. Once the tire body is all oxidized the tire is dead no matter how much tread remains on it. The thinner the tire body the lower the running temperature and the slower the rate of oxidation with a correspondingly longer life.
Practically all tire engineers throughout this century attribute the gradual loss in tire strength to be the result of "fatigue" when in reality this "fatigue" is nothing more than a slow inexorable oxidation taking place at the available double bonds of the rubber molecules.
IMPROVED TIRE LIFE
In one experiment involving 54 new 10.00-20 truck tires, 33 were inflated with nitrogen and 21 were inflated with air. These tires were run side by side on the same tractor units until they failed or until they wore to the tread wear indicators. In this case the 54 new truck tires, nitrogen inflation resulted in 26% more miles being run before tires had to be removed when wear reached the tread wear indicators.
In the case of the failed tires a smaller percent of nitrogen tires failed physically (30% vs. 57%) and they gave 48% more miles before failing than did the air tires. This 48% improvement is due to the tire bodies lasting longer and not the better wearing properties of the tread which is the situation with the tires that lived to wear out.
The experiments involving 54 new and 44 used tires running some 7,345,497 tire miles in drive axle service, when viewed in light of the election microprobe experimental findings presented earlier, depict a clear cut picture of what nitrogen inflation can do for the transportation industry - cost wise as well as safety wise.
HOLDING PRESSURE BETTER
Today probably 99% of all tires are tubeless - truck, passenger, giant - and these tires are inflated with air, and all too frequently with wet air, i.e. air where the water has not been drained from the compressor tank as it should be. This moisture laden air (oxygen catalyzed by water) attacks the paint in the wheel well ultimately penetrating the paint and oxidizing the iron below it to form iron oxide or rust. Even aluminum is not immune from rusting, forming aluminum hydroxide, that gives an extremely fine dust that is difficult to even see inside the tire. The iron oxide rust is present within the tire in varying sizes ranging from coarse to extremely fine. Aluminum hydroxide dust is never coarse only extremely fine.
Whenever a tire is checked for its inflation pressure the pressure gauge requires a small gulp of air to activate the gauge. When the small gulp of air escapes from the tire the turbulence created picks up the finely divided rust and the dust enriched gulp of air passes around the open valve core which has been opened by the tire gauge. When the valve core drops backward into place after the gauge is removed some of the tiny rust particles get trapped between the rubber or plastic seal and the metal housing surrounding the seal.
This results in an extremely slow air leak that all too often escapes detection by the person gauging the tire and unless a metal valve cap which has another sealing surface in it is screwed onto the valve stem the tire will continue to lose air, albeit very slowly. When a larger rust particle is trapped between the core and housing, the escaping air is easily recognized so that proper action can then be taken immediately to correct the problem.
The perennial problem of low tire inflation can be effectively solved by the simple expedient of using nitrogen to inflate tires. Nitrogen is dry and contains no moisture. Nitrogen is inert so rust cannot form since there is neither oxygen nor moisture present to cause oxidation of the wheel.
Copyright 1985 & 1996 Lawrence R. Sperberg, Probe Forensic and Testing Laboratory, El Paso,Texas. All rights reserved.
JimVette
Well-known member
My '92 Z-R1 still has the original tires on it that are half worn. I want to replace them with either BFG drag radials or Goodyear F1 GS-D3's. The current tires just spin in 1st and 2nd when I jump on it. I want the hook-up that the drag radials provide but don't know about how they will hold up at extended 100 plus. Any thought?
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2002
- Messages
- 7,246
- Location
- Washington, Michigan
- Corvette
- '67 Marina Blue Convertible
Just check out the speed rating of the drag radials - it's shown on the sidewall size/service designation:
S = max 112 mph
T = max 118 mph
H = max 130 mph
V = max 149 mph
If you don't see one of these, they're max 100-mph tires. For continuous use at or above 100 mph, you shouldn't consider anything with less than a "V" speed rating; those tires have an additional nylon cap belt that prevents catastrophic tread separation. High-speed driving on tires over ten years old, regardless of their appearance or speed rating, is an invitation to disaster.
S = max 112 mph
T = max 118 mph
H = max 130 mph
V = max 149 mph
If you don't see one of these, they're max 100-mph tires. For continuous use at or above 100 mph, you shouldn't consider anything with less than a "V" speed rating; those tires have an additional nylon cap belt that prevents catastrophic tread separation. High-speed driving on tires over ten years old, regardless of their appearance or speed rating, is an invitation to disaster.
JHL
Senior Member
I have had a left rear go on me at about 85mph on a VW that I owned, fortunately on a fairly wide straight road and i was able to pull up safely, I can tell you it was a scary moment.
I would never even consided driving on old tyres now. In the UK cars over three years old must pass an yearly mechanical inspection, part of this is a check that the rating of the tyres matches the car they are on so you do have to have the correct ratet tyres as per the manufactures recommendation. There is also a legal minimum tread depth with heavy penalties for infringement, £2500 maximum and three penalty points per tyre !!!!!
A guy in our office was fined £400 ($600) and recieved 3 penalty points plus the cost of going to court for an under inflated tyre, if you are pulled over the cops take a very dim view and it is strictly enforced if caught. I spoke to one cop after being pulled over and on inspection he said the rear tyres were borderline, while not recieving a fine I was given a ticket whereby I had to have new ones fitted, then get the ticket stamped at an inspection station and hand it in within 7 days to the local cop station to prove it had been done. He also commented on the number of accident he had to go to where tyres were the main contributing factor.
No smoke without fire as they say
J.
I would never even consided driving on old tyres now. In the UK cars over three years old must pass an yearly mechanical inspection, part of this is a check that the rating of the tyres matches the car they are on so you do have to have the correct ratet tyres as per the manufactures recommendation. There is also a legal minimum tread depth with heavy penalties for infringement, £2500 maximum and three penalty points per tyre !!!!!
A guy in our office was fined £400 ($600) and recieved 3 penalty points plus the cost of going to court for an under inflated tyre, if you are pulled over the cops take a very dim view and it is strictly enforced if caught. I spoke to one cop after being pulled over and on inspection he said the rear tyres were borderline, while not recieving a fine I was given a ticket whereby I had to have new ones fitted, then get the ticket stamped at an inspection station and hand it in within 7 days to the local cop station to prove it had been done. He also commented on the number of accident he had to go to where tyres were the main contributing factor.
No smoke without fire as they say
J.
JimVette
Well-known member
I understand about the age of tires. My wife and I were on a trip with the ZR1 this summer and I decided to open her up. Trusting my judgement she agreed and I ran it up to 150mph. It felt good and was pretty stable. Then it dawned on me how stupid this was on these original tires, so I backed off not telling her why. Some times you just get caught up in the moment.
- Thread starter
- #11
i dont know. i have a tough time with this one. i think the current technology and quality of materials that go into making todays tires is a heck of alot better than even 7-8 years ago. lets face it,i think the majority of failures you see on current tires is due to road hazards or pure lack of maintenance.if you have a small nail in a tire and you dont notice the tire slowly going flat,what is eventually going to happen?? the sidewall will slowly disintegrate due to the weight of the car and heat and it blows apart...what is the first thing people blame it on?? the tire!! when you are cruising along the highway and you hit a small piece of debris you didnt notice in the roadway and the tire blows...what does everyone blame it on?? the tire of course!!. when you wash your car once a week,but dont notice the sidewall or tread area dry rotting...whose fault is this? its our fault for not noticing the problem and then continuing to drive the car untill one of the tires fail. i bet if all of us went outside now and checked our tires on our cars, most would be underinflated. alot would have nails,glass,dry rot etc..
but most of us will keep on driving away,oblivious to the trouble we are riding on...then blame the tire for all of our problems!!
but most of us will keep on driving away,oblivious to the trouble we are riding on...then blame the tire for all of our problems!!
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2003
- Messages
- 195
- Location
- Ottawa Ontario
- Corvette
- 1985 White/Silver Coupe, 2001 Pewter Coupe,Z51,6sp
Years ago when involved with late-model stock cars, we ran nitrogen in the tires to reduce the pressure change due to heat build-up.
Ron
Ken
Gone but not forgotten
They still use nitrogen in racecar tires don't they?
jwilliams
Well-known member
There's a reason tire makes won't warranty tires beyond 6 years from date of manufacturer....they cannot assure the integrity of tires as they age. Use and storage play a big role on how well tires age. Tires tend to age better on veh's that are driven and are stored indoors. UV is a tire killer, ask any RV owner. Tire makers have found that tires age better when driven. The movement of a rolling tire helps the internal oils in a tire to move within the rubber helping to prevent rotting and weatherchecking. The problem is bad enough to cause manufacturers to engineer anti-weatherchecking compounds into tires. Michelin will not warranty a tire for weatherchech/ozone period. Bridgestone/Firestone says after 4 years your on your own.
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