tires- what would you do
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July 30, 2012 11:10 PM - 1310 Views
The tires on my 46 coupe are 8 years old with about 30,000 miles on them. The car has been stored inside and the tires appear as new. It looks like I will be driving it on a 1500 mile trip soon, thought my 40 would be out of the upholstery shop but it looks like not. I expect to sell the 46 coupe once 40 is done, so hate to buy new tires that a new owner might not want on the car. I have seen a few cars with body damage after a blowout on older tires, so I am a little tenious about them. What has been your experience?
- Newest Post: August 08, 2012 01:21 PM
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How about taking the wheels and tires off the 40 and putting them on the 46 for the trip?
When I bought the wheels and tires I tried them on the 46 prior to the 40 just to see how I would like a different look. Not a good fit.
Once a tire goes past 5 years it makes no difference if it was on the rack or on the car. Have you seen a tire that came apart while at 60 MPH? It will take a fender out very easy not to mention a possible crash. I vote for replacing the tires for safety as well as possible damage repair. I've also noticed that buyers don't like the wheels, car color, interior, valve covers...but seldom correct this after buying.
My 56 Bel Air 2 door post car had BFG radial T/A's with all kinds of tread but were over 15 years old. Being a cheapskate, I was very hesitant to layout the cash for a new set. Every time I was at highway speeds I was always worrying about a blowout and the damage it could cause. It took the fun out of driving the car. I finally broke down and replaced them. The peace of mind was well worth it. BTW my 62 Impala wagon has brand new Kumho tires. No worries there.
REPLACE THEM! I had perfectly good looking tires on my '46 Chevy, great tread, no dry rot cracks iin the sidewalls but at least 10 years old. Cruising back to the hotel from a GG show in Madison, WI the back end started vibrating really bad. I limped the car to the hotel lot found a 3" x 6" piece of tread GONE, the belts were showing and the tread on another spot was shifted and I had a bulge the size of a tennis ball on the inside sidewall that rubbed against the fenderwell. Luckily it held air to get back to the hotel. I went to a Discount Tire store down the street to replace all four but they didn't have the size I needed for the front so I bought one to replace the bad one. Since the other tires were the same age I drove slowly home and went to the Discount Tire by my house. They gave me 100% credit for the tire I bought in Madison and I bought four new ones. The rear tires are now 5-6 years, if i don't sell the car I'll replace them this winter even though they only have about 15K miles on them. the fronts were replaced 3 years ago after a pothole mishap in Kalamazoo so I have another couple years on those.
boat trailer tires......... car trailer tires.............looked like new right before they ripped the fender off . a tire can set in a warehouse and go bad. i wont buy one that is not current year .
I'm convinced, thanks for all the help. I will buy some new tires.
Good decision, I replaced mine when they were 6 years old and they looked like new. A friend of mine blew a tire on a 40 Chevy and had to replace his front fender. Better to play it safe.
Have been told by an engineer who was in the tire design/testing for a major mfg. that the life expectancy nation wide is 6 years thereafter they do expect failures. Already said you were going to replace them, good idea. Still have stains in my drawers from a blow out in CA. last year. Shine mentioned not buying any that are not current year because of warehouse sitting. Good idea, check the Mfg. date before you buy.
Replace them, better off staying alive and the people around you staying alive then putting tires on a car. They don't have to be the best.
They can rot from the inside.........had a set of bf.goodrich ta's 9 yrs. old, 20k and they looked brand new. Changed them after hearing some neg. comments and internet info., 2 were rotting from the inside.
Just to make you feel better about your decision to replace them.
Tires about ten years old, low miles, car always stored indoors.
This popped SITTING IN THE SHOP. I had been driving this car weekly .
It appears they dry rotted along the outside tread allowing moisture to rust out the steel belts.
I got new wheels and tires and another of the old ones delaminated while sitting in the corner.
So where on the tire is the date? Is there a code?
This is how you find out how old the tire is.
Where it says "DOT" followed by 10 or so digits. The last 4 digits give the week and year the tire was produced.
EX: 5109 means manufactured during the 51st week of the year, manufactured during 2009. m
Wow! All these horror stories about tires 8 years old................................. I thought about this this morning as Big Rigs were just inches from my door at 55 MPH! I wonder if they all had tires under 6 years old?
Re-treads on most of them----
I NEVER run along side semi's. I have seen far to many tires come apart on them.
About 4 years ago a buddy and I were headed to the Nationals and a semi blew a tire a little ways in front of us. It was like an IED going off with shrapnel falling everywhere, missing us somehow. Neither of us had ever seen that before even though we've seen plenty of pieces of tire all over the roads for many years. Anyway he's a bike rider and always rode beside semi's to block the sun etc., needless to say he doesn't do that since witnessing that tire explosion.
Buy new or pay the price.. Its what you don't see on the tire when it gets old...I have seen srveral cars over ythe year that ran old tires and the damage to the car and pocket book it can cause. You don't have to put on expensive tires... Enjoy the trip...
Generally the tires on my tractor trailer only last 2 years, if I'm lucky, with the abuse they take I doubt there are any 5 years old out there, however there are lots of drivers who NEVER EVER check their tires, I check tires pressures every Monday when I leave and "kick" em every time I stop, usually 3 or 4 times a day.
I change them every 6 years on my daily drivers, worn out or not, tires ain't a place to cut corners, not worth it.
God help us if this thread gets into tractor trailer brakes! Yikes!
Mike, the brakes on tractor trailers are only as good as the person using them......
In April I attended a car show in Kilgore, Texas. When I left the show driving home I felt a little vibe in the car. I was on the freeway running about 75 MPH. I exited the freeway and got on a farm to market road...slowing to about 55. My tires were 6 years old....I checked them real good before I left on this trip and they looked great......I ended up blowing the rear tire on the drivers side....it completely unraveled on me......Luckly I had no damage....But I'll be replacing my tires from now on every 5 years...
Just finished my 40 last Oct. I have driven it 1600 miles and when I bought the tires for it 8 years ago they were around 800.00. I just ordered another set to replace them, such a waste............but good insurance!
my pop was a trucker. he always said he only needed brakes for parking . we wont get into what he said about 4 wheel traffic.....
on tires , skip and mary's 55 had bfg's that were 20 years old. didn't drive it a lot but finally could not trust them.
Good looking 55 my fav. chevy !!! As for tires I drive to fast so need all the insurance I can get.......
Hey Shine.....I remember those days. I sat in the drivers room many a day with him...and I must have drank a couple of 55 gallon drums a coffee with him over the years....pretty good days.....
semi tires become road aligators and eat nice looking street rods
he could definitely tell some stories carl. he saw the world through a windshield for over 50 years.
Drive a truck for aweek and you will change your driving habits for life.
I just posted under the nats thread. It's 800 miles each way to Ky for me. I drive straight through. At the posted..
(actually I do)
Anyway... I had a tire tear apart on my 38 Chevy yesterday morning about 50 miles from the show.
They are about the same age and miles as what you say you have on. About 30,000 on tires and put them on in 2004.
I was lucky and my fender seems to be ok. (Rt rear)
But my luck was that tire stayed inflated.. looked about like a re-tread type situation. Chunk missing and piece flapping. inner portion stayed inflated sort of looking like a thick innertube. I was doing about 65-70 mph and hit nothing. It was not hot out and no warning just ripped.
I try to look at the good luck vs the bad and... I was foruunate... it was the back rt, I was in rt lane, no one close behind or along side and I could get slowed and over swiftly and safely .
I can't say the tires were "as new" looking like you say. But I was not concerned about them. They seemed "ok".
Would I knowing what I do now do the same?
Well when I'm putting armor-all or cleaning wheels.. I'm really looking at the tires condition too in that situation.. and so obviously saw no real concern.. But.. in reality I will be looking closer at all my tires, and in a different way.
Don't know that my experience will help you, but good to remind all of us you just never can tell...
Sorry for your experience, glad it all worked out. I am buying tires. Thanks for all the input all.
Met a guy at the NSRA regestration in Louisville, Ky who was coming up i-65 in his 1955 nice Chevy belair post car. Had a blowout and hit the cables in the center of the Interestate. Destroyed the side of a nice car. Still drivable. He said he was just lucky. Don't know how fast he was driving...I can tell you the tires did not look new !!
Now everybodys going to panic,If you have many cars and not a lot of cash,,,such as i Theres no way you can buy tires every few years for them. Some of us must take a bit of a risk, I'm not being a wise guy .But gas is $4,00 agallon and i don't drive mine much...retired too. My michelins on my 32 coupe are older than anything here.Yes i know i'm taking a risk......but i do that when i cross a busy street. I mean...i have to be realistic..and granted you guys for the most part are right on the money.If you see a yelow 32 coupe setting along side the road with a flat ...aaahh that would be me.
PS If a long trip was decided on at highway speeds .i'd be changing the 4 of them the previous day.but for round town and 35 mph Iwill take the chance .Please don't get me wrong my 24 year old tits still on them tires are seeing the end of a good life.Tires have gotten really expensive lately