Tire Life! This Could Save One Of Our Lives!

[Soapy]

I was in our family tire business for over 25 years and I can tell you that the tire age thing is being blown way out of reality. Most of the tires they showed with tread seperated off the casing is the result of under inflation or overloading. Take for example the story of the van full of boys driving to Canada. Vans are notorius for being overloaded over the tires load rating. If the tire was underinflated its load capacity is lower. Most tire manufactures have a 4 year warranty for weather checking. If the tire is cracked in the sidewall or tread area then you should not drive on them and get them replaced. The weather checking will appear as small cracks in the tire caused by UV rays. If the cracks are big enough and moisture enters the tire to the corded body then the tire can become weakened and should not be use. Modern tires do not use natural rubber but rather petroleum based artificial rubber that avoids the short comings of natural rubber. If a tire is kept out of the sun to avoid UV damage I would not hesitate to drive on tires that were 10 years old. We all know we should check the air pressure in our tire once a month but who really does it? That is why we are seeing tire pressure monitors on new cars.
The only real draw back to a older tire I know of is that as rubber ages it becomes harder. This will let the tread wear longer but will have a trade off of traction in a very marginal way.

 

[Django]

I was in our family tire business for over 25 years and I can tell you that the tire age thing is being blown way out of reality. Most of the tires they showed with tread seperated off the casing is the result of under inflation or overloading.

Take for example the story of the van full of boys driving to Canada. Vans are notorius for being overloaded over the tires load rating. If the tire was underinflated its load capacity is lower.

Most tire manufactures have a 4 year warranty for weather checking. If the tire is cracked in the sidewall or tread area then you should not drive on them and get them replaced. The weather checking will appear as small cracks in the tire caused by UV rays. If the cracks are big enough and moisture enters the tire to the corded body then the tire can become weakened and should not be use.

Modern tires do not use natural rubber but rather petroleum based artificial rubber that avoids the short comings of natural rubber.

If a tire is kept out of the sun to avoid UV damage I would not hesitate to drive on tires that were 10 years old. We all know we should check the air pressure in our tire once a month but who really does it? That is why we are seeing tire pressure monitors on new cars.

The only real draw back to a older tire I know of is that as rubber ages it becomes harder. This will let the tread wear longer but will have a trade off of traction in a very marginal way.

There ya go, bro...... Isn't that better....?

D

 

[scoobert]

that van would call for LT tires, perhaps to save money they used car tires....

I was in our family tire business for over 25 years and I can tell you that the tire age thing is being blown way out of reality. Most of the tires they showed with tread seperated off the casing is the result of under inflation or overloading. Take for example the story of the van full of boys driving to Canada. Vans are notorius for being overloaded over the tires load rating. If the tire was underinflated its load capacity is lower. Most tire manufactures have a 4 year warranty for weather checking. If the tire is cracked in the sidewall or tread area then you should not drive on them and get them replaced. The weather checking will appear as small cracks in the tire caused by UV rays. If the cracks are big enough and moisture enters the tire to the corded body then the tire can become weakened and should not be use. Modern tires do not use natural rubber but rather petroleum based artificial rubber that avoids the short comings of natural rubber. If a tire is kept out of the sun to avoid UV damage I would not hesitate to drive on tires that were 10 years old. We all know we should check the air pressure in our tire once a month but who really does it? That is why we are seeing tire pressure monitors on new cars.
The only real draw back to a older tire I know of is that as rubber ages it becomes harder. This will let the tread wear longer but will have a trade off of traction in a very marginal way.

The you evidently have seen a tire rip to shit. Ever seen a dry rotted tire? If you know how it looks on the outside imagine how it looks just beneath the tread.

yeah the ones on my boat trailer are at least 15 years old.

scoobert pisses me off so bad he is one of those flaming homosexuals that knows everything!!!!!!!! god i wouldnt mind ....never mind.....

if thats your way of hitting on me its failed, i am not the least bit turned on :marchmellow:

 

[NorCal SRT-10]

This is definitely a good post with some useful information that I'm sure a lot of people do not know about. Thanks Rockin Ronnie! :rock:

I just hope that this news story doesn't start some sort of panic, and cause a tire shortage. Or force everyone to buy new tires every few years.

I think another major factor is where some folks live. Some climates will affect tires worse than others. I've seen tires with great tread left on them, but looking dry and cracked. I do inspect my tires every so often. And even my older tires on my 03 Silverado don't look bad at all. I'm gonna check the date on them as soon as I get home. I'm sure they are old as hell though.

If I do find a problem, I can always burn out the tires and give myself a reason to get new ones. :burnout: :burnout: :burnout: :burnout: