by "crowmolly" (crowmolly)
Published 01/06/2017 at 12:18
by "crowmolly" (crowmolly)
Published 01/06/2017 at 12:18
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STARS: 6
I must have missed this article back in September. Worth a read:
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Sure, Matt is speculating on the cause of the crash as many others have done. However he’s making an excellent point regarding tire age, sharing his experience back in 2012 at a track day. On a daily car tires will usually wear out before they “age out”, but on a pleasure use vehicle that sits for a long time the opposite can happen. Go to a cruise night sometime and take a look at the date codes on some of the muscle cars. I’ll bet than many of them are due for replacement even though they look to be in great condition.
I’ve had some experiences similar to Matt’s myself:
Back in the mid-late 00's I had just finished doing a top end upgrade and I wanted to put the car through its paces to make sure the tune was in line. The back end of the car was all over the place and I kept blowing off the tires. The upgrade was not very aggressive so something seemed strange. I got the car in the air to inspect the rear suspension/adjust the shocks and while I was under there I checked the treadwear on the tires. Wasn’t too high, but I did notice the tires were dated from 1994 , even though they looked to be in perfect shape. Got a new set on there (with no other changes) and the car was much more manageable.
Fast forward a few years later. Another project car, this one is getting a line lock. Plumbing done, wiring done, out to the pad to test. All goes well, but there’s a big pile of rubber on the ground from a relatively short burnout. Check the date code right away this time, and it turns out these tires are over 10 years old. Sigh, go to Tire Rack, break out the credit card, another new set. Again there was a noticeable increase in grip.
So suffice to say I’ve learned my lesson and I check codes on any used set of wheels/tires or car I buy now. I got off easy- I did not end up in a ditch, wrapped around a telephone pole, or worse.
How about you all? Any experiences? Did you check the codes on your part-time ride?
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
01/06/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 3
This is the main reason I rotate in my spare (full size). Because holding onto it makes no sense, as it will age out in short order, so I might as well get my money’s worth on the 5th tire.
I’ve never had a car tire age out on me, but I replace trailer tires like crazy.
"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
01/06/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 0
I took my car to Firestone to have them plug up a leak for free, and the guy said he couldn’t do it because the tires were too old. I don’t remember their age, but I got a new set shortly after regardless (they came with the rims I wanted).
"d15b" (d15b7)
01/06/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 2
It is certainly an overlooked item! Thanks for sharing.
"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
01/06/2017 at 12:42, STARS: 1
Which reminds me, I need to order a couple of new tires for the car trailer.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
01/06/2017 at 12:50, STARS: 0
I replace every 5 years if they aren’t worn out on a classic/leisure car. My Z’s Toyos are doing so well I think next time I will go for softer with street legal treads.
"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
01/06/2017 at 16:55, STARS: 3
Thanks for posting this - it reminds me that I really, really need to get new tires on my trailer. I got new tires on my trailer in 2001. Okay, I probably need a new trailer. Yeah, that’s it - I’m getting a new trailer!!!
"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
01/06/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 0
To be fair, spare tires don’t age nearly as quickly if they are stored inside and not exposed to the elements.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
01/06/2017 at 16:57, STARS: 0
mine’s underneath the truck exposed.
"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
01/06/2017 at 16:59, STARS: 1
Yeah it’s good to rotate those, for many reasons. The rims will just rust out if they sit unused in northern climates, and the lowering mechanism should be exercised and lubricated periodically.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
01/06/2017 at 17:00, STARS: 0
yup, to all.
"CB" (jrcb)
01/06/2017 at 17:04, STARS: 0
My sister bought a car in August from our grandparents. It’s a 2007 Mazda 6 hatch. Guess what was still rolling on the original tires?
I’m trying to convince her new ones are a good idea, but most mechanics go “eh, it’s only got 67k kilometres on the clock, it’ll be fine” which slightly deters her from doing it (along with the price of new tires).
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 17:11, STARS: 0
I was bad about that on the ‘74 Apollo I used to own. I had that car for eight years, and never changed the tires. I know better, but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend any money on that car.
My wife’s car is just a bit over two years old, and has 6k miles on it. Those tires are definitely going to age out.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/06/2017 at 17:12, STARS: 0
Do you miss the Apollo? I remember it being in good shape.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 17:38, STARS: 0
It was in pretty good shape. I’m glad I owned it, but I don’t miss it at all. I had way more fun with the Roadmaster. The Apollo was too nice to beat on, but worth too little to justify putting the money into it that it would have taken to make it anything more than a good looking cruiser.
I have no idea right now what I’m going to replace the Roadmaster with. I really want a K5 Blazer or a Bronco ... but I also want something with a manual trans ... but I also want something with working air conditioning... I may as well want a unicorn that farts rainbows and poops money I guess.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/06/2017 at 17:44, STARS: 0
How kid-friendly? LT1 F-body?
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 17:50, STARS: 0
I’m considering that actually. I darn near bought one before I bought the Roadmaster. My youngest is four months from switching to a forward facing car seat, so I could possibly make that work. I wonder how low this guy would go.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/5938362062.html
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/06/2017 at 17:55, STARS: 1
Bingo. Would be a pain to get in and out of, but for a part time car it’s probably good.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 17:57, STARS: 0
A Blazer or Bronco would only be slightly easier to get them in and out of anyways ... and this one is much faster.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/06/2017 at 17:58, STARS: 1
Much more economical, too. With an intake, exhaust, and a few minor mods you can have 300whp easy and still get around 30mpg.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 17:59, STARS: 0
Oh that’s right, double overdrive makes these good highway cruisers.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/06/2017 at 20:45, STARS: 0
Yup, top gear is .50
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/06/2017 at 21:26, STARS: 0
I test drove an ‘02 back in ‘06, the thing practically idled at 60mph in top gear. I ended up spending $8k more on an ‘04 GTO that I loved, but was a complete pile of crap. Should’ve bought the Camaro.
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
01/09/2017 at 13:26, STARS: 1
I know I need to change the tires on the Corvette my dad gave me. I drove it straight from his place to mine this summer and it’s been sitting since then since it needs a new radiator and tires before I’m comfortable driving it. The radiator needs to be re-cored and the tires are probably close to 40 years old as they haven’t been changed since he bought the car in the early/mid ‘70s. The tires still look good though if you didn’t know the age, I think the car got driven once or twice a year, so it probably has less than 5k miles on it over the last 3 decades or so.
Thankfully I knew this beforehand so I wasn’t doing anything stupid
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:43, STARS: 1
Good excuse to burn them off, right?