How old is too old? (tires)

mannye

mannye

Well-known member
I've got a set of Radial T/A P22570R14 tires on my RR that get about 500 miles a year on them, except for the summer months (June July August September) when I only start it up and drive it once a month or so, they get almost daily use the rest of the year.

They are kept indoors no flat spotting properly inflated all the time.

Getting on 10 years old. Also I don't go over 60 on the highway.

Are they still too old?
 
If they look OK, as far as rubber degradation, I'd say they're probably alright. Check closely for cracks in the siping (they hide in there) and everywhere else; if there aren't any you're probably OK. I'm thinking in your climate, they probably don't weather-check like they do here.

If a radial actually develops a flat spot, it will work itself out in a few miles of driving most of the time. Bias ply tires, on the other hand... once they're flat-spotted, it's game over.
 
so long as the side walls not cracking..keep running it...generaly the sidewall will crack long long long before the tread face cracks.....so...you and i only have to worry really about sun damage
 
Hot & cold changes have little effect on tires. The one thing that will cause the most dry-rot & cracking is exposure to sunlight. The spare tire in my '76 waGOON has never seen sunlight and looks as good as it did in 1976. (Still got 1976 air in it) :toot:
 
That's kinda what I thought. It seems a shame and slightly obtuse to spend 400+ bucks on tires (good news, the BF Goodrich 70R14 seems to be back in ample supply) when my old tires don't have a single crack. That said, I don't think I will be doing any high-speed runs or driving cross country without a new set of skins on there. But for my every day south beach runs to check out the newest ass-floss bikinis I think I should be fine....speaking of cracks....
 
ive got some odd old original spares from the years..every one of em looks as good as the day it was born
 
Radial tires have a shelf life of about 7-10 years. They begin to degrade from the inside out, and failure is just a matter of time. Bias Ply on the other had have no shelf life...they only wear out. After 10 years I would personally replace a radial tire, regardless of how much tread is on them still. I have to do the wifes summer tires before next spring....they have tons of tread, but are pushing 10 years old. I will not take a chance with her car, and the kids in there as well.

I plan on getting a set of winter studded bias ply tires for the crewcab eventually...should last me forever!!
 
i really have to dissagree on the degrading idea....my 83 alfa gtv6 was running on its ORIGINAL set of tires..the rubber compound had gotten harder...perelli p600s..a few years back..oh 08 or so i was doing 140 rollin with some other cars..never considered teh age of the tires...i only changed out the tires cause the compound had hardened soo bad that the rain was getting terifying

yeah the general idea is taht they age..but what in them is aging that doesnt age in the bias....the steel cords? cause isnt that the only real differance?
 
I will post up some info in a bit, when I have a little more time. Some tire guys I know have posted up some very interesting info about radial vs bias ply. I believe it comes down to the chemical bond between the radial rubber compounds and the steel belting. The bonds, and bands, begin to deteriorate and "will" eventually fail....might not be in that 7-10 year window...but eventually. And then throw in under inflation, excess heat and sun, and you shorten the life even more.

Bias ply...as stated...you can run those things forever.
 
I've had the same BFG's on since '02 and they're great. Mind you the car isn't driven daily and is garage-kept. It's driven quite a bit in the spring/summer, mostly parked during the winter.
 
BFGoodrich Radial T/As are solid, sturdy tires. They look good, too. Sadly, they haven't changed in 44 years and ain't worth a damn for straight-line traction or handling. If your car is primarily a cruiser, they're a good choice because of their durability and good looks. If you tend to attempt to push a car to 11/10ths like I always did, you're just as well off with $40 Douglas white-walls from Wal-Mart. I had much better results with K-Mart's "SX7000SR" and Pep Boys' "Futura GLS Super Sport" tires than Radial T/As... and at significantly lower cost on both.
 
lol TOTALY agreed doc..the bfgs are not the best handling..tho..in the "right" conditions they can do fairly well...personaly i miss the white letter potenzas ..hell even the firehawks were good tires at a time...its a shame no one makes a genuine "performance" white letter
 
Dr.Jass said:
BFGoodrich Radial T/As are solid, sturdy tires. They look good, too. Sadly, they haven't changed in 44 years and ain't worth a damn for straight-line traction or handling. If your car is primarily a cruiser, they're a good choice because of their durability and good looks. If you tend to attempt to push a car to 11/10ths like I always did, you're just as well off with $40 Douglas white-walls from Wal-Mart. I had much better results with K-Mart's "SX7000SR" and Pep Boys' "Futura GLS Super Sport" tires than Radial T/As... and at significantly lower cost on both.
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I admit it's not a road racer but they don't really do that bad and I've pushed it pretty hard on some corners. As for strait-line, yes they do break loose pretty easy on a quick takeoff so I just walk it out.
 
The T/As are perfect for the way I drive this car...which is tame. striaght line blasts rarely last more than a few seconds and turns.. What are those? The internet is chock full of horror stories concerning radial tires which if you go by them, have your tires sneaking out of the garage and murdering you and your family in the middl of the night while Truman Capote narrates the whole thing...the truth has got to be somewhere in the middle.
 
Like I said, they're not bad tires... they're just not great performance tires. The way most guys use their classic cars, they're 100% fine, and I like the way they look too. If you tend to fling your car around corners at double the speed limit, well, you're going to want a better compound.
 
Dr.Jass said:
Like I said, they're not bad tires... they're just not great performance tires. The way most guys use their classic cars, they're 100% fine, and I like the way they look too. If you tend to fling your car around corners at double the speed limit, well, you're going to want a better compound.
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atleast the tires will let you know well before they are at the limits of what they can handle
 
I don't know if I'd say that. BFGs are pretty quiet as opposed to, say, Remington XK120s which squeal like a stuck pig at the slightest loss of adhesion. However, I will say that realistically, the BFGs are probably stickier than an unmodified '60s/early '70s car needs, especially if it's mostly original as far as bushings. The suspension will cause more handling problems than the tires, in that case. Mannye's car is way too valuable period to try and pretend it's a slot car, and Matt43's car is way too valuable to him, I'm sure. In my case, when referring to the Trans Am or The Black Bitch, they were just toys--something to beat and enjoy. I upgraded the suspensions of both cars, and in the case of the Trans Am I overdrove a set of Radial T/As a few times so I upgraded. Had that car been remotely stock, I'm sure they would've been fine tires for it, but I had more money into suspension upgrades on that car alone than I paid for 95% of the vehicles I've owned.

I wish I had pictures of my Trans Am. You'd really get a giggle from it. I had around $11,000 tied up in that thing by the time I was done, but by that point it looked like it had been dragged out of an alley in South Atlanta. :D Stretchy remembers it. The total POS look just made it that much more fun.
 
Dr.Jass said:
I don't know if I'd say that. BFGs are pretty quiet as opposed to, say, Remington XK120s which squeal like a stuck pig at the slightest loss of adhesion. However, I will say that realistically, the BFGs are probably stickier than an unmodified '60s/early '70s car needs, especially if it's mostly original as far as bushings. The suspension will cause more handling problems than the tires, in that case. .
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Well it's not so much that I am concerned about those tires making my car handle, I wouldn't push this car anywhere near the limit on even the best race tires. I'm worried aobut them de-laminating or whatever you call a tire that self-destructs at 55mph and causing me to wreck against the retaining wall.

And yeah, I had the same brand tires on my RR (a different one) in 1985, and I almost lost it on Francis Lewis Blvd. in Queens at 4am doing something crazy stupid as an 18 year old. Who knew such a big car could spin so fast?
 
Realistically, if they haven't come apart or blown a belt by now, they'll probably last until the tread vanishes.
 
even a brand new tire can let go the same day you get it.....workin tires you see some weird things happen with tires
 
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