old tires and shelf life

[Lyndon S.]

With all this talk of old tires, none radial tires. We all know that radial tires have a shelf life, what about the NOS tires and the bias ply tires do they have a similar life? Are with that NYLON CORD help them to last longer?
________
Kelly

[Michael W.]

Re: old tires and shelf life

We all know that radial tires have a shelf life,

Don't believe everything you read about shelf life on any tire

[Lyndon S.]

Re: old tires and shelf life

[Duke W.]

Re: old tires and shelf life

Any "shelf life" assignment is purely arbitrary. That's why Congress failed to legislate tire shelf/service life when they took up the subject a couple of years ago - a rare instance when they actually did something right!

Shelf life and service life in terms of time are dependent on two factors.

1. The material and process technology used to manufacture the tire.

2. The environment the tire lives in during its shelf and service life.

As a general rule, higher speed rated tires use higher quality materials and better manufacturing processes, so I recommend speed ratings of at least H, which include nylon cap belts that will go a long way in preventing catastrophic tread separation in the event of an internal failure.

The two biggest enemies of tires are UV and ozone. One should always buy the freshest tires available, and typical vintage Corvette use (car is garaged and only driven occasionally) goes a long way to protecting them from these enemies.

Unfortunately, most vintage Corvette owners buy tires based on cosmetic factors, so they end up with low or no speed rated radials or reproduction bias plies that barely meet minimum 35 year old DOT standards. I would not use such a tire for anything other than judging.

If you like to drive your vintage Corvette, there are suitably sized high speed rated tires that will fit the OE wheels and are close to the original revs/mile and profile (see archives for much disussion on this subject)

For typical Corvette use as stated above, I would have no problem running a high speed rated tire for 15-20 years with at least an annual inspection for signs of degradation such as surface cracks in the sidewalls.

Duke

[Roy B.]

Re: old tires and shelf life

Here is my 1955 Corvette spare tire that even still has the tire markings . It was in a 55 Chevy trunk all it's life and used but once the last owner said . It's perfect no sign of any aging.