how old is too old for radial tires?

[Randall K.]

After getting my car back on the road after a 3-year project, I started thinking about the age of my tires. I bought my car almost 11 years ago, so the tires are at least 11 years old. The car has been garaged, although not temperature controlled.

There's barely any wear, and there are no bulges or cracks in the sidewalls that suggest dry-rot.

Any opinions out there?

Thanks
Randy

[Pat H.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

I bought radials for my 59 in 2000. They have about 20,000 miles and still have good thread, but they are hard and when the roadways are wet, they have a tendancy to slide a bit. My suggestion if they are that old, it's time. I'm thinking it's timer for mine as well

[Richard S.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

Seven years regardless of miles.

[Dick W.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

If you are only driving around town at slow speeds I would not worry too much. When the tread comes off at slow speeds it will not do too much body damage. Seven years is a maximum service life for tires driven at interstate speeds

[Ralph S.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

I have Uniroyal GR70X15 radials on my 73 that i bought in 1977 when the original Firestone 500's were recalled, I do not drive it on the highway anymore.

[Dan H.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

replace them!

My car had 14 year old tires on it. It was stored for 10 years. There was plenty of tread on them. Search around the forums and it won't take you long to find someone that had a quarter cracked/damaged from an old tire blowing out.

Pony up and get new ones, cheap insurance compared to the damage an old tire can cause. Not to mention a new set of radials makes a huge difference in how the car drives.

[Peter G.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

Randall....there a lot of opinions on this subject!

Mine are..tires are not like cottage cheese and have a expiration date.

I too drive on Uniroyal GR70-15 original tires that have a date code on them of 1975.

I don't drive my '73 LS4 more than a hour at a time. Mostly city driving. Any long distance to a Judging Meet and it would go into the enclosed trailer.

If you are driving high speeds for a extended period of time where the tires heat up then I would consider changing tires more frenquently.

[Frank D.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

My '63 was stored in the Daytona Klassix Museum for 9 years and after 10 more years the tires still looked great. No sidewall cracking or distortion, still rode smooth while showing almost no wear. I knew they were way too old and was just looking for replacements when two days after my wife and I had just driven it a tire exploded in the garage while we were asleep! It left a hole in the sidewall in the sidewall the size of an apple. When I checked the date code the tires were 21 years old!!

[Jim T.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

What brand of tire exploded? I do not know what the tire pressure Corvette owner manuals had after 1970 through 1982. I did not comply with my 68's and 70's owners manual of 24 PSI, always pumped them up to 32 PSI. Run 36 PSI in my C4's. Driving on interstates higher air pressure contributes to safety. In west Texas interstate legal speeds are above 70.

[Michael J.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

Ozone and UV light are the primary enemy of tires. Tires are black for a reason. If you live in a place with high ozone and humidity, along with being in the sun much, tire life can be cut up to 40% from the usual 6-10 years or so. Also, sitting is very bad for tires, the lack of flex doesn't allow the natural wax from the tire to move to the outside and keep it protected. So lack of driving, ozone, and UV are the main consideration. And looks are not always a good judge, I have had tires fail that had no cracking or checking on the sidewalls. After 10 years you are living on borrowed time in my opinion.

[Timothy B.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

I think in the 1967 service manual Corvette tire pressures are stated for 24 or 26 lbs with a note stating tire pressure can go up to six pounds higher depending on vehicle speed. I have those repro bias on my 67 and I am very careful about exceeding 26 cold tire pressure.

[Russ S.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

The tire pressure decal on the door of 73's says 20 PSI front and rear. I have never been able to figure out why GM recommend such a low tire pressure. I know at 20 PSI the car doesn't handle very well.

[Frank D.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

What brand of tire exploded? I do not know what the tire pressure Corvette owner manuals had after 1970 through 1982. I did not comply with my 68's and 70's owners manual of 24 PSI, always pumped them up to 32 PSI. Run 36 PSI in my C4's. Driving on interstates higher air pressure contributes to safety. In west Texas interstate legal speeds are above 70.

Goodyears, 28 psi front & rear

[Tom R.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

Randall

This article was written for the Corvette owner has asks the question about tire age and targets radials.

http://www.hunt4cleanair.net/Articles/corvettetiresafety.pdf

[Dick W.]

Re: how old is too old for radial tires?

The one thing that no one has mentioned, radial tires are way more prone to the effects of aging. I looked at a truck last week that had 60 year old tires on the rear and they absolutely showed no outward evidence of aging. I am not a tire engineer but somehow the construction of radials makes them more susceptible to the effects of aging. Fabric tires, if they were too old, almost showed cracking, splits, etc before failure.