The danger of old tyres
Discussion
The sad news arrived yesterday of the death of two friends here in France. Two friends passionate as any about the classic car movement and passionate about any make of old car, owning several themselves. The cause of their death was down to old tyres, tyres that were on the face of it in good condition with plenty of tread but which were old, well past the time when they ought to have been changed. It is easy to think "I'll be alright, mine are perfect" but the truth is that the recommendation is to change tyres after six years, whatever the mileage; we all know that the rubber deteriorates with age but it is easier, but not safer, to put off the expense until another day. I know, in the past I have been as guilty as the next man.
In this case the tyre exploded on a bend, with fatal results. Please, don't just dismiss this, but go and check the age of your tyres on the sidewall. There will be a four figure number like 0602 (which means made the 6th week of 2002) on the carcass. I bet some of you will find there are only three digits like 147 which means 14th week of 1997 which might shock you. Time flies when you are having fun, but let it continue to be fun, not grief for your relatives. Oh, I've realised my trailer tyres need changing; I hadn't thought to check them.
In this case the tyre exploded on a bend, with fatal results. Please, don't just dismiss this, but go and check the age of your tyres on the sidewall. There will be a four figure number like 0602 (which means made the 6th week of 2002) on the carcass. I bet some of you will find there are only three digits like 147 which means 14th week of 1997 which might shock you. Time flies when you are having fun, but let it continue to be fun, not grief for your relatives. Oh, I've realised my trailer tyres need changing; I hadn't thought to check them.
Thank you all for your kind messages.
Totally in agreement with you Paul. Steering arms are a sore point with me at the moment since, after one trip and one only in the rain with the C-type, both are showing signs of rust. Apparently this though is normal since C-type arms are never powder coated. However, apparently I can now Hammerite them but the worry is that any cracks will of course not be seen. I am advised to wipe regularly with lanolin based oil to avoid the problem.
The BMW problem has been well aired on Watchdog and two month old cars were suffering cracked rims due to potholes. BMW denied all responsibility even under warranty until Watchdog got the bit between their teeth and now BMW have set up a special help line to sort matters out, even for those who have paid for their new wheels already. Disgusting after-sales service and warranty issues I feel.
fareaster said:
Thanks for the reminder. I'm running Dunlop SP Sports on my series 3 E type, had the car for 20 years and changed all the tyres sometime (?) ago. Just looked all over the side walls for a 3/4 digit number, can't find anything. Anybody got any pointers as to where these numbers are ?
There was quite a moment when 205/15 tyres weren't available from Dunlop or Vintage Tyres if memory serves. I suggest you ring them on 01590 612261 and discuss it. Time flies when you are having fun, and it flies dangerously.My thanks to you all for your kind messages.
One further point I would like to make here concerns inner tubes. I changed recently from Dunlop R5 to Blockleys on the D-type and was strongly advised to buy new inner tubes since the profile is slightly different and the old tubes were I guess about 10 years old anyway. Not a great expense but yet another example of "out of sight, out of mind".
One further point I would like to make here concerns inner tubes. I changed recently from Dunlop R5 to Blockleys on the D-type and was strongly advised to buy new inner tubes since the profile is slightly different and the old tubes were I guess about 10 years old anyway. Not a great expense but yet another example of "out of sight, out of mind".
Actually, when judging concours myself, we were more concerned that they were the right type of tyre rather than that they were original. For example, an E-type 3.8 on radial tyres lost points but if on Dunlop cross-plies didn't. My own car, in 1952, wore Dunlop Stabila tyres which haven't been made since 1955 and if we go further I had a great deal of difficulty to find the 1952 air to pump up the tyres.
But to come back to the point; if I saw a car at a concours on "original tyres", that is 30 years old and sidewalls all cracked, I'd deduct points like mad. After all, the definition of concours is "as it left the factory" and it certainly didn't leave the factory with lethal tyres.
But to come back to the point; if I saw a car at a concours on "original tyres", that is 30 years old and sidewalls all cracked, I'd deduct points like mad. After all, the definition of concours is "as it left the factory" and it certainly didn't leave the factory with lethal tyres.
Paul, I am sure I am teaching granny to suck eggs, but the Durabands were the Michelins of the period made under licence by Dunlop. They weren't their own brand of tyre at all. Anyone who had experience of the original Michelins would understand why the Dunlops were just as lethal; lethal when they broke away in the dry and lethal at all times in the wet. I came across an article in Motor Sport the other day, dated 1966, of people boasting of 100,000 miles on a set of Michelins. Hard as steel and as much grip.
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