Old tyres on classics
Discussion
I prefer to run period tyres on my early 70’s and 80’s restomods.
Preferring things like P6, P600’s P700’s etc...
Even if new old stock, these are very old tyres.
Now I know the rubber can harden over time, and even get even harder if exposed to UV.
Is there a way to easily test if they are hard beyond use ? Or do you just not entertain running tyres that are 10/15 years old.
Preferring things like P6, P600’s P700’s etc...
Even if new old stock, these are very old tyres.
Now I know the rubber can harden over time, and even get even harder if exposed to UV.
Is there a way to easily test if they are hard beyond use ? Or do you just not entertain running tyres that are 10/15 years old.
jamieandthemagic said:
Or do you just not entertain running tyres that are 10/15 years old.
This.And this is why...
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/great...
The MOT really should include a tyre age check, but I s'pose it'd not apply to the stuff it most needs to - which is mostly exempt. At least your "mod" wouldn't be.
Do Vintage or Longstone really not sell anything you'd want to use?
IMHO anything 10 years or older should be binned; earlier, perhaps 6 years, if it's a particularly heavy or powerful car or used at speed. If nothing else you'll be surprised at how much better the ride is. UV light is a particular killer of rubber and plastics so a dark garage helps. For what it costs, why take the risk? Longstone can supply old patterns with modern formulations, admittedly at a price.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 25th August 08:36
By all means keep a set of wheels with original tyres for shows/concourse but using them on the road is foolhardy.
In my younger stupid (penniless) days I used any old tyres we had in the workshop at home and some were old. Like 1970s old. I had several egg/delaminate and a couple just straight blow out. Not one gave me fair warning. The particularly memorable ones were a Dunlop that lost a 6" square patch of tread and caused me about 3 miles of confusion as to what the thumping vibration coming from the front of the car was as every time I stopped to check sods law dictated I parked on the missing chunk of tread. I turned a bit grey when I finally parked in a position I could see it missing.
I also had 2 tyres go on an mgb on a roadtrip back from buying it which split right across the tread.
Caravans are well known for these issues too for the same reasons (age and sitting in one position).
I'm not a super safety nazi by any means but there comes a point where a tyre is past it's best.
Just don't.
In my younger stupid (penniless) days I used any old tyres we had in the workshop at home and some were old. Like 1970s old. I had several egg/delaminate and a couple just straight blow out. Not one gave me fair warning. The particularly memorable ones were a Dunlop that lost a 6" square patch of tread and caused me about 3 miles of confusion as to what the thumping vibration coming from the front of the car was as every time I stopped to check sods law dictated I parked on the missing chunk of tread. I turned a bit grey when I finally parked in a position I could see it missing.
I also had 2 tyres go on an mgb on a roadtrip back from buying it which split right across the tread.
Caravans are well known for these issues too for the same reasons (age and sitting in one position).
I'm not a super safety nazi by any means but there comes a point where a tyre is past it's best.
Just don't.
There's no doubt that some of us have at times used tyres that were too old.
We users of beaded edge tyres can be a bit critical about the tread patterns offered and when Dunlop was still making the chevron pattern, the mid-sizes (e.g. 815 ×105) were around £500 a corner, so many of us were inclined to work by remaining tread depth rather than age. Quite wrong of course, and probably not often picked up by the MoT man when he was still needed.
We users of beaded edge tyres can be a bit critical about the tread patterns offered and when Dunlop was still making the chevron pattern, the mid-sizes (e.g. 815 ×105) were around £500 a corner, so many of us were inclined to work by remaining tread depth rather than age. Quite wrong of course, and probably not often picked up by the MoT man when he was still needed.
wildoliver said:
By all means keep a set of wheels with original tyres for shows/concourse but using them on the road is foolhardy.........
This - Absolutely! 
Risking your pride and joy on 10, 20, 30 year old tyres on the public highways makes about as much sense as running it on bald tyres as far as I'm concerned.
I suspect running ancient tyres on your car could also invalidate your insurance, as it could be deemed that you were running your car in an un-roadworthy condition, and in the event of a serious accident, if it was shown that the age of the tyres was a major factor in the accident, then you could be looking at being charged with road traffic offences, and possibly face lawsuits from anyone else involved in the accident.
It also makes no real sense to run on 10, 20, 30 year old tyres because there are companies out there who are making brand new tyres using the old moulds, so they look period correct.
Personally speaking, I would never put myself or my car at risk, just to ensure my car was all original - It's simply not worth it!
Yertis said:
Stupid question probably (because I normally change the tyres every year or so on my daily and so have never bothered to check) - do tyres have a date of manufacture on them?
Yes, and have had since at least the mid 80s.Last bit of the long DOT code, often just on one sidewall, near the rim.
Three digits = WWY, 1980s
Three digits plus a triangle = WWY, 1990s
Four digits = WWYY, 2000s.
I'd never seen anything marked as older than 1984 until last weekend, when I looked at some hilariously shagged (but inflated!) tyres somebody was buying at a fleamarket. They looked to be 1981, from the datestamp - I suspect they were 1991, but the triangle was missing for some reason. Fortunately, they were just being bought for the rims, and the tyres were surplus...
Yertis said:
Just checked the TR’s Tyres...
0200
I still think of them as “the new set”.
This made me smile. I've had to replace bits and thinking that they shouldn't have worn out as they weren't very old as I'd replaced them 'recently'. On checking the receipts file it turns out 'recently' was 10 to 15 years ago.0200
I still think of them as “the new set”.
mph said:
Strange as it may seem, tyre rubber deteriorates more in storage more than it does in use.
Depends how it's stored, and how it's used. UV is a killer for polymers. Tyres kept unloaded, in controlled temps, and in darkness, will last a lot better than on a car that's parked out in the sun with the weight of the car the tyres.Lowtimer said:
Depends how it's stored, and how it's used. UV is a killer for polymers. Tyres kept unloaded, in controlled temps, and in darkness, will last a lot better than on a car that's parked out in the sun with the weight of the car the tyres.
It's not as straightforward as that.Modern tyres contain a compound that prevents the natural "ageing" of the rubber. This compound is only released when the tyre is working, I.e. in use.
Hence they deteriorate in storage irrespective of how well they're stored.
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