Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life?

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 17:53
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - John F

Any tyre experts out there, please? I only do a few hundred miles a year and my Goodyears were renewed in 1987. Apart from being a bit hard and slippery in the wet they appear to be perfectly OK.. I have never seen an instruction to change them after, say, 10yrs as for a cambelt. Their age is presumably obvious to the MoT tester from sidewall markings. Is 20+yrs too old?

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 21:08
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - bathtub tom

I believe it was proposed to introduce a tyre age element to the MOT test at one time. It appears to have been shelved.

See 'DOT codes and the 6-year shelf life' on this website:

www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html#top

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 21:25
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - Civic8

its impossible to predict but an average safe limit is 8-10 years depending on rubber condition,ie any small cracks are a sign of rubber breakdown which is dangerous

or check this out http://www.michelin.co.uk/michelinuk/en/car-4x4-van/long-will-tyres-last/20070319171408.html

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 21:27
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - Peter.N.

If you look at some old caravans they seem to have the original tyres after 20 years or so, the walls are full of cracks but they still seem to function OK.

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 23:24
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - Tommk4

I think it depends entirely on the quality of tyre and how often it is used and for how long for...each time it is used it expands and contracts slightly due to heating and cooling, this will obviously accelerate the degredation of the rubber...Also where it is kept can make a difference,if it is outside prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can photodegrade the rubber.

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Wed 2 Jun 2010 23:43
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - Civic8

Its the internals of the rubber I would be worried about, they can look really good but have damaged/broken walls that sometimes collapse without warning, so not so much what you can see its what you cant

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Thu 3 Jun 2010 19:00
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - John F

Thanks to you all for your comments - no problems this sunny afternoon. I'm nipping round corners quickly to try to wear them out a bit quicker!

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Sat 5 Jun 2010 11:19
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - piston power

Buy new ones every 5 years to be safe anything older than 10 years wants sc***ping.

Look at how many blow out on caravans the tread is perfect but the splits and they buckle with age.

Goodyear grand pri x is this what you have fitted? 165x13, or 185/70/13?

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Sat 5 Jun 2010 11:48
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - John F

185/70 13 on alloy alleycats - no corrosion probs, hold pressure well.

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Sat 5 Jun 2010 11:59
Triumph TR7 - Do tyres have a shelf/road life? - piston power

John stick new cheap ones on if you do low mileage and change every 5 years or don't drive near my kids.!

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